Public Policy

  • October 09, 2024

    Top Bank Lobbyist Touts Basel Endgame, CFPB Court Wins

    The head of the nation's largest banking industry trade group took a victory lap on Wednesday for beating back steep proposed bank capital hikes and halting other recent Biden administration banking regulations in court, pledging to continue its muscular advocacy for banks as the election nears.

  • October 09, 2024

    Alaskan Tribes Ask Court To Reconsider Gold Mine Ruling

    A group of Alaskan tribes is urging a federal district court to reconsider its ruling that two U.S. government agencies did not take a realistic look at the potential spill risks associated with a large open-pit gold mine, arguing that it erred in its determination concerning the project's barge traffic.

  • October 09, 2024

    Co-Ops Say FCC Should Use Meter Data For Broadband Maps

    The Federal Communications Commission ought to take advantage of the power meter data that electric cooperatives have access to when trying to find wrinkles or gaps in the agency's broadband maps, a group representing rural electric co-ops says.

  • October 09, 2024

    5th Circ. Denies Extension For CFPB In Exam Policy Case

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday denied the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's unopposed request for a short deadline extension in its appeal over an examination policy that industry groups successfully sued to block last year, prompting the agency to ask for more time again.

  • October 09, 2024

    Colo. Accuses Albertsons Of Competitor Flip-Flop For Merger

    Colorado enforcers accused Albertsons of "saying whatever they think will get their merger," confronting the supermarket chain's CEO on Wednesday with past comments to federal regulators they said showed that Albertsons flipped who it considers a competitor ahead of a proposed merger with Kroger.

  • October 09, 2024

    NC AG Urges NC Justices To Ax Duke Energy Rate Hike

    The North Carolina Supreme Court has been hit with a barrage of briefs urging the justices to overturn the State Utilities Commission's allegedly "unlawful" rate increase for Duke Energy Carolinas, with North Carolina Attorney General Joshua H. Stein calling the rate change "arbitrary and capricious."

  • October 09, 2024

    Justices Fear Harm To Atty Reputations In Death Penalty Case

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas expressed concern Wednesday about the reputational harm two former Oklahoma prosecutors were facing in light of the state's claim that they withheld evidence and presented false testimony to secure the conviction of a prisoner on death row — allegations over which the justices seem likely to order further proceedings.

  • October 09, 2024

    5th Circ. Asks If Drag Ban Different From Obscenity Laws

    A Fifth Circuit panel wrangled with First Amendment questions surrounding a Texas law banning drag shows in front of children, with a judge asking an LGBTQ nonprofit how Texas' law was different from a law banning "sexual intercourse" or "sodomy" in downtown New Orleans during oral arguments Wednesday.

  • October 09, 2024

    Gensler Mum On Future As AI, Crypto Rules Await Action

    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler declined to comment Wednesday on his or the agency's future should former U.S. President Donald Trump win a second term in office this November, even as questions remain about the post-election future of proposed regulations, like those that would safeguard crypto assets and crack down on the use of predictive data analytics.

  • October 09, 2024

    RFK Jr. Jumps Into TikTok Ban Fight At DC Circ.

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has joined the fray in litigation at the D.C. Circuit challenging a federal law that could put TikTok out of business in the United States, contending in a new lawsuit that the sale-or-ban statute defies the First Amendment.

  • October 09, 2024

    Ga. Judge Won't Extend Voter Registration After Helene

    Would-be voters in the Peach State won't get an extra week to register for the November 2024 election — at least not yet — after a Georgia federal judge said Wednesday she hadn't seen sufficient support for the claim that registrations were significantly hampered by the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.

  • October 09, 2024

    Wash. Justices To Weigh $185M PCB Case Against Monsanto

    The Washington State Supreme Court will consider school teachers' bid to reinstate a $185 million jury verdict against Monsanto in a chemical poisoning tort, marking the first in a series of cases tied to the same school to make it all the way to the state's high court.

  • October 09, 2024

    Atty, Claims Firm Barred From Soliciting Foreclosure Class

    A Michigan law firm and a third-party claims firm agreed Wednesday not to solicit potential members to an action alleging Michigan counties kept profits from foreclosures of tax-delinquent properties, following a meeting with class attorneys who had urged a judge to bar them from attempting to poach class members.

  • October 09, 2024

    Another Supreme Court Term, Another Call For Ethics Reform

    The new term for the U.S. Supreme Court began on Monday under a cloud of alleged ethics improprieties by several justices.

  • October 09, 2024

    DOJ Offers Menu Of Options For Google Search Fix

    An outline of potential fixes lodged Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice in the search monopolization case against Google ranges from a ban on the default search engine pacts at the heart of the case to the forced sale of its Android operating system or other business units.

  • October 09, 2024

    SF Leaders Not Backing City's High Court Case Against EPA

    With oral arguments just a week away, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the city attorney to drop a U.S. Supreme Court case against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over a Clean Water Act permit.

  • October 09, 2024

    11th Circ. Told Fla. Venue Can't Show Injury In Drag Show Law

    Florida told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday that it should be allowed to implement a law prohibiting children from attending drag shows, arguing that an Orlando bar that sued to stop the law's enforcement hasn't met its burden showing an injury traceable to the state.

  • October 09, 2024

    Texas Electric Co-Op Says EPA Mercury Rule Must Be Nixed

    A Texas electricity co-operative on Tuesday backed a D.C. Circuit challenge to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule curbing mercury and other toxic metal emissions at some coal-fired power plants, saying the agency fudged data to saddle the co-op with unachievable emissions reduction requirements.

