Public Policy

  • June 11, 2024

    Army's Claims In Burial Dispute 'Unconscionable,' Tribe Says

    A Nebraska tribe seeking to repatriate the remains of two boys from an Indian boarding school cemetery in Pennsylvania has said the U.S. Army's claims that it is exempt from a federal law designed to protect Native American burial sites are "unconscionable."

  • June 11, 2024

    FTC Gets Short Extension On Novant Deal Pause

    A North Carolina federal court Tuesday extended an order preventing Novant Health from closing its $320 million deal for a pair of hospitals in the state by 10 days to give the Federal Trade Commission time to ask the Fourth Circuit to pause the transaction.

  • June 11, 2024

    Compliance Costs Outweigh Min. Tax Gains, Biz Reps Say

    Multinational businesses are concerned that the burden of complying with the 15% global minimum tax outweighs any potential revenue gains associated with the burgeoning system, tax attorneys and a trade association representative said during a panel Tuesday.

  • June 11, 2024

    Skechers Supplier Banned For Alleged Forced Labor Ties

    Federal authorities announced on Tuesday three new additions — including a shoemaker linked to the sneaker brand Skechers — to their blacklist of companies purportedly linked to systematic oppression of Uyghurs and other minority groups in China.

  • June 11, 2024

    Watchdog Says EPA's Lead Exposure Notice Program Lagging

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is not on track to roll out a public warning system for exposure to lead in drinking water by an October deadline, the EPA's internal watchdog said in a new report.

  • June 11, 2024

    NY State Pot Regulators OK Adult-Use Homegrow

    New York state cannabis regulators gave final approval Tuesday to regulations allowing the home cultivation of marijuana for adult recreational use. 

  • June 11, 2024

    DOE Urges DC Circ. To Extinguish Furnace Rule Fight

    The U.S. Department of Energy on Monday defended its tighter energy efficiency standards for furnaces and water heaters, telling the D.C. Circuit that arguments that the new regulations unlawfully force a costly switch to new appliances are meritless.

  • June 11, 2024

    Pa. County Can't Give Voting Machine Data To Mich. Atty

    A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday blocked Fulton County commissioners from giving data copied from the county's Dominion Voting Systems equipment to an attorney and Donald Trump ally facing criminal charges for illegally accessing voter information in Michigan.

  • June 11, 2024

    Texas AG Urges DC Circ. To Revive Media Matters Probe

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants the D.C. Circuit to revive his investigation into progressive media watchdog Media Matters' reporting on the social media platform X, saying the D.C. federal court had no authority to interfere with the probe.

  • June 11, 2024

    Feds Want 10 Years For Ex-Chicago Alderman Burke

    Federal prosecutors asked an Illinois federal judge Monday to send former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to prison for 10 years for "brazenly and boldly" using his official position to steer tax business to his law firm, while Burke requested a sentence of probation, bolstered by letters of support from prominent attorneys and retired judges.

  • June 11, 2024

    Enviro Suit Says BLM Well Policy Leaves Drilling Unchecked

    An environmental group is suing the Bureau of Land Management to invalidate drilling permits in and around Colorado's Pawnee National Grassland, claiming the agency has given up authority to regulate the surface impacts of certain wells in violation of its federal mandates.

  • June 11, 2024

    Federal Judgeships To Open In Pennsylvania And New Mexico

    Federal district judge seats in Pennsylvania and New Mexico will open early next year, as two appointees of former President George W. Bush have said they will step down.

  • June 11, 2024

    Greenberg Traurig Adds Environmental Team From Steptoe

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has bolstered its environmental practice with the addition of a shareholder and two assistant directors from Steptoe LLP at its Washington, D.C., office.

  • June 11, 2024

    NY Courts Agree To Boost Translation Services After Bias Case

    New York state court officials instituted reforms and sealed an agreement with federal prosecutors on Tuesday related to claims that an upstate county denied Spanish-speaking defendants translation services in violation of their civil rights.

  • June 11, 2024

    CFPB Floats Rule To Take Medical Debt Off Credit Reports

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday proposed a rule that would restrict how lenders and credit reporting companies can use consumers' medical debt information, a measure that the agency said could remove up to $49 billion in outstanding medical bills from millions of credit reports.

  • June 11, 2024

    Vt. Short-Term Rental Tax Proposal Vetoed

    A Vermont bill that would have imposed a 3% surcharge on short-term rentals was vetoed by the governor.

  • June 11, 2024

    J&J Inks $700M Deal To End AGs' Talc Marketing Suits

    Forty-three state attorneys general on Tuesday said there has been a $700 million nationwide settlement and a consent judgment has been reached with Johnson & Johnson that ends claims it misled consumers about the safety of its talc products.

  • June 11, 2024

    NY's Trump Prosecutors To Testify Before House July 12

    Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and top prosecutor Michael Colangelo will appear before a House hearing on July 12, following a request from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, amid persistent criticism of former President Donald Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts. 

  • June 11, 2024

    Democratic Republic Of Congo Joins African Tax Coalition

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo has officially joined the African Tax Administration Forum as its 44th member, the group announced.

  • June 11, 2024

    Ga. Judge Says Election Case Will Go On During DQ Appeal

    A Fulton County judge said that he will continue considering some pretrial motions in the Georgia election interference case while an appellate court decides if District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from the prosecution. 

