Public Policy

  • March 28, 2024

    EU Justice Head To Step Aside To Run For Rights Group Post

    The European Union's president granted the bloc's justice commissioner leave to pursue a leadership role with a European human rights organization, the European Commission said.

  • March 28, 2024

    Romney Tells DEA Pot Review Must Heed Treaty Obligations

    Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on Wednesday expressed skepticism with federal health regulators' recommendation to loosen marijuana restrictions and pressed the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to explain how it would consider the drug's status in light of the U.S.'s treaties.

  • March 28, 2024

    BREAKING: Bankman-Fried Gets 25 Years For FTX Fraud

    FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for stealing more than $11 billion from customers, investors and lenders of his now-collapsed cryptocurrency empire, with a Manhattan federal judge citing the possibility that he'll "do something very bad in the future."

  • March 27, 2024

    Amazon Can't Block DSA Ad Repository Requirements

    A European court reversed a ruling temporarily exempting Amazon from a set of regulations for large digital platforms, ruling Wednesday that — like Apple's App Store, Facebook and Instagram — Amazon will have to maintain a publicly available repository of advertising information, as mandated by the European Union's 2022 Digital Services Act.

  • March 27, 2024

    History Confirms Ruling In ND Tribes' VRA Win, Feds Say

    The federal government is urging the Eighth Circuit to uphold a ruling confirming that a North Dakota redistricting effort violated the Voting Rights Act, arguing that if the appellate court were to reverse course it could strike a grievous blow that could affect seven states and thousands of political subdivisions within its circuit.

  • March 27, 2024

    Justices Poised To Expand Repeat Offenders' Jury Trial Rights

    The U.S. Supreme Court appeared likely Wednesday to agree with the Biden administration and the criminal defense bar that repeat offenders have a constitutional right to let a jury decide if past offenses were sufficiently distinct to trigger lengthy prison terms under a prominent sentencing enhancement.

  • March 27, 2024

    SD Gov. Seeks Federal Funds Audit Of Tribal Law Enforcement

    South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has asked President Joe Biden's administration to conduct a thorough audit of federal funding for the state's nine Native American tribes, saying additional law enforcement resources are urgently needed on reservation lands.

  • March 27, 2024

    Foreign Subsidy Rule Muddles 'Countervailable' Meaning

    The U.S. Department of Commerce's new final rule authorizing itself to investigate subsidies that governments give to manufacturers in other nations casts uncertainty over the definition of "countervailable" in the absence of clarity on how third-party governments will be incorporated into these duty probes. 

  • March 27, 2024

    BlackRock's Non-ESG Funds Have Green Agenda, Miss. Says

    Mississippi's secretary of state announced Wednesday that it intends to fine BlackRock multiple millions of dollars, alleging the asset manager has repeatedly made false and misleading statements about its involvement in "pushing" environmental, social and corporate governance factors on portfolio companies.

  • March 27, 2024

    Vrbo Host Is Breaking Zoning Regs, Conn. High Court Told

    Some justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court signaled on Wednesday that a lower court may have failed to provide a workable definition of the word "residence" when deciding that a Branford-based zoning board's regulations allowed short-term rentals through services like Vrbo and Airbnb.

  • March 27, 2024

    Cannabis Cmte. Reps. Urge Garland To Restore Pot Protections

    The two Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Congressional Cannabis Caucus blasted Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday for not reissuing "overdue" protections for marijuana businesses acting in compliance with state and tribal law.

  • March 27, 2024

    BLM Finalizes Methane Venting And Flaring Rule

    The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday announced its final rule meant to cut the amount of methane released at energy production facilities by reducing leaks and tightening limits on a process known as flaring.

  • March 27, 2024

    DoorDash, Grubhub Want Docs From NY Restaurant Lobbyists

    DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats have urged a Manhattan federal judge to let them subpoena the trade group executives who allegedly "worked closely" with officials on challenged New York City caps on fees that food delivery apps can charge restaurants.

