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Public Policy
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June 10, 2024
High Court Won't Review FCC's Universal Service Fund
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review whether the country's fee-based telecom subsidy system unlawfully delegates taxing powers from Congress to the Federal Communications Commission and a privately run administrator.
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June 07, 2024
Fla. Urges Judge To Reconsider Block Of Immigration Law
Florida has urged a federal judge to reconsider an order blocking a state law that criminalizes the transportation of unauthorized immigrants, saying its argument that opposing parties failed to state the law is federally preempted was never addressed by the court.
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June 07, 2024
Ex-Prosecutors Join Effort To Free Imprisoned Binance Exec
More than 100 former federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents have called on the U.S. State Department to ramp up efforts to free Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance compliance executive and former IRS agent, from Nigerian custody over what they call false charges tied to money laundering and tax evasion.
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June 07, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Revives LA Schools Vaccine Policy Row
A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday reversed a California federal court's dismissal of a proposed class action challenging a recently rescinded Los Angeles Unified School District policy requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their jobs, ruling that the district still has the potential to reinstate it.
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June 07, 2024
CFPB Urges 5th Circ. To Holster 'Weapon' In Late Fee Fight
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has urged the Fifth Circuit to refrain from using one of its "most potent weapons" to shoot down a Texas federal judge's order sending an industry challenge to the agency's credit card late fee rule to Washington, D.C.
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June 07, 2024
Split 5th Circ. Panel Calls Texas County 'True Library Police'
A Texas public library will have to reshelve several books that deal with issues such as racism and sexuality after a contentious majority ruling by a Fifth Circuit panel called the public officials and residents behind the book bans "the true library police."
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June 07, 2024
Conn. Judge Pushes State For Proof In $11M Kickback Case
The Connecticut state judge presiding over an $11 million false claims and kickbacks case against a compounding pharmacy appeared unconvinced Friday that the defendants submitted false claims for payment, peppering the government's counsel with requests to support assertions with case law and evidence that was put on at trial.
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June 07, 2024
DC Circ. Undoes Library Of Congress Win In Fair Use Fight
The D.C. Circuit on Friday reversed a lower court's decision that had rejected two industry groups' challenge to a final rule that categorized medical device diagnostic procedures and repairs as fair use exemptions to U.S. copyright law.
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June 07, 2024
Trump Can Bring Atty To Presentence Interview
A New York judge ruled Friday that Donald Trump can bring his attorney with him when he sits down with a New York City probation officer for a presentence interview, granting an unusual accommodation to the former president before he is sentenced for his criminal conviction next month.
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June 07, 2024
Don't Delay In-House Handbags Case For Fed. Court, FTC Told
Federal Trade Commission staffers are urging the commission not to delay an in-house challenge to the planned $8.5 billion merger combining the parent companies of Coach and Michael Kors, arguing that a separate New York federal court fight won't automatically determine the deal's fate.
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June 07, 2024
'Why Are You Even Here?' Judge Prods Big Tobacco
A Washington state appellate panel on Friday criticized Philip Morris USA Inc. and other tobacco companies for attempting to pay the state less under a 1998 master settlement agreement, with one judge asking a Big Tobacco attorney why they were in court in the first place.
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June 07, 2024
Trade Commission Votes To Advance Solar Cell Investigations
The four heads of the U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously Friday to continue anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into solar cell imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, finding evidence that the imports harmed domestic solar manufacturers.
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June 07, 2024
Cities, Cable Cos. Seek Reg Changes As FCC Studies Markets
Cities want the Federal Communications Commission to jettison rules that they say unduly restrict cable franchise fees, while the cable business says the FCC needs to back off on regulation, as the agency scrutinizes the competitive landscape across multiple industries.
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June 07, 2024
High Court's 'Narrow' Jack Daniel's Opinion Having Big Impact
When the U.S. Supreme Court decided a year ago that the maker of a squeaky dog toy that looks like a Jack Daniel’s whiskey bottle had no free speech protections against trademark infringement claims, the justices described their holding as narrow, but lawyers and academics are now suggesting the opinion is having broader implications.
