Justices Seek Solicitor General's Views On Drug Pricing Law

By Ivan Moreno

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the federal government to weigh in on whether it should hear the pharmaceutical industry's challenge to Oregon's drug pricing transparency law, which drugmakers say forces them to justify pricing decisions and risks exposing trade secrets.

Order List attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

House Floats Revised Kids' Safety Bill After Bipartisan Deal

By Allison Grande

A pair of influential House lawmakers on Monday introduced a revamped bipartisan version of proposed legislation to boost online safety protections for children and teens, although they drew an immediate rebuke from a U.S. senator leading a similar effort in the upper chamber, who slammed the House proposal as a "toothless and tepid capitulation" to major tech companies.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

No Need For Promises That $1.8B Fund Is Dead, DOJ Says

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. Department of Justice refused to file a declaration stating it won't create a $1.8 billion settlement fund as part of the deal to close President Donald Trump's tax leak suit against the Internal Revenue Service, telling a Virginia federal judge it is "unnecessary."

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Blanche, Pirro Can't Be DQ'd From Trump DC Shooting Case

By Craig Clough

A D.C. federal judge held Monday that the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner can't disqualify U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche from prosecuting him because of their presence at the dinner.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Turns Away Effort To Repeal News Distortion Rules

By Christopher Cole

After dismissing an advocacy group's petition asking the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider how it enforces its rules against news distortion, agency staff told the D.C. Circuit Monday that it should not grant the advocates' request to force the agency's hand.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fla. Court Vacates US Rep.'s Contempt For Flipping The Bird

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida appeals court has vacated a contempt finding for Rep. Randy Fine, R-Florida, after he allegedly flipped off an opposing party during a virtual hearing, finding that the trial court should have let Fine's attorney have a break to prepare a written motion to disqualify the judge.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mass. Justices Approve Ballot Question On Open Primary

By Julie Manganis

A ballot question proposing to replace Massachusetts' party-based primary election system with an open primary may go to voters in November, the state's highest court said Monday.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Ga. Senate Votes To Delay Changing Ballot Count System

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Senate passed a bill Saturday that would delay a ban on the use of QR codes to tally election votes until 2028, less than two weeks before that method of counting is set to become illegal statewide.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

OCC Pitches Anti-Illicit Finance Rules For Stablecoin Issuers

By Sarah Jarvis

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a plan Monday to implement Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions compliance standards for stablecoin issuers, folding in a past plan from Treasury Department regulators and marking the latest regulatory proposal under the federal stablecoin framework known as the Genius Act.

Proposed Rule attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CFTC Seeks Input On Energy Perpetual Contracts, 24/7 Trading

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is asking for public input on how it should address around-the-clock trading and perpetual contracts in the energy industry, asking how the industry developments could impact the price of commodities like crude oil.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Supreme Court Won't Review HFC Reduction Law

By Jared Foretek

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a Georgia refrigerants company's petition to review a 2020 environmental law and subsequent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring an 85% reduction in hydrofluorocarbon consumption by 2036, rejecting a chance to either modify or replace the "intelligible principle" test in nondelegation cases.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FERC Says Texas LNG Project Is 'Environmentally Acceptable'

By Elaine Briseño

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission defended its continued approval of a liquefied natural gas project in South Texas, telling the D.C. Circuit it had addressed the court's previous concerns by expanding its analysis of the project's polluting effects.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Campaign Of Hostility': Calif. Sues Trump EPA Over Waivers

By Bonnie Eslinger

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "campaign of hostility" toward waivers that allow California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards now includes an unlawful plan to have Congress undo granted waivers related to "clean" vehicles and other engines, California claimed Monday in a D.C. federal court lawsuit.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

17 States Sue Over Calif. Regulation Of Plastic Packaging

By Dorothy Atkins

Seventeen states and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors sued Golden State recycling regulators in California federal court Monday seeking to block a new state law regulating plastic packaging, slamming the law as California's "blatant and unprecedented attempt to impose its own policy preferences on the entire nation."

