Public Policy

  • April 25, 2024

    Biden Permitting Reform To Fast-Track Power Line Approvals

    Streamlined federal permitting for electric transmission projects is expected to shave years off the authorization process and speed up development of new power connections, according to a final new rule released on Thursday by the Biden administration.

  • April 25, 2024

    Trump Legal Fees Paid Via Illegal Scheme, Watchdog Org Says

    Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and related political committees have masked payments for millions of dollars in legal work done for the former president in a possible violation of federal law, an election watchdog claims in a complaint filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission.

  • April 25, 2024

    Mich. Pot Group Says Suit Against Town Was Properly Pled

    A group of residents of Lima Township, Michigan, have asked a federal court not to throw out their suit claiming that the township's trustees abused their power by blocking any progress on opening a cannabis dispensary, saying the complaint clearly pleads that their 14th Amendment rights were violated.

  • April 25, 2024

    Trump Can't Overturn $83M Verdict For Defaming Carroll

    Former President Donald Trump was denied a bid Thursday to get a new trial or to overturn a Manhattan federal jury's $83 million defamation verdict awarded to columnist E. Jean Carroll stemming from her sexual assault claims against Trump.

  • April 25, 2024

    Conn. Judge In Drug Price-Fixing Suit Reveals Day Pitney Ties

    U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea of the District of Connecticut said Thursday he will not recuse himself from overseeing state enforcers' price-fixing claims against Sandoz Inc. and other drug companies despite Sandoz's attorneys being from Day Pitney LLP, where he was once a partner.

  • April 25, 2024

    EEOC Pregnant Worker Rule Draws Suit From Red State AGs

    A group of 17 Republican state attorneys general hit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with a lawsuit Thursday over the agency's recently finalized Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations, saying the EEOC's stance that the PWFA encompasses abortion-related workplace accommodations is unconstitutional. 

  • April 25, 2024

    OECD Says Latvia Must Shift Tax Burden, Limit Fuel Subsidies

    Latvia needs to shift its tax burden off labor and onto other forms of income such as property, and to eliminate harmful subsidies and tax practices around fossil fuels, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.

  • April 25, 2024

    Ex-Defender Says Feds Can't Hide Other Harassment Reports

    A former assistant federal defender wants to make certain #MeToo evidence public following the trial in a case accusing the judiciary of botching its probe into her own sexual harassment complaint, saying the contents of similar allegations concerning the Federal Defender's Office have already been publicly revealed.

  • April 25, 2024

    Pa. Justices OK Teacher 'Character' Test For Suspended Atty

    The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on Thursday upheld a lower court's ruling that an ex-attorney's disciplinary records can be used by the state Department of Education when evaluating whether that attorney has the "good moral character" to get a teaching license.

  • April 25, 2024

    Justices Skeptical Of Trump's Absolute Immunity Bid

    A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court appeared open Thursday to the idea of limited immunity for former presidents related to the office's core constitutional powers, but divisions emerged among the justices over how to determine when acts outside of that narrow category are potentially subject to criminal prosecution.

  • April 25, 2024

    FCC Restores Net Neutrality Rules In Party-Line Vote

    The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on party lines Thursday to bring back the Obama-era net neutrality regime by reclassifying broadband service under the Communications Act and making it subject to common carrier telecom rules.

  • April 25, 2024

    Treasury Finalizes Rules On Sales Of Green Energy Credits

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury released final rules Thursday to facilitate the sale or transfer of clean energy tax credits by project owners under a new way to monetize the incentives created by the 2022 landmark climate law.

  • April 25, 2024

    EPA Unveils Final Power Plant Rules, Prepares For Challenges

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized four new rules that will impose tougher standards on greenhouse gas and mercury emissions from power plants, wastewater discharged from those facilities, and the storage and management of coal ash.

  • April 24, 2024

    High Court's Gender Divide Palpable At Latest Abortion Args

    As the U.S. Supreme Court pondered permissible limits on abortion in medical emergencies, justices Wednesday split discernibly along ideological lines yet unmistakably along gender lines, with liberal and conservative women questioning restrictions far more forcefully than their male colleagues.

  • April 24, 2024

    Giuliani Among 18 Trump Allies Charged In Ariz. Election Case

    An Arizona grand jury has indicted 18 allies of former President Donald Trump over their alleged efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election, the Arizona Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday, including former state lawmakers and several unnamed individuals who appear to be former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and disgraced attorneys Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman.

  • April 24, 2024

    Canada Privacy Chief Aims To Make The Most Of Existing Laws

    Amid his push for more robust enforcement powers, Canada's privacy commissioner hasn't forgotten that existing data protection laws still pack a punch and plans to continue to wield these tools to tackle priorities such as protecting children online and addressing concerns raised by technologies like ChatGPT, the regulator told Law360.

  • April 24, 2024

    FDIC Pushes Back On Lender Groups Suing Over Colo. Law

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has weighed in on a legal challenge to a Colorado law aimed at curbing higher-cost online lending in the state, arguing that the lender trade groups behind the challenge are misconstruing the agency's past words to support their case.

  • April 24, 2024

    Energy Charter Treaty Backlash Hints At Broader Arbitration Woes

    Lawmakers in Europe on Wednesday overwhelmingly consented to the European Union's withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty, adding to an increasing global backlash against investor-state arbitration that was also laid bare in a vote by Ecuadorians decisively rejecting the mechanism this past weekend.

