Public Policy

  • September 11, 2024

    Sidley, Other Attys Get $850K In Fees For Migrant Family Suit

    A California federal judge signed off on $850,000 in legal fees for Sidley Austin LLP's and Public Counsel's work advising plaintiffs in a class action that saw the federal government ordered to provide mental health treatment for migrant families separated at the border.

  • September 11, 2024

    EU Struggles With Setup Of G7 Use Of Frozen Russian Assets

    European Union countries are struggling to agree on a legal solution to reassure the U.S. that windfall profits from frozen and immobilized Russian state assets will be used to repay a $50 billion loan to Ukraine over the entire length of the loan.

  • September 11, 2024

    Star Witness In Bankman-Fried Trial Seeks No Prison Time

    Former FTX insider Caroline Ellison urged a Manhattan federal judge not to sentence her to prison for her part in the crypto exchange's massive fraud scheme, citing her remorse and the "devastating" trial testimony she gave against onetime romantic partner and company founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

  • September 11, 2024

    NC Car Parts Biz Racks Up $10M In Fines For Cheat Devices

    A North Carolina automotive components business will pay a $2.4 million criminal penalty on top of a $7 million civil fine for dealing devices used to skirt federal vehicle emissions controls, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

  • September 11, 2024

    Federal Pot Ban Out Of Step With The Times, 1st Circ. Told

    A group of cannabis businesses told the First Circuit the federal government no longer has a reasonable basis for prohibiting state-regulated marijuana, saying Congress has clearly changed its tune on pot commerce in the more than half-century since the ban was passed.

  • September 11, 2024

    Oligarchs Fridman, Aven Fail To Ax Sanctions Reporting Rules

    European Union measures that require oligarchs including Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven to disclose their assets and cooperate in investigations are lawful and "necessary" for maintaining the bloc's sanctions regime, a European court ruled Wednesday, saying the rules were "unprecedented."

  • September 11, 2024

    Shumaker Advisors Adds Ex-Fla. Senate Aide

    The lobbying arm of Shumaker Loop & Kendrick LLP, Shumaker Advisors, has added a former staffer in the Florida state senate to run the government affairs operations of its state team.

  • September 10, 2024

    Border, Deportations And Dogs Dominate Presidential Debate

    Immigration took center stage through much of Tuesday night's presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, with discussion of thwarted border legislation, deportation plans, and unproven claims that immigrants in Ohio have eaten people's pets.

  • September 10, 2024

    Colo. DA Faces Disbarment After Probe Of Murder Case Judge

    A split Colorado disciplinary board on Tuesday ordered the disbarment of an elected local prosecutor who directed an investigation into the background of a judge who had sanctioned her office for discovery violations, ruling that the investigation and other ethical violations warranted taking away her law license.

  • September 10, 2024

    Fed Official Previews 'Broad' Changes To Bank Capital Plans

    A top Federal Reserve official on Tuesday revealed plans to sharply revise draft bank capital rules proposed last year, including cutting in half the amount of additional capital the largest banks would have to hold while largely sparing midsize lenders from the proposed new requirements.

  • September 10, 2024

    Wealthiest 0.01% Had 34% Average Tax Rate, JCT Says

    The income group constituting the top 0.01% wealthiest individuals had an average federal tax rate of 34% in 2019, the Joint Committee on Taxation said in a report on high-income and high-wealth taxpayers.

  • September 10, 2024

    42 AGs Back Call For Social Media Warning Label Law

    A bipartisan group of 42 attorneys general urged Congress on Tuesday to introduce warning labels on social media platforms in a bid to tackle risks posed to young people's mental health.

  • September 10, 2024

    UK Court OKs Nix Of Partners' Tax Deduction For Amortization

    A lower court was correct in ruling that a trio of U.K. entities that formed a limited liability partnership cannot take a tax deduction for the amortization of intangible assets they contributed to the LLP against their share of the profits, the Upper Tribunal ruled.

  • September 10, 2024

    Senate Confirms SDNY, Maryland Court Picks

    The U.S. Senate on Tuesday signed off on two new federal judges with BigLaw experience, confirming a federal prosecutor to the Southern District of New York and a current magistrate judge to the District of Maryland.

  • September 10, 2024

    Security Co. Loses $300M Pot Suit Over Lack Of Attorney

    A New York federal judge tossed a $300 million lawsuit from an Illinois security company that claimed the business was convinced to do free surveillance camera work at hundreds of New York cannabis facilities with promises of a state contract that never came, because the plaintiff missed a pretrial conference and can't represent themselves anyway.

  • September 10, 2024

    Biden Says He'd Veto Proposed GOP Continuing Resolution

    President Biden said Monday that he would veto House Republicans' proposed continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025, asserting that the funding measure amounts to "brinksmanship" and would "place agencies at insufficiently low levels — both for defense and non-defense — for a full six months."

  • September 10, 2024

    Werfel Asked To Clarify How To Treat R&D Costs In M&A

    Accounting firm RSM US LLP, in a letter released Tuesday, asked Internal Revenue Commissioner Daniel Werfel to clarify how to treat research and development costs when a taxpayer disposes of an entire business in a mergers and acquisitions transaction.

  • September 10, 2024

    2024's Top Rulings In Native American Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court this year has handed down rulings with huge price tags attached — from millions in healthcare reimbursement funding required for tribes to lending Florida a win that will garner it a new revenue stream — that are expected to have large implications for Native American sovereignty. Here, Law360 takes a look at some of the biggest decisions in Native American law from the first half of 2024.

