 |
PUBLIC POLICY |
|
TOP NEWS Trump Trial Court Pick Unlikely To Get Vote, Grassley Says
President Donald Trump's choice for a North Carolina federal judgeship will likely be sent back to the White House after prospects for confirmation this year dwindled to nil, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee said.
Michael Cohen Deserves 'Substantial Prison Term,' Feds Say
Prosecutors told a Manhattan federal judge Friday that Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer and political champion, should be sentenced to a “substantial prison term” — possibly in the range of four years — after Cohen copped to a series of crimes including lying to Congress and tax evasion in two plea hearings.
Mueller Says Manafort Lied About Contact With Trump Admin.
Paul Manafort lied to prosecutors about several things, including his claim that he was not in contact with the Trump administration earlier this year, in violation of his plea agreement, special prosecutor Robert Mueller told a D.C. federal court Friday.
Calif. School Vaccine Law Upheld As Panel Pans 'Hyperbole'
California's law requiring children in day care and grade school to get vaccinated survived another in a long line of challenges when a state appeals court criticized the lawsuit’s "hyperbole" in a unanimous opinion upholding a lower court's decision to toss the case.
Immigrant Challenges Legitimacy Of Judges Under Acting AG
The nation’s immigration judges currently lack the authority to act on a broad range of cases because acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has not been lawfully appointed, a Colorado resident who faces deportation has contended.
Trump Unlikely To Defy 'So-Called Judges,' Prof Argues
A recent paper by a William & Mary law professor argues that, despite charged rhetoric from the Trump administration, including the president’s personal attacks on judges, the federal government has thus far complied with judicial orders and is likely to continue to do so.
Data-Driven Lawyer: Morgan Lewis' J. Kyle Poe
Morgan Lewis' J. Kyle Poe, a self-proclaimed "elder millennial," created a client management platform to streamline the firm's work in asbestos litigation that is now used across practice areas, making the firm's business more efficient and upping its ability to attract clients through innovative fee arrangements, earning him a spot on our 2018 list of Data-Driven Lawyers.
Chinese Cos. Eluding US Scrutiny, Hurting Investors: SEC
Wall Street regulators issued an unusually strong rebuke Friday of their counterparts in China for continuing to shield reports that could indicate whether public companies based there are playing fairly in U.S. exchanges.
Trump Picks Kirkland's William Barr For AG
President Donald Trump named Kirkland & Ellis LLP attorney William Barr as his pick to replace former Attorney General Jeff Sessions Friday, setting Barr up to reprise the role he served under late President George H.W. Bush.
DOJ Antitrust Head Redoing Patent Accord To Help IP Owners
The head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division on Friday delivered one of the sharpest examples yet of the division’s new emphasis on protecting patent holders by promising to rewrite an Obama-era policy on standard-essential patents and to crack down on standard-setting bodies that disrupt competition.
Advertisers Can't Tear Down NYC Billboard Ban At 2nd Circ.
Advertisers can't block a New York City ban on billboard advertising near public parks and roadways after the Second Circuit said Friday a decades-old regulation exemption that lets signs plaster a Queens ballpark doesn't mean the companies are being deprived of their commercial speech rights.
ERISA Industry Group Wants Seattle Hotel Benefits Law Nixed
The ERISA Industry Committee again asked for a quick win in its challenge to a recently revised section of Seattle's municipal code governing hotel employee health benefits, asking a Washington federal judge to reject the city's assertion that the ordinance wasn't preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
Take Merger Fight To The Links, FCC's Pai Says At Roast
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai needled parties involved in two of the year’s biggest mergers during the 32nd annual Chairman’s Dinner Thursday night, suggesting AT&T and the DOJ could settle their beef on the putting green and Sprint and T-Mobile’s merger attempts resemble dysfunctional relationships on “The Office.”
EU Takes Romania To Court Over $105M In Unrecovered Aid
The European Union’s antitrust watchdog is taking Romania to court over the country's failure to fully claw back €92 million ($104.8 million) it paid to two Swedish investors in violation of EU state aid rules, the agency said Friday.
UK Watchdog Probing Pepsi-Chips Combo
The U.K.’s competition watchdog announced Friday that it had opened an investigation into Pepsi’s purchase of Pipers Crisps Ltd., saying the deal could result in a lessening of competition.
German Power Giant To Allow More Danish Energy After Probe
The largest high-voltage electricity transmitter in Germany will let in more energy from Denmark suppliers to end a European Commission investigation that it choked the supply of cheap Nordic electricity in favor of German-produced power, regulators said Friday.
Colo. Sheriff Can't Hold Detainees For ICE, Judge Rules
A Colorado federal judge gave a quick win Thursday to classes of detainees at the El Paso County jail in finding that the local sheriff cannot hold them for up to 48 hours after they have resolved their criminal cases so that immigration authorities can pick them up without a court order.
IRS Lets Cos. Opt Out Of New Stock Option Deferral Program
Companies will be able to opt out of a new provision in last year's federal tax overhaul that allows employees to defer income from exercising stock options, the Internal Revenue Service said Friday.
Texas AG, Others Tell High Court Trump Can End DACA
A coalition of 10 states led by Texas and a group of nonprofits led by Citizens United have each filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court, supporting the move by President Donald Trump’s administration to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Senate OKs Bill To Fight Crime Against Tribal Women
The Senate has approved a bipartisan bill that would bolster law enforcement efforts to investigate the abductions and murders of Native American women, many of which “go uninvestigated and unresolved,” according to the measure’s co-sponsor.
