Public Policy

  • September 06, 2024

    Texas Biz Court Will Be A Brave New World For Energy Cos.

    Energy companies gained a new forum to hash out their legal fights Sept. 1 when the Texas business court recently started hearing cases, but questions about the court and how it'll operate might give companies pause before they take the plunge. Here's what energy companies and energy attorneys should know as the new court gets up and running.

  • September 06, 2024

    Calif. Takes AI Reins With Looming Safety, Transparency Laws

    A pair of groundbreaking legislative proposals aimed at ensuring the safe and transparent deployment of artificial intelligence systems are headed to the California governor's desk, raising questions about whether lawmakers are taking the right approach to regulating the emerging technology and how the state's privacy regulator will respond. 

  • September 06, 2024

    TV Stations Fined $3.3M For Mixing Hot Wheels Shows And Ads

    The Federal Communications Commission on Friday confirmed fines totaling $3.33 million for Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. and 18 other broadcasters for violating the Children's Television Act and commission rules by running Hot Wheels toy commercials during a Hot Wheels show on the air.

  • September 06, 2024

    5th Circ. Urged To Act Fast On Green Card Rule Suit Appeal

    A nonprofit immigrant rights group has asked the Fifth Circuit to accelerate its challenge to a lower court's refusal to let them intervene in a Texas lawsuit against a program allowing noncitizen relatives of U.S. citizens to seek green cards, noting a bench trial could proceed soon without its participation.

  • September 06, 2024

    Arkema Calls Timing 'Suspect' In Bid To Lift NJ PFAS Suit Stay

    Chemical company Arkema Inc. is arguing that if rival Solvay is allowed to sue it, the litigation could upend an impending settlement worth up to $108 million it negotiated with the state of New Jersey that would end claims over "forever chemical" contamination at a facility both companies owned.

  • September 06, 2024

    Fed's Barr To Give Sneak Peek Of Revised Basel III Plan

    The Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision will preview revisions to a scaled-back version of the controversial Basel III endgame plan to toughen big-bank capital requirements at a Brookings Institution event on Tuesday.

  • September 06, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive Solar Cos.' National Grid Tax Suit

    The Second Circuit declined to revive one of two proposed class actions brought by solar companies against National Grid alleging it illegally charged them for taxes in an effort to dampen competition from renewables, finding on Friday that the district court properly determined it lacked subject matter jurisdiction.

  • September 06, 2024

    JD Vance Can't Ax Campaign Spending Limits At 6th Circ.

    The full Sixth Circuit upheld coordinated campaign spending limits in the face of a challenge from Ohio senator and vice presidential hopeful J.D. Vance and Republican party organizations that sought to lift the restrictions.

  • September 06, 2024

    Ingersoll Rand Blocks Rival From Hiring Ex-Exec In NDA Fight

    A Colorado state court has preliminarily blocked the former chief executive of a company acquired by industrial products giant Ingersoll Rand Inc. from working for rival Avantor, finding Ingersoll Rand will likely win its claims that the executive specifically agreed not to work for Avantor as a condition of the acquisition.

  • September 06, 2024

    EPA Updates Public Engagement Plan For 1st Time In 20 Years

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is beefing up its public engagement policy to better communicate with community members, Native American tribes, businesses, trade groups and other parties with a stake in the EPA's programs and regulations.

  • September 06, 2024

    Amnesty International Calls For Indigenous Activist's Release

    Amnesty International is urging President Joe Biden to grant clemency to a Native American activist serving a life sentence for his conviction in the 1975 slayings of two FBI agents, saying he's approaching his 80th birthday, and his release is necessary in the interests of justice and mercy.

  • September 06, 2024

    DuPont Spinoff Must Explain Record Policy For Missing Docs

    A discovery referee for North Carolina's Business Court is ordering a DuPont spin-off to share its document retention policy with the attorney general after dozens of boxes of information the state wanted for a lawsuit over PFAS pollution were not made available from storage facilities.

  • September 06, 2024

    Justice Alito Reports Concert Tickets From Catholic Activist

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted $900 concert tickets from a German princess and Catholic activist in 2023, but otherwise received no free trips or other gifts, according to his annual financial disclosure, which was made public Friday.

  • September 06, 2024

    Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    The Federal Communications Commission heard from advocates more than 100 times in August on issues such as revamping the 4.9 gigahertz spectrum band, using high-power surveillance devices in already crowded Wi-Fi airwaves, fixing mobile "dead zones," stopping scam texts, and more.

  • September 06, 2024

    EU Antitrust Chief Charts Path Forward After Illumina Setback

    The European Union's top antitrust official said a recent ruling that found enforcers lacked authority to probe Illumina's $8 billion acquisition of Grail put an end to an important merger review tool and suggested legislation may be needed to plug the gap.

  • September 06, 2024

    Judge Signals She'll Delay Bribery Trial Of Sitting Ill. Senator

    An Illinois federal judge indicated Friday she was inclined to postpone a December trial on bribery charges against state Sen. Emil Jones III over objections by the government, which argued Jones was charged two years ago of accepting a bribe from a red-light camera company representative and has continued to receive a taxpayer-funded salary.

  • September 06, 2024

    Calif. Gov. Targets Hemp Intoxicants With Emergency Ban

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced emergency regulations banning products derived from industrial hemp that contain any intoxicating cannabinoids, and setting an age minimum of 21 years to purchase hemp products.

  • September 06, 2024

    CFPB's Zelle Scrutiny Leaves Banks Guessing On Next Moves

    As federal regulators turn up the heat on major banks over long-simmering complaints about fraud and scams on Zelle, the largest U.S. peer-to-peer payments platform, it remains unclear whether more banks could face scrutiny and what they can do to get ahead of it.

