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Public Policy
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September 11, 2024
Split 6th Circ. Backs SEC Win In Proxy Adviser Rule Change
A divided Sixth Circuit has upheld the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's decision to partially undo Trump-era rules governing proxy advisers, creating an apparent split with the Fifth Circuit on whether the agency's regulatory actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act.
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September 11, 2024
Watchdog Sues DOD Alleging 'Abbey Gate' FOIA Violations
Nonprofit watchdog Judicial Watch Inc. has asked a D.C. federal court to compel the U.S. Department of Defense to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request pertaining to communications among top officials about the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan known as "Abbey Gate."
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September 11, 2024
Department Of Homeland Security's Top Lawyer Steps Down
The Department of Homeland Security's top lawyer has resigned from his position in the administration, according to a LinkedIn post.
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September 11, 2024
House Tax Panel OKs Repeal Of $600 Reporting Threshold
The House Ways and Means Committee advanced several bills Wednesday, including one that would repeal a law requiring peer-to-peer payment platforms such as Venmo and PayPal to report aggregate payments of $600 or more.
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September 11, 2024
Mass. Jury Weighs Raft Of Fraud Charges Against Ex-Pol
A Boston federal jury resumed deliberations Wednesday in a criminal case alleging a former Massachusetts state senator lied on his taxes and an application for pandemic unemployment aid, after the ex-politico testified in his own defense.
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September 11, 2024
Rights Groups Urge DHS To Free Immigrants Granted Asylum
Immigrants granted fear-based protection from deportation are often held in detention, contrary to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidance, and should be freed, 80 civil rights organizations, legal services groups and law firms said in a Tuesday letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials.
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September 11, 2024
Mastro Bows Out Of NYC Top Atty Nom After Council Hearing
Trial lawyer Randy Mastro is out of the running to serve as New York City's corporation counsel, two weeks after a contentious nomination hearing that called into question, among other things, the King & Spalding LLP attorney's ties to former mayor Rudy Giuliani.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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The OIG Report: DOJ's Own Whistleblower Program Has Holes
A recent Office of the Inspector General memo found that the U.S. Department of Justice’s whistleblower program failed to protect federal employees whose security clearances were allegedly suspended in retaliation — a serious cause for concern that could have a potential chilling effect on would-be whistleblowers, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.
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How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.
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Series
After Chevron: Don't Let Loper Lead To Bank Compliance Lull
Banking organizations are staring down a period of greater uncertainty over the next few years as the banking agencies and industry navigate the post-Chevron world, but banks must continue to have effective compliance programs in place even in the face of this unpredictability, say Lee Meyerson and Amanda Allexon at Simpson Thacher.
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New State Carbon Capture Laws: Key Points For Developers
Multiple states have introduced or expanded legal frameworks for carbon capture and sequestration this year, and while there are some common themes, many of these state laws include unique approaches and requirements — which developers and investors should be aware of when considering potential projects and investment risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Opinion
Chevron Reversal May Protect IP Rights Under Bayh-Dole
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference may block the Biden administration's nearly finalized guidance reinterpreting the Bayh-Dole Act, protecting intellectual property rights and preventing harm to innovation and economic activity, says Brian O'Shaughnessy at Dinsmore & Shohl.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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Calif. Out-Of-State Noncompete Ban Faces Several Hurdles
California's attempt to bolster its noncompete law has encountered significant procedural and constitutional challenges, and litigating parties must carefully analyze not only the restrictive covenants contained in their agreements, but also the forum-selection and choice-of-law provisions, say Jennifer Redmond and Gal Gressel at Sheppard Mullin.
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How 3 Recent High Court Rulings Could Shape Fintech Policy
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Jarkesy, Loper Bright and Corner Post provide fintech companies with new legal strategies to challenge regulatory actions, but agency reactions to these rulings and inconsistent judicial interpretations could bring compliance challenges and uncertainties, says Amy Whitsel at FS Vector.
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What Cos. Should Note In DOJ's New Whistleblower Pilot
After the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a new whistleblower pilot program last week — continuing its efforts to incentivize individual reporting of misconduct — companies should review the eligibility criteria, update their compliance programs and consider the risks and benefits of making their own self-disclosures, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Defamation Suit Tests Lanham Act's Reach With Influencers
Recently filed in the Northern District of Texas, Prime Hydration v. Garcia, alleging defamation and Lanham Act violations based on the defendant's social media statements about the beverage brand, allows Texas courts and the Fifth Circuit to take the lead in interpreting the act as it applies to influencers, says attorney Susan Jorgensen.
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A Primer On EU's Updated Human Substance Regulations
The European Union's updated standards regarding quality and safety of substances of human origin meant for human application carry significant implications for companies that work with cells and tissues, and U.S. companies active in the EU market should pay particular attention to the import and export rules, say Geneviève Michaux and Georgios Symeonidis at King & Spalding.
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Opinion
Prejudgment Interest Is A Game-Changer In Ill. Civil Suits
Civil litigation can leave plaintiffs financially strained and desperate for any recovery, especially when defendants use delaying tactics — but the Illinois Legislature's move to allow prejudgment interest has helped bring litigants to the table earlier to resolve disputes, minimizing court expenses and benefiting all parties, says Benjamin Crane at Coplan + Crane.
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Series
After Chevron: New Lines Of Attack For FCA Defense Bar
Loper Bright has given defense counsel new avenues to overcome the False Claims Act elements of falsity and scienter, as any FCA claim based upon ambiguous statutory terms can no longer stand solely on agency regulations to establish the statute's meaning, which is itself necessary to satisfy the FCA's basic requirements, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
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CFPB's Medical Debt Proposal May Have Side Effects
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent proposal to prevent medical debt information from appearing on consumer reports and creditors from basing lending decisions on such information may have initial benefits for some consumers, but there are potential negative consequences that should also be considered, say attorneys at Cooley.