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Gov't Says It Should Face Vax IP Claims, Not Moderna

By Tom Lotshaw

The U.S. Department of Justice has told the Federal Circuit that multibillion-dollar patent infringement litigation should be directed at the government, instead of Moderna, for the drugmaker's development and supply of COVID vaccines during the pandemic.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Texas Asks Justices To Keep App Store Law In Force

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas attorney general urged the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a state law requiring app stores to block minors from downloading apps without parental consent to remain in effect, arguing Monday that a lower court "committed several errors" in pausing the measure.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Leaves Intact Mich. Drone Hunting Restrictions

By Melanie Dorsey

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to Michigan's ban on using drones to locate downed game animals, leaving in place a Sixth Circuit ruling finding the restriction does not violate the First Amendment.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Group Says Maine IGaming Law Can't Depend On Race

By Crystal Owens

The California Gaming Association is looking to back Churchill Downs in its bid to block a Maine law that allows the state's tribal governments to operate online gaming, arguing that the statute flouts fundamental constitutional equity principles and creates a "licensing regime" based on race and ancestry.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Landmark Housing Legislation

By Hailey Konnath

The U.S. Senate on Monday passed an amended version of landmark housing legislation focused on expanding housing supply and lowering housing costs with an 85-5 vote.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pa. Landowner Not Entitled To Approval Of Factory On Spec

By Matthew Santoni

The developer of a proposed industrial facility in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, was not entitled to zoning approval if it could not identify a future tenant, a state appellate court ruled Monday.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Won't Wade Into Fight Over CBA Leave Provision

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down a Minnesota teachers union local's bid for review of an Eighth Circuit decision that revived a taxpayer challenge to a collective bargaining agreement's policy letting workers take paid time off to work for their union.

Order List attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FTC Reaches 'Agreement In Principle' With Southern Glazer's

By Bryan Koenig

A California federal judge hit pause Monday on the Federal Trade Commission's price discrimination lawsuit against Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits LLC so the parties can hash out a tentative deal resolving the FTC's first, and now only, Robinson-Patman Act case in decades.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FTC Requires Fix For Aurobindo's $250M Lannett Deal

By Matthew Perlman

The Federal Trade Commission is allowing Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. to move ahead with its planned $250 million acquisition of Lannett Co. Inc., after the pharmaceutical company agreed to unload four generic drug products to prevent potential overlaps.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

States Defend Live Nation Jury Verdict In Antitrust Case

By Matthew Perlman

State enforcers have urged a New York federal court to reject Live Nation's bid to upend a jury verdict finding the company monopolized key parts of the live entertainment industry, telling the court the jury carefully considered ample evidence and should not be second-guessed.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Md. Voters Can't Weigh In On Data Center Zone, Judge Rules

By Lauren Berg

Voters in Frederick County, Maryland, will not be able to have a say on a data center development zone, a state judge ruled in an order docketed Monday, agreeing with developers that under the county's charter, an ordinance is not a law subject to referendum.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fla. Panel Revives Malpractice Suit Over Sex Offender Error

By David Minsky

A Florida appellate court panel revived a man's malpractice lawsuit alleging his public defender failed to investigate whether he was required to register as a sex offender, finding the attorney hadn't shown he was entitled to summary judgment. 

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

USTR Launches Probe Into German Pharma Costs

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. Trade Representative has opened an investigation into whether Germany has been underpaying for certain pharmaceutical products in a way that burdens U.S. consumers with added costs, which could lead to added tariffs.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

OECD Asks US To Fix Beneficial Ownership Transparency

By Kevin Pinner

The U.S. is only partially compliant with its obligations to ensure the availability of beneficial ownership information, weighed down by its "deficient" definition of beneficial owners in tax filings, the OECD said in a report.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

RI Allows Late Tax Interest Waivers For Commercial Property

By Zak Kostro

Rhode Island authorized the waiver of interest on overdue taxes for commercial properties under a bill signed by the governor.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DHS Says Citizenship Fees Must Rise To Cover Costs

By Britain Eakin

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed Monday raising the cost of applying for citizenship by $570, and doing away with reduced fees and fee waivers, saying the moves would help the agency recoup the cost of processing the applications.

Proposed Rule attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

1st Circ. Backs Asylum Denial Due To Ability To Escape Abuse

By Ganesh Setty

The First Circuit has upheld the Board of Immigration Appeals' denial of a Brazilian family's asylum case after the mother said she was repeatedly abused by her former partner, pointing to evidence that she was never unable to leave him.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Full DC Circ. To Rehear Halt Of Alien Enemies Contempt Probe

By Britain Eakin

The full D.C. Circuit on Monday vacated a split panel ruling halting U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into the Trump administration's Alien Enemies Act removals last year, agreeing to rehear the matter.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Presses Feds On DHS Biometrics Shift For Detainees

By Jared Foretek

A Trump administration attorney Monday couldn't answer repeated questions about what changed when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced last December that its agents were no longer responsible for collecting biometric data from immigration detainees, a key requirement for noncitizens seeking legal status.