  • April 24, 2024

    Muscogee Supreme Court To Decide Descendants' Citizenship

    Two descendants of those enslaved by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation are in limbo as they await a decision from the tribe's high court on whether they can apply for citizenship — a ruling that could pave the way for others to be eligible for healthcare and other benefits under federal law.

  • April 24, 2024

    FCC OKs Detroit TV Deal — If Certain Conditions Are Met

    The Federal Communications Commission approved the $75 million sale of a Michigan-based television station to Mission Broadcasting, but conditioned the sale on terms meant to ensure that Nexstar, the country's largest TV station group owner, does not have de facto control of the station.

  • April 24, 2024

    Takeaways From The FTC's Noncompetes Ban

    The first legal challenges to the Federal Trade Commission's new ban on essentially all noncompete agreements that employers impose on workers have already been filed, but questions remain, not just on the rule's legal viability, but also on the likelihood of follow-on rulemakings and the rule's exact reach.

  • April 24, 2024

    1st Circ. Upholds Feds' Vineyard Wind Project Approval

    The First Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court ruling rejecting Massachusetts residents' challenge to the federal government's approval of a wind energy project off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, saying federal regulators adequately analyzed the projects' effects on right whales.

  • April 24, 2024

    Wash. AG Wants RFK Jr., Ex-NBA Star's Anti-Vax Suit Tossed

    Washington's attorney general urged a federal judge Tuesday to toss a lawsuit brought by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on behalf of NBA legend John Stockton trying to shield doctors who make anti-vaccine statements, arguing a state medical board has the right to penalize medical providers for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

  • April 24, 2024

    3 Takeaways On How AI Is Forcing Publicity Rights To Evolve

    As digital replicas of someone's voice, image or likeness become easier to create with the help of artificial intelligence, this new era of deepfakes is shining a spotlight on the nation's patchwork of right-of-publicity laws and raising questions over when Congress may act to pass a national framework.  

  • April 24, 2024

    DEA's Upcoming Decision On Cannabis Likely To Be Litigated

    The potential loosening of federal restrictions on marijuana is likely to be litigated for years, and the pro-legalization camp would do well to pool resources to build the most persuasive evidentiary record it can, a leading cannabis advocate said Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Protested CFPB Supervisory Order Reveals Process, Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s order announcing its first use of special oversight power to place installment lender World Acceptance Corp. under supervision despite resistance from the company provides valuable insight into which products and practices may draw bureau scrutiny, and illuminates important nuances of the risk assessment procedures, say Josh Kotin and Michelle Rogers at Cooley.

  • Series

    Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face

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    Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.

  • Ala. Frozen Embryo Ruling Creates Risks for Managed Care Orgs

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    The Alabama Supreme Court's decision in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine last month, declaring that frozen embryos count as children, has not only upended the abortion debate but also raised questions for managed care organizations and healthcare providers that provide, offer or facilitate fertility treatment nationwide, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Tips For Healthcare M&A Amid Heightened Antitrust Scrutiny

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    As the Biden administration maintains its aggressive approach to antitrust merger enforcement, prudent healthcare M&A counsel will consider practical advice when contemplating their next transaction, including carefully selecting a merger partner and preparing for a potentially long waiting period prior to closing, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • New Eagle Take Permit Rule Should Help Wind Projects Soar

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    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recently issued final rule revising the eagle take permit process should help wind energy developers obtain incidental take permits through a more transparent and expedited process, and mitigate the risk of improper take penalties faced by wind projects, says Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.

  • Compliance Steps After ABA White Collar Crime Conference

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    Senior law enforcement officials’ statements this month at the American Bar Association's white collar crime conference suggest government enforcement efforts this year will increasingly focus on whistleblower incentives, artificial intelligence and data protection, and companies will need to update their compliance programs accordingly, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Trump Ballot Ruling May Spark Constitutional Crisis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that former President Donald Trump must be reinstated to Colorado’s primary ballot endorses an unnecessarily broad legal theory of disqualification from federal office, raising constitutional questions that will only become more urgent as the next presidential election nears, says Devon Ombres at the Center for American Progress.

  • Investment Advisers Should Prep For Money Laundering Regs

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    Investment advisers should prepare for a Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed rule that would significantly expand anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism obligations by assessing illicit financing risks, and expect examiners to scrutinize unregistered advisers and those with certain foreign clients, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • EU Inquiry Offers First Insight Into Foreign Subsidy Law

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    The European Commission's first in-depth investigation under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation into a public procurement process, and subsequent brief on regulatory trends, sheds light on the commission's approach to such cases, as well as jurisdictional, procedural and substantive issues under the regulation, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • What The NIL Negotiation Rules Injunction Means For NCAA

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    A Tennessee federal court's recent preliminary injunction reverses several prominent and well-established NCAA rules on negotiations with student-athletes over name, image and likeness compensation and shows that collegiate athletics is a profoundly unsettled legal environment, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Md. May See Vigorous Resale Price Maintenance Enforcement

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    In Maryland, indications of a new focus on resale price maintenance agreements are significant because state prosecution in this area has been rare, particularly outside California, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What 2 Years Of Ukraine-Russia Conflict Can Teach Cos.

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    A few key legal lessons for the global business community since Russia's invasion of Ukraine could help protect global commerce in times of future conflict, including how to respond to disparate trade restrictions and sanctions, navigate war-related contract disputes, and protect against heightened cybersecurity risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Takeaways From EPA's New Methane Emission Rules

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    Attorneys at V&E examine two new Clean Air Act rules for the oil and gas industry, explaining how they expand methane and volatile organic compound emission reduction requirements and amplify U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforcement risks.

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