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June 07, 2024
3 IPEF Agreements Done, But Still No Sign Of Trade Pillar
Three of the four "pillars" of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity and the initiative's overarching agreement are now complete, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced, but there's still no timeline for finishing the deal's trade pillar
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June 07, 2024
FCC Asks 6th Circ. To Transfer Net Neutrality Cases To DC
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday urged the Sixth Circuit to transfer a set of challenges to the FCC's recently passed net neutrality rules to the D.C. Circuit, where similar suits have previously played out.
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June 07, 2024
US Auto Regulator Finalizes New Fuel Economy Standards
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday finalized highly anticipated new fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks that envision boosting average efficiency to 50.4 miles per gallon by 2031, marking the Biden administration's latest climate-focused endeavor to curb emissions in the transportation sector.
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June 07, 2024
NetChoice Challenges 'Onerous' Ga. E-Commerce Law
NetChoice LLC, an industry group representing some of America's largest e-commerce platforms, filed suit hoping to block a new Georgia law they say "jumps the tracks" from reasonable oversight and monitoring requirements to laying down "impermissible investigation mandates."
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June 07, 2024
DOE Reveals National Definition Of Zero-Emissions Building
The U.S. Department of Energy unveiled a federal definition for determining whether a residential or commercial building qualifies as a zero-emissions building as part of an ongoing effort to slash greenhouse gas emissions across the traditionally heavily emitting sector.
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June 07, 2024
Cherokee Man Asks High Court To Undo Tribal Tag Charges
A Cherokee Nation man is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Michigan Supreme Court order that denied him the chance to appeal his traffic stop convictions, arguing that the state must be barred from broadening the definition of "registration plate" in regard to tribal-licensed tags.
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June 07, 2024
Texas AG, Spirit AeroSystems Duel Over Safety Probe
Spirit AeroSystems Inc. and Texas Attorney General Kenneth Paxton each asked a federal court for an early win in their dispute over the state's probe into Spirit's management, with Spirit arguing the state's Request to Examine statute violates the Fourth Amendment, and Paxton arguing it is a constitutionally compliant subpoena.
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June 07, 2024
Texas Top Court Denies Roofer's Challenge To Adjuster Laws
The Supreme Court of Texas tossed on Friday a roofing company's challenge to the state's public adjuster licensing laws, saying that requiring a license or preventing certain conduct didn't violate the roofer's free speech rights.
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June 07, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Let Gov't Toss Sped-Up Timeline For Ally Visas
The D.C. Circuit on Friday refused to terminate a plan requiring the U.S. Department of State to speed up visa processing for Iraqi and Afghan nationals, ruling that some judicial involvement is still necessary to address delays.
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June 07, 2024
Judge Asks Impact Of New Border Policy On CBP App Suit
A California federal judge has asked for briefing on the impact of a new executive order on asylum seekers who enter between ports of entry on a pending lawsuit challenging a requirement that migrants use a smartphone app to submit applications.
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June 07, 2024
GOP Sens. Look To Sanction ICC Over Netanyahu Warrant
Following the House's passage of a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court for issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Senate Republicans are pushing for their chamber to follow the House's lead.
Expert Analysis
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How To Prepare As Employee Data Reporting Deadlines Near
As filing deadlines approach, government contractors and private companies alike should familiarize themselves with recent changes to federal and California employee data reporting requirements and think strategically about registration of affirmative action plans to minimize the risk of being audited, say Christopher Durham and Zev Grumet-Morris at Duane Morris.