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mich. Court OKs Conviction Of Man Who Filmed Traffic Stop

By Melanie Dorsey

A self-described First Amendment auditor who filmed a traffic stop has had his obstruction conviction upheld by a Michigan appeals court, which ruled that the right to record police did not allow him to ignore officers' lawful commands to keep a safe distance.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

State Telecom Roundup: Before Disaster Strikes

By Nadia Dreid

The last three years have been the worst on record for the United States when it comes to damage from weather and climate disasters, and both the private and public sectors have been trying to find ways to harden the nation's telecommunication networks and keep them running during disasters, as climate catastrophes show no sign of letting up.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wash. Telecom Says Tribal Burial Site Claims Filed Too Late

By Crystal Owens

A Washington federal judge is expected to soon determine if the Lummi Nation can block a telephone company from continuing to construct a broadband project at a location where Indigenous remains have been unearthed, after the telecom argued the tribe filed its challenge too late.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Moving Earth Stations Need More Access To 28 GHz, FCC Told

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission needs to expand the frequencies set aside for vehicle-mounted earth stations used by satellites and one way to do that is by dedicating spectrum on the 28 gigahertz band for that despite mobile carriers' resistance to the idea, a satellite industry group said.

4 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fitness Club Tells FCC Verizon Unfairly Charged It USF Fees

By Nadia Dreid

Athletic club chain Life Time has accused Verizon of flouting Federal Communications Commission rules by charging it Universal Service Fund fees for internet service, even though the agency has declared broadband a less regulated type of service that doesn't pay into the subsidy fund.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Carriers Praise Senate Passage Of Broadband Map Bill

By Christopher Cole

High-speed carriers lauded the U.S. Senate on Monday for approving bipartisan legislation pushing the government to improve maps of broadband service so that federal funding can be more precisely targeted.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

6th Circ. Ties Pot Biz Delays To Bureaucracy, Not A Violation

By Mike Curley

The Sixth Circuit has thrown out a real estate developer's suit against the city of Pontiac, Michigan, and its clerk alleging they violated constitutional rights by delaying approvals of a proposed cannabis operation until it was no longer viable, saying the delays were an instance of discretionary actions in bureaucracy, not constitutional violations.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NORML Fights Exclusion From DEA Pot Rescheduling Hearing

By Sam Reisman

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a leading cannabis consumer advocate, has asked the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to reconsider its move freezing out all pro-reform voices from upcoming hearings on a proposal to reschedule marijuana.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Cannabis Wholesaler Drops Interstate Ban Challenge

By Jonathan Capriel

An Oregon marijuana and hemp wholesaler has dropped its lawsuit that sought to halt a state law prohibiting interstate sales of locally cultivated cannabis, pointing to the Ninth Circuit's decision regarding the dormant commerce clause in a similar case.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Holland & Knight Adds Jones Day Atty To Atlanta, DC Teams

By Emily Johnson

Holland & Knight LLP has bolstered its ranks in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., by adding an attorney from Jones Day with experience helping clients navigate investigations brought by enforcers including the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

What Fed's Fast Track To Account Access Means For Fintechs

Fintechs, stablecoin issuers and other nonbank entities should assess eligibility, compliance demands and operational limits ahead of the Federal Reserve's potential finalization of a payment account framework proposing a faster path to direct access to key payment rails, says Stephen Aschettino at Fox Rothschild.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Opinion

Md., Colo. Climate Rulings Point To Need For Federal Solution

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to review the Colorado Supreme Court's 2025 ruling in Boulder County v. Suncor U.S. Inc., which green-lit a state-level climate lawsuit, a recent conflicting ruling from the Maryland Supreme Court underscores why a uniform federal answer on climate litigation is needed now, says Phil Goldberg at Shook Hardy.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

California Antitrust Bill Raises New Risks For Dealmakers

A pending California bill would turn the state attorney general's office into a more powerful antitrust enforcer, introducing a host of implications for dealmakers beyond whether deals close, such as deal certainty and risk allocation, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Attorney Reprimanded In $256M Defamation Case

By Rachel Rippetoe

A former Conrad & Scherer LLP managing partner must pay an Alabama coal company's attorney fees after being publicly reprimanded by an Alabama federal judge, who found he lied to the court and paid witnesses to change their testimony in his repeated lawsuits against the company.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Firm Accused Of 'Double-Dipping' On Pelvic Mesh Fees

By Daniel Connolly

Four women allege in a recently filed lawsuit that a New Jersey law firm overcharged them on legal fees related to a settlement in pelvic mesh litigation, and the recent lawsuit also relates to a long-running conflict between lawyers who formerly worked together.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Seek Input On NJ State Bar Diversity Challenge

By George Woolston

The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the federal government to weigh in on a Garden State appellate court's decision that approved a New Jersey State Bar Association system for fostering diversity in its leadership that was accused of being discriminatory.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week handled disputes involving executive compensation, take-private transactions, books and records demands, tender offers and alleged insider misconduct.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »