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Public Policy
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May 15, 2025
DEA Says State-Legal Pot Fuels Transnational Crime
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in a report made public Thursday that state-level legalization of marijuana has resulted in a flood of cannabis beyond what those markets require and, despite state regulation, international crime syndicates have largely taken control of the entire American marijuana trade, both legal and not.
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May 15, 2025
Plaintiff's 'Total Victory' Forces End To Southwest Bias Suit
A Texas federal judge intends to issue a final judgment in a nonprofit's suit challenging an award program for Hispanic employees of Southwest Airlines Co., saying the "obstinate plaintiff" has already achieved total victory in the suit.
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May 15, 2025
9th Circ. Doubts Anti-Trans Orgs Can Nix Youth Runaway Law
Ninth Circuit judges questioned Thursday if anti-transgender groups and parents had standing to challenge a Washington state law intended to ensure shelter for runaway teens seeking gender-affirming care, with one judge asking "where are the parents" who have been adversely affected.
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May 15, 2025
Regulatory Rollback Orders Legally Risky, FERC Chair Says
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is attempting to comply with executive orders that aim to roll back federal regulations, but Chairman Mark Christie said Thursday that implementing the orders could open FERC up to lawsuits and potentially courtroom defeats.
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May 15, 2025
9th Circ. Questions University's Limits On Professor's Speech
Two Ninth Circuit judges cast doubt on the University of Washington's defense in a First Amendment lawsuit on Thursday, questioning why the college would remove a professor's parody of a Native American land acknowledgment from his class syllabus while permitting him to broadcast the same opinions elsewhere in the academic setting.
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May 15, 2025
SEC Focused On 'Rooting Out' AI Abuse, Agency Atty Says
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is focused on "rooting out" the misuse of artificial intelligence by brokerage firms and publicly traded companies, a California audience heard Thursday as agency attorneys tried to combat the perception that the SEC's enforcement arm has gone silent.
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May 15, 2025
Colo. Justices To Weigh Self-Defense In At-Will Firings
The Colorado Supreme Court will consider if the state's at-will employment doctrine has an exception allowing people to challenge their termination for actions taken in self-defense, in the case of a Circle K store clerk who was fired after a confrontation with a robber.
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May 15, 2025
DOD Updates Plans For Trans Service Member Separations
The U.S. Department of Defense on Thursday issued updated guidance for plans to identify and discharge transgender service members after a Supreme Court order allowed it to keep implementing a challenged policy that prohibited them from serving.
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May 15, 2025
Energy Dept. Expands Review Of $15B Worth Of Grants
The U.S. Department of Energy said on Thursday that it's scrutinizing 179 grant awards worth $15 billion that it said were issued under the Biden administration.
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May 15, 2025
UMich Protesters Say Lives 'Upended' By Campus Bans
An attorney for protesters challenging their bans from the University of Michigan campus told a federal judge Thursday that the trespass orders have "upended" their lives because the vast campus intertwines with the city of Ann Arbor and urged the court to find the bans violated their due process.
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May 15, 2025
House Tax Bill's Foreign Rules May Finish Off Energy Perks
House Republicans' mammoth tax bill proposes phasing out two popular clean electricity business tax credits, but additional restrictions on eligible development projects' foreign business ties could have the same effect as immediately repealing them.
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May 15, 2025
Battery Recycler Cites 'Green' Funding Uncertainties In Ch. 15
Lithium battery recycler Li-Cycle asked a New York bankruptcy judge to recognize its Canadian insolvency, saying the current political climate has made investors wary of infusing money needed to tap a $475 million U.S. federal loan.
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May 15, 2025
Harvard Researcher Held By ICE To Be Returned To Mass.
A Harvard Medical School researcher and Russian national taken into custody by immigration officers who found frog embryos in her luggage three months ago will be returned to Massachusetts to face a smuggling charge, a Louisiana federal judge ordered on Thursday.
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May 15, 2025
Conservatives Challenge Title Of Colo. Tax Cut Initiative
A proposed Colorado ballot measure to reduce the state income tax rate by one-hundredth of a percentage point was assigned an unlawfully confusing title by a state board, the conservative activists behind the initiative charged in a petition to the state Supreme Court.
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May 15, 2025
DC Circ. Doubts Jurisdiction In Baristas' NLRB Challenge
A D.C. Circuit panel expressed skepticism Thursday that it had any role in deciding two Starbucks workers' challenge to job protections for National Labor Relations Board members now that the agency agrees with the baristas' argument.
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May 15, 2025
Conn. Justice Warns DMV Rule May Destroy Towing Program
If the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is correct in its interpretation of how towing companies can be paid for certain services, a state police program for clearing wrecks will evaporate because participating will not be profitable, a justice of the state Supreme Court warned Thursday.
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May 15, 2025
SEC-Ripple Deal Hits Speed Bump With NY Judge
The New York federal judge who oversees the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement case against blockchain firm Ripple Labs declined Thursday to bless a deal that would truncate the penalties and injunctions she levied in her judgment, saying the request was made in a "procedurally improper" way.
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May 15, 2025
Trump Could Claw Back Defense Fees Under New Ga. Law
Georgia taxpayers could end up on the hook for President Donald Trump's legal expenses in his election interference case under a newly signed, Republican-backed state law that allows defendants to seek attorney fees when prosecutors are disqualified from their case.