  • September 10, 2024

    DeSantis Blasts Mass. Suit Over Martha's Vineyard Flights

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shouldn't have to fight "conspiracy theory" claims in Massachusetts over whether the Sunshine State tricked migrants into boarding flights to Martha's Vineyard, the governor said in a sweeping dismissal bid.

  • September 10, 2024

    Neb. Midwife Can't Sue For 'Hypothetical' Clients, Judge Rules

    A Nebraska midwife who challenged state restrictions on the practice "barely" tried to establish grounds to sue the state over allegations that her would-be clients were being harmed, a federal judge ruled Monday, dismissing the case.

  • September 10, 2024

    House Panel To Consider Axing $600 Payment Reporting Law

    The House Ways and Means Committee is set to consider legislation Wednesday that would repeal a law requiring peer-to-peer payment platforms such as Venmo and PayPal to report aggregate payments of $600 or more, among other bills.

  • September 10, 2024

    T-Mobile Can't Change 4th Circ. Loss In 'Simply Prepaid' Fight

    T-Mobile failed Tuesday to undercut a Fourth Circuit decision that revived a Virginia-based cellphone company's infringement claims over the phrase "Simply Prepaid," with a panel of judges declining to grant the telecommunications giant's request for a second look.

  • September 10, 2024

    FCC Chair Vows High Court Fight Over Universal Service

    Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel told educators the agency will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a recent Fifth Circuit decision against the Universal Service Fund, the federal program that subsidizes telecom service to low-income and hard-to-reach areas.

  • September 10, 2024

    House Reps. Float Bill To Limit Patent Invalidations

    A bipartisan bill that would reset patent eligibility standards has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, over a year after a similar Senate bill was put forward that drew opposition from much of the tech and retail industry.

  • September 10, 2024

    Free Speech Or Bad Medicine? The Abortion 'Reversal' Battle

    The marketing of abortion pill "reversal" — a treatment doubted by medical groups but touted by anti-abortion advocates — is facing increased scrutiny from state attorneys general, triggering legal skirmishes in at least four states centered on First Amendment rights and consumer protection laws.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uncertainty In Scope Of ITC Oversight

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    The U.S. International Trade Commission's long-standing jurisprudence on some of the most disputed and controversial issues is likely to be reshaped by the Federal Circuit, which is no longer bound by Chevron deference in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, say Kecia Reynolds and Madeleine Moss at Paul Hastings.

  • Half-Truths Vs. Omissions: Slicing Justices' Macquarie Cake

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Macquarie v. Moab provides a road map for determining whether corporate reports that omit information should be considered misleading — and the court baked it into a dessert analogy that is key to understanding the guidelines, say Daniel Levy and Pavithra Kumar at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • FDA's Multifaceted Role On Display In MDMA Therapy Scrutiny

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    Ongoing deliberations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder serves as a window into the intricate balance of scientific innovation and patient safety oversight, and offers crucial insights into regulatory nuances, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Kevin Lanzo at Pharmaka Clinical Consulting.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Preparing For Increased Scrutiny Of Tech Supply Chains

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    The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent action prohibiting sales of a Russia-based technology company's products in the U.S. is the first determination under the information technology supply chain rule, and signals plans to increase enforcement of protections that target companies in designated foreign adversary jurisdictions, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Chevron's End Puts Target On CFPB's Aggressive BNPL Rule

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    A recent interpretative rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, subjecting buy-now, pay-later loans to the same regulations as credit cards, is unlikely to survive post-Chevron challenges of the rule's partisan and shaky logic, say Scott Pearson and Bryan Schneider at Manatt.

  • Boeing Plea Deal Is A Mixed Bag, Providing Lessons For Cos.

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    The plea deal for conspiracy to defraud regulators that Boeing has tentatively agreed to will, on the one hand, probably help the company avoid further reputational damage, but also demonstrates to companies that deferred prosecution agreements have real teeth, and that noncompliance with DPA terms can be costly, says Edmund Vickers at Red Lion Chambers.

  • Keeping Up With Carbon Capture Policy In The US And EU

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    Recent regulatory moves from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission in the carbon capture, sequestration and storage space are likely to further encourage the owners and operators of fossil fuel-fired power plants to make decisions on shutdowns or reconfiguration to meet the expanding requirements, say Inosi Nyatta and Silvia Brünjes at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know

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    New legislation in Vermont and New York creating liability and compliance obligations for businesses deemed responsible for climate change — as well as similar bills proposed in California, Massachusetts and Maryland — have far-reaching implications for companies, so it is vital to remain vigilant as these initiatives progress, say Gregory Berlin and Jeffrey Dintzer at Alston & Bird.

  • EU Investor-State Dispute Transparency Rules: Key Points

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    The European Union's recent vote to embrace greater transparency for investor-state arbitration will make managing newly public information more complex for all parties in a dispute — so it is important for stakeholders to understand the risks and opportunities involved, say Philip Hall, Tara Flores and Charles McKeon at Thorndon Partners.

  • Analyzing FDA Draft Guidance On Clinical Trial Diversity

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    In light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's draft guidance on clinical trial diversity action plans, there are several important considerations for sponsors and clinical researchers to keep in mind to prevent delay in a drug or device application, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • What's New In The AI Healthcare Regulatory Space

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    Attorneys at Hogan Lovells review the current legal and regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence applications in healthcare, touching on policies around safety, transparency, nondiscrimination and reimbursement, and what to expect in the future.

  • Biden Policy Gives Employers New Ways To Help Dreamers

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    A new Biden administration immigration policy makes the process more predictable for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients to seek employment visas, and, given uncertainties surrounding DACA’s future, employers should immediately determine which of their employees may be eligible, says Jennifer Kim at Moore & Van Allen.

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