  • September 06, 2024

    'He Says, She Says' In Harvey Weinstein's America

    The controversial decision by New York's highest court to overturn Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault conviction has some lawmakers focusing intense new scrutiny on centuries-old legal jurisprudence barring evidence of a defendant's criminal propensity.

  • September 06, 2024

    3rd Circ. Follows Corner Post In Home Care OT Change Feud

    Three home care companies' challenge to an Obama-era rule expanding overtime eligibility for certain workers is back on track, the Third Circuit ruled Friday, saying that the U.S. Supreme Court's Corner Post decision mooted a Pennsylvania federal court's ruling that the entities' suit was late.

  • September 06, 2024

    Split 2nd Circ. OKs Jury Of 11 In Fox News Hosts Threat Case

    A split panel of the Second Circuit on Friday upheld a man's conviction for sending messages threatening two Fox News hosts and two members of Congress, despite the jury only having 11 people.

  • September 06, 2024

    Pa. Borough Says Insurer, Atty Wrongfully Settled Feud

    A Pennsylvania borough accused its insurer-retained counsel of committing legal malpractice by consummating a settlement acting against its wishes in an underlying "baseless" lawsuit brought by a borough council member, telling a state court that the attorney acted in the insurer's best interest.

  • September 06, 2024

    CFTC Loses Court Battle Over Election Betting Contracts

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge ruled against the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Friday in a case that challenged an agency ban on the use of the derivatives markets to place bets on the outcome of U.S. elections, granting victory to trading platform KalshiEx LLC. 

  • September 06, 2024

    Texas Justices To Weigh In On Native American Park Dispute

    The Texas Supreme Court agreed Friday to answer a question from the Fifth Circuit about religious freedom under the Lone Star State's constitution to aid the federal appellate court in resolving a dispute between Native American church members and San Antonio over access to a local park.

  • September 06, 2024

    IHS Seeks Stay In $17M Suit In Wake Of High Court Ruling

    The Indian Health Service is asking for a stay in a challenge by a Navajo Nation hospital board that seeks $17.4 million in unpaid contract support costs, saying the agency is working toward a methodology on how to address claims stemming from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the issue.

Expert Analysis

  • What Patent Litigators Should Know About CHIPS Act Grants

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    With the U.S. Department of Commerce now actively awarding grants under the CHIPS and Science Act, recipients should ensure they understand the implications of promises to construct new semiconductor manufacturing facilities, especially in jurisdictions with active patent litigation dockets, say Gabriel Culver and Peter Hillegas at Norton Rose.

  • Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.

  • Opinion

    Data Breach Reporting Requirements Must Change In AI Age

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    Outdated data breach reporting laws are inadequate to protect consumers in the age of artificial intelligence, as AI’s ability to determine relationships coupled with its improvements to deepfake technology mean that the very definitions used in breach reporting laws are no longer sufficient, says Collin Walke at Hall Estill.

  • Unpacking HHS' Opinion On Cell Therapy Refund Programs

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    A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determining that a biopharma company's refund program for its cell therapy will not be penalized, indicates an encouraging willingness to engage, but the regulator's assumptions about the program's limited term warrant a closer look, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • What Chevron's End Means For How Congress Does Business

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, overturning the Chevron doctrine, will have a far-reaching impact across the entire public policy life cycle, beginning with how Congress writes its laws and extending through agency implantation and judicial review, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • How 5 States' Deal Notification Laws Are Guiding Healthcare

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    Healthcare transaction notification laws at various stages of implementation in California, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and Washington are shaping sector mergers and acquisitions, with significant transparency, continuity of care and compliance implications as providers tackle complex regulatory requirements, says Melesa Freerks at DLA Piper.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Examining Chancery's Relaxed New Confidential Filing Rules

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    The Delaware Court of Chancery’s overhauled Rule 5.1, which governs confidential filings, risks permitting nonconfidential information to be shielded from public review unless and until a challenge notice is filed — but several potential solutions could help to override this issue, says Delaware attorney Daniel J. McBride.

  • Recent Settlement Shows 'China Initiative' Has Life After Death

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    Though the U.S. Department of Justice shuttered its controversial China Initiative two years ago, its recent False Claims Act settlement with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation demonstrates that prosecutors are more than willing to civilly pursue research institutions whose employees were previously targeted, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying

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    Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • What To Know As Children's Privacy Law Rapidly Evolves

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    If your business hasn't been paying attention to growing state and federal efforts to protect children online, now is the time to start — there is no sign of this regulation slowing down, and more aggressive enforcement actions are to be expected in the coming year, says Susan Rohol at Willkie Farr.

  • Opinion

    OFAC Sanctions Deserve To Be Challenged Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision opens the door to challenges against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions regime, the unintended consequences of which raise serious questions about the wisdom of what appears to be a scorched-earth approach, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.

  • Behind The Delay Of Final HSR Premerger Filing Rules

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    Erin Toomey at Epiq discusses the wait for the final version of the revised Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger filing requirements that were first introduced in June 2023, the factors that might be behind the delay, and how to plan for the potential data-focused rule change

  • What Cos. Should Know About New Global Plastics Regs

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    As the global regulatory landscape for plastics and recycling changes rapidly — with new policies coming into effect in California, at the federal level, in the European Union and at the United Nations — businesses that operate across jurisdictions must stay informed to remain compliant, mitigate legal risk and achieve stewardship goals, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

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