Public Policy

  • August 30, 2024

    Axon Pushes FCC Again For New Surveillance Device OKs

    Police body cam maker Axon again pressed the Federal Communications Commission to approve the use of three surveillance devices, emphasizing they will only be used briefly for law enforcement situational awareness.

  • August 30, 2024

    Nebraska Expected To Vote On Medical Marijuana Legalization

    Medical marijuana advocates have met the requirements to put a legalization question before Nebraska voters on Election Day this November, the secretary of state announced Friday.

  • August 30, 2024

    New York Code Council, Officials Duck Natural Gas Ban Suit

    A New York federal court dropped the New York Department of State, the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council and several state officials from trade groups' challenge to the state's recent ban on natural gas in new construction.

  • August 30, 2024

    Judge Unsure Warehouse Antitrust Suit Belongs In Fed. Court

    An Illinois federal judge appeared skeptical Friday that a warehouse developer could unravel a municipal contract with several real estate companies accused of violating antitrust laws, questioning if the plaintiff was truly harmed by the deal or a related judgment its rivals later won in state court.

  • August 30, 2024

    Mich. Justices Reject College Students' COVID Refund Appeal

    The Michigan Supreme Court said Friday it won't revive college students' lawsuits seeking refunds over the switch to virtual instruction during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, cementing wins for three universities.

  • August 30, 2024

    Cable Cos. Seek Latitude To Define BEAD Service Areas

    If Texas wants to make the most of its $3.3 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program money, it should allow participants the latitude to craft their own project areas when deciding which locations to build broadband infrastructure for, a major cable trade group told the state's broadband office.

  • August 30, 2024

    5th Circ. Rejects SEC Whistleblower Award Calculation Appeal

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday rejected petitions by two whistleblowers who allege that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shortchanged them after they helped to uncover purportedly the largest fraud in Texas history, by a company that was driven into bankruptcy.

  • August 30, 2024

    Steward Says It Has Deal To Avert Some Hospital Closures

    Bankrupt hospital operator Steward Health Care System has a tentative agreement that would eliminate over $6 billion of claims against it, keep the majority of its 31 hospitals operating while saving three from potential closure and set it on a path to confirm a Chapter 11 plan, attorneys told a Texas bankruptcy judge Friday.

  • August 30, 2024

    'Guesswork' Underlies Red States' NEPA Challenge, Feds Say

    The Biden administration is making its own push for summary judgment in its battle with 21 Republican-led states over a new environmental permitting rule, arguing in North Dakota federal court that their suit fails on standing and ripeness and relies on pure "guesswork" about how the rule will be implemented.

  • August 30, 2024

    Feds Propose Tribal Oversight Of Utah National Monument

    Nearly 2 million acres of public lands within Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument will be managed by a co-stewardship of tribal nations, with a focus on conservation and preservation, according to a proposed plan by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

  • August 30, 2024

    CFTC Grants Clearing Status To Courtroom Foe Kalshi

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has given the all clear for a division of derivatives startup Kalshi to serve as an intermediary in the swaps market, even as the pair continue to duke it out in court over the trading platform's rebuffed request to participate in the stalled elections betting market.

  • August 30, 2024

    Danish Gov't Pledges No Ponzi Analogies At $2.1B Tax Trial

    The Danish tax authority won't compare pension funds, investors and attorneys it has accused of defrauding Denmark in a $2.1 billion tax refund scheme to a Ponzi scheme or infamous perpetrator Bernie Madoff, it said Friday in New York federal court.

  • August 30, 2024

    Harris Admin Would Stay Course On Tough Antitrust Policy

    Just two days after food and candy giant Mars announced its blockbuster $35.9 billion Kellanova purchase, Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign indicated plans to “crack down” on mergers between large food companies. That would differ significantly from another Trump presidency, which could see a generally more relaxed antitrust environment. Here, Law360 explores anticipated policy differences between the two.

  • August 30, 2024

    Midyear Report: Texas Legislation To Watch Ahead Of 2025

    Texas lawmakers are scheduled to convene in January, and both the Texas House and Senate are already busy preparing to introduce new legislation.

  • August 30, 2024

    Ex-NC Sheriff's Deputies Win $1M In Retaliation Case Trial

    A North Carolina federal jury has awarded two former Wake County deputies $1 million, finding former Sheriff Gerald Baker fired them for speaking up about homophobic and racially charged language in a training session.

  • August 30, 2024

    NY Hemp Shops Seek Halt Of 'Military Style' Raids

    A quintet of hemp product retailers have alleged that New York state and city officials unlawfully targeted their businesses as part of an effort to crack down on unregulated marijuana sellers.

  • August 30, 2024

    Parents Unhurt By Indigenous Child Law, Minn. Justices Told

    A coalition of Native American nonprofits is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to dismiss a challenge by foster parents to the Indian Child Welfare Act in a custody dispute over two Red Lake Nation children, arguing that the parents have not been injured by the law's preference for Indigenous foster homes.