  • October 09, 2024

    Settlement Approved For DACA Loan Discrimination Suit

    A California federal judge gave the green light to a settlement that will end a proposed class action accusing First Tech Federal Credit Union of denying home loans to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

  • October 09, 2024

    How Built Environment Interacts With Climate Risk

    As worsening disasters result in skyrocketing property insurance rates, CoreLogic data shows that construction decisions can cause significant variations in climate risk, even in neighboring counties.

  • October 09, 2024

    European Parliament Backs Brazil's G20 Wealth Tax Plan

    A majority of the European Parliament supports a 2% minimum tax on billionaires presented by Brazil at the Group of 20 nations meeting, asking the European Union to pursue the topic at the group's November summit, according to joint statements by members of Parliament on Wednesday.

  • October 09, 2024

    Tenn. Extends Tax Deadlines Due To Hurricane Helene

    Tennessee will extend its franchise and excise tax filing deadlines to May 1 for taxpayers affected by Hurricane Helene, the state Department of Reveue announced.

  • October 09, 2024

    Yale Must Answer Ex-Student's 'Execution' Fears, Judge Says

    A judge has ordered Yale University to respond to an expelled student's fears of execution if he is deported to Afghanistan as she mulls lifting a ban on naming a classmate who accused the ex-student of sexual assault in litigation connected to a key Title IX ruling.

  • October 09, 2024

    AT&T Fights Phone 'Unlocking' Rules Floated At FCC

    AT&T called on the Federal Communications Commission to abandon plans to require the "unlocking" of cellphones after 60 days to let customers switch carriers, saying wireless competition is already "fierce" and the FCC's plan would only hurt consumers.

  • October 09, 2024

    Ag Groups Defend Farm Emissions Reporting Exemption

    Agricultural industry groups called on a Washington, D.C., federal judge to toss green groups' claims alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in exempting factory farms from pollution-reporting requirements, arguing the agency merely implemented Congress' command.

Expert Analysis

  • Building US-Japan Relationships In The M&A Market

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    The prospect of U.S.-Japanese mergers and acquisitions presents stronger competition to U.S. investors in the global M&A markets, while also opening up an additional exit route for sellers looking to offload strategic assets, says Nick Wall at A&O Shearman.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession

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    About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • 4 Ways To Prepare For DOD Cyber Certification Rule

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    Given the U.S. Department of Justice's increased scrutiny of contractor compliance with cybersecurity requirements, it is critical that contractors take certain steps now in response to the U.S. Department of Defense's proposed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification implementation rule, say Townsend Bourne and Lillia Damalouji at Sheppard Mullin.

  • FTC Focus: How Scrutiny Of PBMs And Insulin May Play Out

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    Should Express Scripts' recent judicial challenge to the Federal Trade Commission succeed, any new targets could add litigation and choice of forum to their playbooks, and potential FTC court action on insulin could be forced to parallel venues as the issues between the commission and PBMs evolve, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Opinion

    AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys

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    The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.

  • A Look At How De Minimis Import Rules May Soon Change

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    The planned implementation of executive actions focused on the de minimis rule as it applies to shipments means companies should use this interval to evaluate the potential applicability and impact of Section 301, Section 201 or Section 232 duties on their products, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Key Takeaways From DOJ's New Corp. Compliance Guidance

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s updated guidance to federal prosecutors on evaluating corporate compliance programs addresses how entities manage new technology-related risks and expands on preexisting policies, providing key insights for companies about increasing regulatory expectations, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What's In The Cards For CFTC's Election Betting Case

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    A D.C. federal judge's Sept. 12 ruling, allowing KalshiEx to offer derivative contracts trading on the outcome of the U.S. congressional elections over objections from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, could mark a watershed moment in the permissibility of election betting if upheld on appeal, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • What To Know About Latest Calif. Auto-Renewal Law Update

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    While businesses have about nine months to prepare before the recently passed amendment to California's automatic renewal law takes effect, it’s not too early to begin working on compliance efforts, including sign-up flow reviews, record retention updates and marketing language revisions, say Gonzalo Mon and Beth Chun at Kelley Drye.

  • The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations

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    Attorneys at Ogletree break down the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new rule, effective Oct. 1, that will ease restrictions on financial institutions hiring employees with criminal histories, amend the FDIC's treatment of minor offenses and clarify its stance on expunged or dismissed criminal records.

  • FDIC's Cautious Approach To Industrial Banks, Reaffirmed

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    Although the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. recently approved an industrial loan company's deposit insurance application and proposed new rules regarding parent companies, these developments do not represent a liberalization or modernization of the FDIC's regulatory framework, say Max Bonici and Andrew Bigart at Venable.

  • How Lucia, Jarkesy Could Affect Grocery Merger Challenge

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    While the Federal Trade Commission is taking a dual federal court and administrative tribunal approach to block Kroger's merger with Alberstons, Kroger's long-shot unconstitutionality claims could potentially lead to a reevaluation of the FTC's reliance on administrative processes in complex merger cases, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • How NLRB Memo Balances Schools' Labor, Privacy Concerns

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    Natale DiNatale at Robinson & Cole highlights the recent National Labor Relations Board advice memorandum that aims to help colleges reconcile competing obligations under the National Labor Relations Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act as university students flock toward unionization.

  • Taking Stock Of FCC's New Spectrum Rule For Drones

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    While an order recently adopted by the Federal Communications Commission is intended to provide drones with rapid access to a limited amount of spectrum in the 5030-5091 megahertz band, the commission envisions an incremental approach to full usage that will play out over the course of the coming months and years, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming

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    The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

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