Many Native Americans Lack High-Speed Internet: Census
Native Americans living on Indian lands are among the people least likely in the United States to have access to high-speed internet service, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday.
Tribes Can't Stop FCC's Next-Gen Towers, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Communications Commission has urged the D.C. Circuit to toss out a petition for review by tribes and environmentalists regarding the commission’s plan to accelerate the building of 5G infrastructure, saying the deployment of small-cell fixtures is not a major federal action.
FCC Halts $4.5B Subsidy Project To Probe Carrier Data
The Federal Communications Commission said Friday it's opening an investigation into whether major carriers fudged nationwide coverage maps submitted within a $4.53 billion agency initiative to bring high-speed access to rural areas, pausing the project after early looks at carrier data pointed to "significant violations" of the rules.
Dems Urge FCC Not To Classify Texting As An Info Service
A group of Democratic senators are urging the Federal Communications Commission to drop plans to classify text messaging as an information service rather than a telecommunications one, saying that such a move would give providers a free pass to censor consumers' text messages.
Mass. Winner-Take-All Electoral System Sound, Judge Rules
A bid by a former Massachusetts governor and two Republicans to change the state's winner-take-all practice for selecting presidential electors was dismissed Friday by a federal judge who ruled the system — which is in place in 48 states and the District of Columbia — does not violate the U.S. Constitution.
Georgetown Tech Hub Hires Ex-FTC Commish, Covington Atty
Georgetown Law has nabbed a top Covington & Burling lawyer and former Federal Trade Commission member who worked on antitrust and consumer protection matters for the school’s tech law hub, who will join as a distinguished fellow.
A Look Back At Mulvaney's CFPB, And What's Ahead In 2019
With Kathy Kraninger now confirmed as the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, attorneys with Mayer Brown LLP offer an in-depth look at how the agency has changed under acting Director Mick Mulvaney and what it may look like going forward.
Opinion House Problem Solvers May Not Solve The Problem
A small group of Democrats committed to making the House more collegial and productive has reached an agreement with the minority leader on several changes to the way the House operates. While a great first step, these provisions will create problems of their own, say Thomas Spulak and George Crawford of King & Spalding LLP.
OFCCP Employee Selection Guidance: A Few Misconceptions
Meeting the scope and variety of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' adjunct employee selection requirements is a continuing challenge for contractors. Richard Fischer, research psychologist with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and former OFCCP testing expert, debunks some common misinterpretations.
State Net More State Issues The Blue Wave May Shape In 2019
In the second installment of this three-part legislative preview, Rich Ehisen of State Net Capitol Journal examines a number of issues that should keep state lawmakers occupied next year.
Calif. Privacy Act Will Increase Data Breach Liability
The California Consumer Privacy Act's statutory damages provision will likely generate significant litigation and require courts to weigh in on various aspects of this important new remedy, say Grant Davis-Denny and Alex Gorin of Munger Tolles & Olson LLP.
Kirkland & Ellis Chairman To Retire, Successor Named
Kirkland & Ellis LLP's longtime chairman Jeffrey Hammes will retire in early 2020 and will be replaced by Jon Ballis, a Chicago-based private equity partner and member of the firm's global management executive committee, according to a Friday internal memo obtained by Law360. Feature Bar Orgs In The Crosshairs After Justices Revive Dues Case
The U.S. Supreme Court created an existential threat for mandatory state bar associations when it recently ordered a fresh look at whether their required dues are constitutional, a move that could lead to a decline in bar membership depending on the outcome of the case. Legal Industry Sheds 2,400 Jobs, Wiping Out Year's Gains
The legal services sector lost 2,400 jobs in November, the steepest single-month drop in 2018, erasing virtually all of the gains made throughout the year, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BigLaw Revenues On Track For Banner Year, Wells Fargo Says
The legal industry is poised to have its most successful year since the 2008 economic downturn, with revenue up among top firms through the first three quarters, a report from Wells Fargo Private Bank's legal specialty group predicts. Kirkland Nixes Forced Arbitration For Non-Attorney Staff
Kirkland & Ellis LLP told employees it would end its policy of requiring arbitration to settle employment disputes for all non-attorney staff, according to a memo obtained Friday by Law360 and following public pressure mounted by a group of Harvard Law School students. Tesla Taps Williams & Connolly Chairman To Take GC Reins
Williams & Connolly LLP chairman Dane Butswinkas will become the new general counsel at Tesla Inc., moving in-house after a decadeslong career at the prestigious Washington, D.C., firm, the automaker announced Thursday. Atty Asks To Stay In NFL Suit Despite Disciplinary Charges
A California attorney has asked the Ninth Circuit to allow him to continue representing a former NFL cheerleader in her proposed class action against the league despite the fact that a judge with the state bar court has recommended that he be disbarred for exploiting an elderly client and his license has been listed as inactive. Belgian Busted In Scheme To Dupe US Law Firms, Charities
A Belgian national who was indicted by a federal grand jury for a scheme to convince law firms and charities to wire him money was arraigned in Boston federal court Friday, 22 months after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Feature GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week
More than a dozen privacy groups doubled down on efforts to persuade California lawmakers to refrain from watering down a landmark privacy law, the District of Columbia gave final approval to a post-Wayfair tax law, and the Marriott hack showed the risks of cyber diligence gaps in mergers. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week. In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360
For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week. Podcast Law360's Pro Say: The Copy-Paste Case That Led To Fraud
Can you be held liable for securities fraud if you simply copy-and-paste someone else’s false statements? The U.S. Supreme Court wrangled with that question this week, and reporter Jon Hill joins the Pro Say podcast to explain the case.
|
|