  • August 30, 2024

    3 Atty Takeaways On What's Ahead As ERISA Turns 50

    As the Employee Retirement Income Security Act turns 50 years old this Labor Day, attorneys reflecting on five decades of development of the federal employee benefits law see a complex path ahead for both litigation and policy. Here are three key takeaways from top attorneys on what’s next for ERISA on its golden anniversary.

  • August 30, 2024

    Favre Cites Palin-NYT In Push To Reverse Defamation Ruling

    Attorneys for former NFL quarterback Brett Favre asked the Fifth Circuit to consider a recent ruling granting Sarah Palin a new libel trial against the New York Times when it considers reviving his case against fellow NFL great turned sports pundit Shannon Sharpe.

  • August 30, 2024

    AGs Ask 11th Circ. To Back Fla. Under-21 Gun Sale Law

    A group of 21 attorneys general Friday filed an amicus brief with the Eleventh Circuit urging the appeals court to reaffirm a panel decision upholding a Florida law that banned the sale of firearms by people under 21.

  • August 30, 2024

    AT&T Says Colo. Overvalued Property By $33M

    Colorado incorrectly overvalued the statewide property of AT&T by about $33 million for property tax purposes, the company said in a lawsuit in state court, arguing for a valuation of less than one-third of the state's valuation.

  • August 30, 2024

    Conn. Chief Justice Pick Has Already Shaped The Courts

    When Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced that he had selected state Supreme Court Justice Raheem L. Mullins, 46, to serve as chief justice, he highlighted Justice Mullins' seven years of service on the state high court and noted that his nominee has written about 70 majority opinions.

  • August 30, 2024

    Va. US Atty To Resign As Wife Assumes Judgeship

    U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia has announced that he will step down from his role at the end of the year as his wife, Jasmine Hyejung Yoon, was confirmed to a federal judgeship in that district.

  • August 30, 2024

    Trump's Bid To Move Hush Money Case Could Backfire

    Donald Trump's renewed bid to persuade a federal court to intervene in the Manhattan district attorney's hush money prosecution faces slim odds and could ultimately be deemed a frivolous filing that exposes his attorneys to potential sanctions, experts told Law360.

  • August 30, 2024

    Mich. Supreme Court Shuts Down COVID Closure Suits

    Michigan's top court turned away gyms and food-service businesses seeking payment for state-imposed closures and restrictions on their businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, rejecting the businesses' appeals Friday.

Expert Analysis

  • Supreme Court's ALJ Ruling Carries Implications Beyond SEC

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    In its recent Jarkesy opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court limited the types of cases that can be tried before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's in-house administrative law judges, setting the stage for challenges to the constitutionality of ALJs across other agencies, say Robert Robertson and Kimberley Church at Dechert.

  • Opinion

    A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • USPTO Disclaimer Rule Would Complicate Patent Prosecution

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's proposed changes to terminal disclaimer practice could lead to a patent owner being unable to enforce a valid patent simply because it is indirectly tied to a patent in which a single claim is found anticipated or obvious in view of the prior art, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • 2nd Circ. ERISA Ruling May Help Fight Unfair Arb. Clauses

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    The Second Circuit recently held that a plaintiff seeking planwide relief under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act cannot be compelled to individual arbitration, a decision that opens the door to new applications of the effective vindication doctrine to defeat onerous and one-sided arbitration clauses, say Raphael Janove and Liana Vitale at Janove.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law

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    Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • What NYC's Green Fast Track Means For Affordable Housing

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    New York City's Green Fast Track for Housing initiative, which went into effect last month, aims to speed up the environmental review process for modest residential developments and could potentially pave the way for similar initiatives in other cities, say Vivien Krieger and Rachel Scall at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    After Chevron: No Deference, No Difference For SEC Or CFTC

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    The Chevron doctrine did not fundamentally alter the interplay between the courts and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the development of the securities and commodities laws — and its demise will not do so either, says Dan Berkovitz at Millennium Management.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • Justices' Bribery Ruling: A Corrupt Act Isn't Necessarily Illegal

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    In its Snyder v. U.S. decision last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a bribery law does not criminalize gratuities, continuing a trend of narrowing federal anti-corruption laws and scrutinizing public corruption prosecutions that go beyond obvious quid pro quo schemes, say Carrie Cohen and Christine Wong at MoFo.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Takeaways From New HHS Substance Use Disorder Info Rules

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    A new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule continues the agency's efforts to harmonize complex rules surrounding confidentiality provisions for substance use disorder patient records, though healthcare providers will need to remain mindful of different potentially applicable requirements and changes that their compliance structures may require, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Opinion

    Reform NEPA To Speed Mining Permits, Clean Energy Shift

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    It is essential to balance responsible regulatory oversight with permit approvals for mining projects that are needed for the transition to renewable energy — and with the National Environmental Policy Act being one of the leading causes of permit delays, reform is urgently needed, say Ana Maria Gutierrez and Michael Miller at Womble Bond.

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