  • March 27, 2024

    FERC Finds Fans And Foes Of Wall Street's Utility Ownership

    The deadline has just passed for initial comments on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's reexamination of its policy for allowing financial firms to own electric utilities. Here's a recap of what FERC is contemplating and the initial feedback the agency has received from players throughout the U.S. power sector.

  • March 27, 2024

    ​​​​​​​CSX Can't End DOL's Improper Retirement Plan Fee Suit

    A Florida federal judge backed a magistrate judge's recommendation Wednesday that the court knock down CSX Transportation Inc.'s bid to dismiss a suit alleging it mismanaged its retirement plan fees, discarding the company's concerns that the report made improper legal conclusions.

  • March 27, 2024

    Federal Panel Approves Michigan's Redrawn House Districts

    A Michigan federal court on Wednesday approved new state legislative districts in Detroit for this year's elections after striking down the existing map late last year because districts were drawn based on race.

  • March 27, 2024

    Calif. Judge Decries DOJ's Broken Promises In Travel Ban Suit

    A California federal judge reprimanded U.S. Department of Justice attorneys for causing delays, breaking promises and hobbling the administration of justice while granting class certification to individuals who sought waivers to former President Donald Trump's travel ban targeting mostly Muslim-majority countries.

  • March 27, 2024

    Idaho AG Won't Defend Abortion Stance, Confusing 9th Circ.

    The Idaho solicitor general insisted at a hearing before the Ninth Circuit Wednesday that the state's attorney general isn't "trying to be cute" by refusing to defend his expansive interpretation of Idaho's abortion ban in front of a baffled appellate panel.

  • March 27, 2024

    NYC Mayor Says City Laws Can't Expand Housing Vouchers

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams has urged a state court to rule against a proposed class that wants the court to enforce a set of local laws aiming to expand a housing voucher program, saying those measures conflict with state law.

  • March 27, 2024

    47 House Dems Urge Changing Trade Deal To Stem Migration

    A large bloc of U.S. lawmakers has called on the Biden administration to remove what the lawmakers say is a damaging investor-state dispute settlement mechanism from the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, warning federal government officials that it's a primary reason why migrants are leaving the region.

  • March 27, 2024

    Sotomayor 'Annoyed' By Supreme Court's Focus On History

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor seemed to release some pent-up frustration Wednesday over the court's increasing focus on history and tradition when reviewing constitutional disputes, suggesting the method frequently used by the court's more conservative members isn't foolproof.

  • March 27, 2024

    Governor Directs Pa. To Use More Project Labor Agreements

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday that he is directing state agencies to consider including project labor agreements — pre-hiring collective bargaining agreements that can cover multiple contractors and labor unions — in all major capital projects.

  • March 27, 2024

    9th Circ. Judge Doubts Feds' Gambling Stance Matches Tribe's

    A Ninth Circuit judge pushed back Wednesday against a gambling company's argument that a particular Washington tribe did not need to be a part of its lawsuit over state gambling compacts, pointing out that the federal government is expected to balance competing interests — not necessarily mirror the tribes' position.

  • March 27, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Caps $7M Verdict While Clarifying Foreign Damages

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday rejected Trading Technologies' attempt to increase its $6.6 million patent infringement win against IBG LLC, in an opinion focusing on how to apply a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on foreign damages.

  • March 27, 2024

    Navajo Sue Feds Over Withheld Forestry Program Funds

    The Navajo Nation claims the U.S. Department of the Interior unlawfully withheld more than a million dollars in funding for its contracted forestry management program, telling a D.C. federal judge the department should be forced to provide the money and accept the funding agreements proposed by the nation.