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May 15, 2025
FTC Chair Says Staffing Cuts Needed After Hiring Spree
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson told lawmakers on Thursday that the previous administration hired too many agency staffers and said he is looking to reduce the workforce by around 16% while trying to avoid layoffs.
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May 15, 2025
NJ Toxic Spill Rule May Hamper Property Sales, Panelists Say
A New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection regulation expected to take effect this summer could slow property sales and lead to increased litigation as attorneys and real estate investors grapple with stricter requirements for reporting toxic spills, experts speaking Thursday at the State Bar Association's annual meeting in Atlantic City said.
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May 15, 2025
Judicial Aide's NY Sex Abuse Suit May Survive, Panel Hints
A New York state appellate panel has voiced doubts that a former judicial secretary's sex abuse lawsuit should have been dismissed, challenging the state court system's arguments that it didn't employ her and thus can't be held liable for any harms she suffered.
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May 15, 2025
Ex-Ohio Speaker Wins More Time To Retool Bribery Appeal
The Sixth Circuit Thursday granted former Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Larry Householder more time to iron out his bid for the court to reconsider its refusal to vacate his bribery conviction over the FirstEnergy nuclear bailout scandal that got him sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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May 15, 2025
Gov't Fights Expansion Of Transgender Passport Ruling
The U.S. State Department is fighting a request to expand to thousands of people a Massachusetts federal court's preliminary ruling ordering the government to issue or renew passports to six transgender or nonbinary people to reflect their gender identity.
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May 15, 2025
Feds' Memo In Filing Mishap Is Privileged, NY Judge Says
A New York federal judge has determined that the federal government's mistakenly filed memo in litigation over Manhattan's congestion pricing program is privileged and cannot be cited in the parties' arguments, but the memo won't be sealed because it's already been widely reported on.
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May 15, 2025
Texas Senate OKs Bill Allowing 1st Amend. Suits Against Bar
The Texas Senate has passed a bill prohibiting the state bar from creating policies that affect bar members' First Amendment rights.
Expert Analysis
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What PFAS-Treated Clothing Tariff Bill Would Mean For Cos.
In keeping with a nationwide trend of greater restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives would remove tariff advantages for PFAS-treated clothing — so businesses would be wise to proactively adapt their supply chains and review contracts to mitigate liability, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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How Tariffs May Affect Proxy Contests This Season
While global tariffs imposed by the Trump administration will certainly chill at least some activity this proxy season, and make defending contests significantly easier, there will likely be many new activist investments once there is more economic certainty, meaning more proxy fights this fall, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Running A Compliant DEI Program After EEOC, DOJ Guidance
Following recent guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice that operationalized the Trump administration's focus on ending so-called illegal DEI, employers don't need to eliminate DEI programs, but they must ensure that protected characteristics are not considered in employment decisions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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A Closer Look At New NYSE, Nasdaq Listing Rule Changes
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has recently approved changes to the New York Stock Exchange's and the Nasdaq's listing rules on reverse stock splits, minimum share price requirements and required liquidity for initial listings, meaning listed companies facing delisting will have fewer means to regain compliance, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.
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Opinion
GENIUS Act Can Bring Harmony To Crypto-Banking Discord
By embracing crypto innovation while establishing appropriate guardrails, the so-called GENIUS Act charts a path forward that promotes financial inclusion and technological advancement without compromising stability or constitutional rights, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School.
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Opinion
US Reassessment Of OECD Tax Deal Is Right Move
The wholesale U.S. reevaluation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's global tax deal ordered by President Donald Trump is a positive step that could ultimately create a more durable international tax system, says Anne Gordon at the National Foreign Trade Council.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate
While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.
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The Path Forward For Construction Cos. After Calif. Wildfires
The increasing frequency of disastrous wildfires, like those that recently occurred in California, presents a set of complex challenges for the construction industry, including regulatory hurdles and supply chain disruptions that can complicate rebuilding efforts, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.
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What 2nd Trump Admin Means For Ship Pollution Compliance
As the second Trump administration's civil and criminal enforcement policies take shape, the maritime industry must ensure it complies with both national and international obligations to prevent oil pollution from seagoing vessels — with preventive efforts and voluntary disclosures being some of the best options for mitigating risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Know The Rules And Costs Of New Fla. Condo Inspection Law
Following the first report deadline for a structural integrity law meant to prevent disasters like the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida condominium associations and unit owners should understand the process of conducting compliant inspections and anticipate new assessments to fund required maintenance, say attorneys at Ball Janik.
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Mass. AG Emerges As Key Player In Consumer Protection
Through enforcement actions and collaborations with other states — including joining a recent amicus brief decrying the defunding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has established herself as a thought leader for consumer protection and corporate accountability, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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SEC Confidential Review Process Provides Issuers Flexibility
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently announced enhancements to the process for confidentially submitting draft registration statements will be immediately impactful for issuers seeking to access the public capital markets, and should provide more grounds to explore and plan public offerings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Series
Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.
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What Pending FCPA Trials Suggest About DOJ Priorities
Following President Donald Trump's executive order in February instructing the U.S. Department of Justice to temporarily pause enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, developments surrounding five FCPA cases already set for trial provide a glimpse into how the DOJ is attempting to navigate the situation at hand, say attorneys at Covington.
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Measuring And Mitigating Harm From Discriminatory Taxes
In response to new tariffs and other recent "America First Trade Policy" pronouncements, corporations should assess and take steps to minimize their potential exposure to discriminatory and reciprocal tax measures that are likely to come, say economists at Charles River Associates.