Public Policy

Expert Analysis

• Equal Pay: Where Do We Stand Now?

  

  In Kelly Ellis v. Google, a California federal judge recently denied Google's bid to dismiss classwide claims alleging gender-based pay discrimination. If the class is certified and if the plaintiffs win, it may signify the beginning of the end of the fight for equal pay for women, say Debra Ellwood Meppen and Laurie DeYoung of Gordon & Rees LLP.

• How States, Federal Agencies Are Challenging Drug Prices

  

  High prescription drug prices are increasingly a focal point in the discussion of U.S. health care spending. While there is little consensus in Congress, there has been considerable recent activity in the federal executive branch and in state legislatures, say Tom Bulleit and Rebecca Williams of Ropes & Gray LLP.

• FDA’s Essure Order Affirms Role Of Learned Intermediary

  

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's order to restrict sales of Bayer's birth control device Essure represents a significant reordering of the old "doctor knows best," paradigm and continues the trend toward greater patient autonomy and participation in one's own medical treatment, say Robert Friedman and Mark Sentenac of King & Spalding LLP.

• Big Changes Ahead For Renewable Fuel Standard

  

  The Renewable Fuel Standard has been the center of sustained policy discussion and resulting uncertainty during the first year of the Trump administration. Joel Beauvais and Steven Croley of Latham & Watkins LLP analyze recent developments with a focus on the legal framework and implications for the RFS program.

• New Wash. Employment Laws Focus On Privacy And #MeToo

  

  June will be a busy month for employers in the state of Washington. The impending activity is a result of Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent signing of a series of bills that directly impact the employer-employee relationship and impose a variety of new restrictions and obligations on employers, say Christopher Gegwich and Christopher Moro of Nixon Peabody LLP.

• New Remedial Actions For Tax-Advantaged Bonds And P3s

  

  Under an IRS revenue procedure issued on April 11, 2018, issuers of tax-advantaged bonds have new remedial actions available to them to cure unqualified uses that previously would result in loss of tax-advantaged status. Attorneys at Nixon Peabody LLP explain the new procedures.

• If Lucia Wins On SEC Judges, What Comes Next?

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider in Raymond J. Lucia v. SEC whether the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s previous hiring of administrative law judges violated the Constitution. Let's look at two issues on the horizon if the answer is yes, says Daniel Walfish of Walfish & Fissell LLP.

• 3 Things To Know About USPTO's New Memo On Eligibility

  

  In light of the Federal Circuit’s decision in Berkheimer v. HP, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a new memorandum regarding subject matter eligibility. Patent practitioners now have a new tool to combat patent-ineligibility challenges, say Michelle Holoubek and Lestin Kenton of Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox PLLC.

• Rule 23 Changes: Avoid Delays In Class Settlement Approval

  

  Among the proposed amendments to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which are scheduled to take effect Dec. 1, are specific requirements related to “front-loading.” They outline the process for seeking preliminary court approval of class action settlements and related notice plans, say Shandarese Garr and Niki Mendoza of Garden City Group LLC.

• Tax Reform Creates New Opportunities For REITs

  

  While many analysts expected that federal tax reform would dampen enthusiasm around real estate investment trusts, those concerns have proven to be unfounded. In fact, REITs and their investors should see a net gain overall from the recently adopted tax changes, say attorneys with Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.