Expert Analysis

  • HHS' Updated Tracking Tech Guidance Offers Little Clarity

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights' updated guidance on the use of online tracking technologies appears more focused on legal issues raised in ongoing litigation with the American Hospital Association and less on practical guidance for covered entities, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 8 Tips As GCs Prep For New SEC Climate Disclosure Rules

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently adopted rules governing climate-related disclosures represent a major change to the existing public company disclosure regime, so in-house counsel should begin to evaluate existing systems and resources related to emissions data, and identify the changes that will need to be made, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • A Defense Strategy For Addressing Copyright Fee-Shifting

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    Permissive fee-shifting under Section 505 of the Copyright Act poses unique challenges for copyright defendants, carrying an outsize impact on the economic incentive structure in copyright litigation, but relying on a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure may offer a potential solution by allowing defendants to recover attorney fees, say Hugh Marbury and Molly Shaffer at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    DOJ Press Office Is Not Fulfilling Its Stated Mission

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    The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs’ apparent practice of issuing press releases when someone is indicted or convicted, but not when a defendant prevails, undermines its stated mission to disseminate “current, complete and accurate” information, and has negative real-world ramifications, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • An Overview Of Key Financing Documents In Venture Capital

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    The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent Moelis decision highlights the importance of structuring corporate governance around investor demand, meaning early-stage companies seeking venture funding through sales of preferred stock should understand the legal documents needed to do so successfully, say Daniel Bell-Garcia and Tristan Kaisharis at Winstead.

  • Opinion

    Expanded Detention Will Not Solve Immigration Challenges

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    The recently defeated bipartisan border package included provisions that would increase funding for detention, a costly distraction from reforms like improved adjudication and legal representation that could address legitimate economic and public safety concerns at much lower cost, say Alexandra Dufresne and Kyle Wolf at Cornell University.

  • Ready Or Not, Big Tech Should Expect CFPB Surveillance

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    In light of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed plan to supervise large companies providing the vast majority of digital money transfers, not only will Big Tech have to prepare for regulation previously reserved for traditional banks, but the CFPB will also likely face some difficult decisions and obstacles, says Meredith Osborn at Arnold & Porter.

  • Opinion

    Neb. Justices Should Weigh IRC Terms In Dividend Tax Case

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    Nebraska’s highest court, which will hear oral arguments in Precision CastParts v. Department of Revenue on April 1, should recognize that the Internal Revenue Code provides key clues to defining “dividends received or deemed to be received,” and therefore limits Nebraska’s tax on foreign-sourced corporate income, says Joseph Schmidt at Ryan.

  • What New Waste Management Laws Signal For The Future

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    Several states have enacted extended producer responsibility and recycling labeling laws that will take effect in the next few years and force manufacturers to take responsibility for the end of life of their products, so companies should closely follow compliance timelines and push to innovate in the area, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Untangling The Legal Complexities Of Trade Secrets And AI

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    With broad adoption of generative artificial intelligence, some have suggested trade secret law is the best means for protecting innovations, but while this protection may apply to all forms of information, the breadth of coverage may make identifying the information and later misappropriation difficult, say Joshua Lerner and Nora Passamaneck at WilmerHale.

  • A Look At 3 Noncompete Bans Under Consideration In NYC

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    A trio of noncompete bills currently pending in the New York City Council would have various effects on employers' abilities to enter into such agreements with their employees, reflecting growing anti-noncompete sentiment across the U.S., say Tracey Diamond and Grace Goodheart at Troutman Pepper.

  • Reducing Risk While DOJ Plans New Whistleblower Rewards

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    In light of the Department of Justice's newly announced plan to create a comprehensive whistleblower reward program to fill the gaps in the current patchwork of federal incentives, companies should mitigate their risk of external claims now by implementing internal systems where employees can confidently and anonymously report concerns, say Caleb Hayes-Deats and Walter Hawes at MoloLamken.

  • Series

    Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.

  • DOJ's Safe Harbor Policy May Quietly Favor M&A Enforcement

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    In a change that has received little attention, the U.S. Justice Department's recently codified safe harbor policy essentially reads the Antitrust Division's criminal enforcement out of the policy entirely, and now appears to favor merger enforcement in antitrust, rather than criminal enforcement, as originally intended, say Daniel Oakes and James Attridge at Axinn.

  • Takeaways From The 2023 DOJ Fraud Section Report

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    Attorneys at Wiley discuss notable trends from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently reported Fraud Section activity last year and highlight areas of enforcement to watch for in the future, including healthcare fraud and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.

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