  • June 11, 2024

    DC Firms Honored For Local Legal Services Donations

    The D.C. Access to Justice Commission is recognizing 39 law firms for their financial contributions to legal aid providers in Washington, saying the private bar's support is crucial to meeting the community's needs.

  • June 10, 2024

    Trump Can't Nix 9 Classified Doc Charges, But Wins Trim

    The Florida federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against Donald Trump on Monday refused to throw out nine counts challenged by the former president, yet she did agree to strike from the indictment allegations that Trump at one point shared a classified map at a golf course.

  • June 10, 2024

    Privacy Law Needs Broader State Override, Trade Groups Say

    Nearly two dozen business groups are calling on Congress to expand the preemption provisions in proposed legislation to give consumers more control over their personal information, arguing that the current draft "falls short" of creating a uniform national data privacy framework by failing to fully override the emerging state law patchwork. 

  • June 10, 2024

    ATF Says States Lack Standing In Suit Over Gun Show Rule

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told a federal judge in Texas that a coalition of Republican-led attorney generals could not prove how a rule closing the so-called gun show loophole harmed the states.

  • June 10, 2024

    New State Appeals Court Is Constitutional, Texas Says

    The Texas Health and Human Services Commission asked the state's high court to reject a petition by Dallas County seeking a declaration that the newly created Fifteenth Court of Appeals is unconstitutional, saying the legislature indeed can create an appeals court with subject-matter jurisdiction.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Priorities In FDIC Report On Resolving Big Bank Failures

    Author Photo

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s report last month on the resolvability of large financial institutions contains little new information, but it does reiterate key policy priorities, including the agency's desire to enhance loss-absorbing capacity through long-term debt requirements and preference for single-point-of-entry resolution strategies, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Best Practices For Space Security In Our Connected World

    Author Photo

    NASA's recently published space security guide is another indication that cyber-resilience has become a global theme for the space and satellite sector, as well as a useful reference for companies and organizations reviewing their cybersecurity frameworks or looking to partner with the U.S. agency, says Hayley Blyth at Bird & Bird.

  • Opinion

    SEC Doesn't Have Legal Authority For Climate Disclosure Rule

    Author Photo

    Instead of making the required legal argument to establish its authority, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosure rule hides behind more than 1,000 references to materiality to give the appearance that its rule is legally defensible, says Bernard Sharfman at RealClearFoundation.

  • What 100 Federal Cases Suggest About Changes To Chevron

    Author Photo

    With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn or narrow its 40-year-old doctrine of Chevron deference, a review of 100 recent federal district court decisions confirm that changes to the Chevron framework will have broad ramifications — but the magnitude of the impact will depend on the details of the high court's ruling, say Kali Schellenberg and Jon Cochran at LeVan Stapleton.

  • FTC Noncompete Rule May Still Face Historical Hurdles

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule banning noncompetes might face challenges that could have been avoided with more cautious consideration of the commission's long history of failed lawsuits that went beyond the agency's statutory authority, as well as the mountain of judicial precedent justifying noncompete agreements in employment contracts, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • A Look At Subchapter V As Debt Limit Expiration Looms

    Author Photo

    If proposed legislation to extend Subchapter V’s debt eligibility ceiling sunset date in June is passed, bankruptcy professionals can seek ways to work with their local jurisdictions to advocate for code changes and guidance that bring more efficiencies and clarity to the process, say Matthew Brash at Newpoint Advisors and Melinda Bennett at Stretto.

  • Opinion

    SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.

  • 8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For

    Author Photo

    In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.

  • Game-Changing Decisions Call For New Rules At The NCAA

    Author Photo

    From a newly formed college players union to coaches transferring at the drop of a hat, the National College Athletic Association needs an overhaul, including federal supervision, says Frank Darras at DarrasLaw.

  • End Of Acquitted Conduct Sentencing Can Spark More Reform

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Sentencing Commission’s recent end to factoring acquitted conduct into federal sentences could signal the start of a more constitutionally sound advisory scheme, but Congress and the Supreme Court must first authorize the commission to resolve two constitutional errors baked into its guidelines, say Mark Allenbaugh at SentencingStats.com and Alan Ellis at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Manufacturers Should Pay Attention To 'Right-To-Repair' Laws

    Author Photo

    Oregon’s recently passed "right-to-repair" statute highlights that the R2R movement is not going away, and that manufacturers of all kinds need to be paying attention to the evolving list of R2R statutes in various states and consider participating in the process, says Courtney Sarnow at Culhane.

  • Opinion

    Viral Deepfakes Of Taylor Swift Highlight Need For Regulation

    Author Photo

    As the nation grapples with addressing risk from artificial intelligence use, the recent circulation of AI-generated pornographic images of Taylor Swift on the social platform X highlights the need for federal legislation to protect nonconsenting subjects of deepfake pornography, say Nicole Brenner and Susie Ruiz-Lichter at Squire Patton.

  • Opinion

    Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System

    Author Photo

    A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.

  • New Federal Bill Would Drastically Alter Privacy Landscape

    Author Photo

    While the recently introduced American Privacy Rights Act would eliminate the burdensome patchwork of state regulations, the proposed federal privacy law would also significantly expand compliance obligations and liability exposure for companies, especially those that rely on artificial intelligence or biometric technologies, says David Oberly at Baker Donelson.

  • How Cos. Can Comply With New PFAS Superfund Rule

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new rule designating two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as "hazardous substances" under the Superfund law will likely trigger additional enforcement and litigation at sites across the country — so companies should evaluate any associated reporting obligations and liability risks, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!