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FDA Warning Letter Tightens Reins On 'Research Only' Labels
A recent warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Agena Bioscience alleged the company’s diagnostic devices were labeled for research use only, but improperly promoted for human clinical purposes, signifying a reinforcement — and a potential narrowing — of the agency's policy on products labeled “research only,” say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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Opinion
Seafarer Detention Under Ship Pollution Law Must Have Limits
The U.S. Coast Guard should reinstate limits on the number of days that foreign crew members may be forced to remain in the country while the U.S. Department of Justice investigates alleged violations of shipping pollution laws, in order to balance legitimate enforcement interests and seafarer welfare, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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Perspectives
Justices' Forfeiture Ruling Resolves Nonexistent Split
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in McIntosh v. U.S., holding that a trial court’s failure to enter a preliminary criminal forfeiture order prior to sentencing doesn’t bar its entry later, is unusual in that it settles an issue on which the lower courts were not divided — but it may apply in certain forfeiture disputes, says Stefan Cassella at Asset Forfeiture Law.
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Behind Indiana's Broad New Healthcare Transactions Law
The high materiality threshold in Indiana's recently passed healthcare transaction law, coupled with the inclusion of private equity in its definition of healthcare entities, makes it one of the broadest state review regulations to date, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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What Cos. Are Reporting Under New SEC Cybersecurity Rule
Four months after its effective date, 14 companies have made disclosures under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting rule, and some early trends are emerging, including a possible rush to file, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Opinion
SC's Courts Have It Wrong On Amazon Marketplace Sales Tax
The South Carolina Supreme Court should step in and correct the misguided change in tax law effectuated by lower court rulings that found Amazon owes state sales tax for marketplace sales made prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wayfair v. South Dakota decision in 2018, says Hayes Holderness at the University of Richmond.
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What's In OCC's Proposed Freedom Of Information Act Update
In this article, Christine Docherty at Goodwin discusses the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's proposed amendments to its regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act, and how these changes might align with guidance from other regulators.
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Assigning Liability In Key Bridge Collapse May Be Challenging
In the wake of a cargo ship's collision with Baltimore's Key Bridge last month, claimants may focus on the vessel's owners and the agencies responsible for the design and maintenance of the bridge — but allocating legal liability to either private or governmental entities may be difficult under applicable state and federal laws, says Clay Robbins at Wisner Baum.
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Highlights From The 2024 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting
U.S. merger enforcement and cartels figured heavily in this year's American Bar Association spring antitrust meeting, where one key takeaway included news that the Federal Trade Commission's anticipated changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino form may be less dramatic than many originally feared, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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What FERC's Disclosure Demands Mean For Cos., Investors
Two recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders reflect the commission's increasingly meticulous approach to reviewing corporate structures in applications for approval of proposed consolidations, acquisitions or changes in control — putting the onus on the regulated community to track and comply with ever-more-burdensome disclosure requirements, say attorneys at Willkie.
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IRS Sings New Tune: Whistleblower Form Update Is Welcome
In a significant reform at the Internal Revenue Service's Whistleblower Office, the recently introduced revisions to the Form 211 whistleblower award application use new technology and a more intuitive approach to streamline the process of reporting allegations of tax fraud committed by wealthy individuals and companies, says Benjamin Calitri at Kohn Kohn.
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Strategies For Challenging A Fla. Grand Jury Report's Release
A Florida grand jury’s recent report on potential wrongdoing related to COVID-19 vaccines should serve as a reminder to attorneys to review the myriad legal mechanisms available to challenge the lawfulness of a grand jury report’s publication and expunge the names of their clients, says Cary Aronovitz at Holland & Knight.
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Macquarie Ruling Raises The Bar For Securities Fraud Claims
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners — holding that a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule does not forbid omissions in company disclosures unless they render other statements false — is a major setback for plaintiffs pursuing securities fraud claims against corporations, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Tenn. Law Protecting Artists From AI Raises Novel Issues
Tennessee recently enacted a law that extends the right of publicity protection to individuals' voices in an attempt to control the proliferation of artificial intelligence in the music industry, presenting fascinating questions about the First Amendment, the fair use doctrine and more, say attorneys at Davis Wright.