Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Public Policy
-
February 12, 2025
Elon Musk Wants Judges Removed For DOGE Court Losses
Elon Musk on Wednesday posted a number of tweets calling for "an immediate wave of judicial impeachments," specifically targeting federal judges who have recently blocked his DOGE Service Temporary Organization from freezing federal funds and accessing U.S. Department of the Treasury payment systems.
-
February 12, 2025
House Republicans Launch Effort To Craft Data Privacy Law
The Republican leaders of an influential House committee on Wednesday established a working group to draft privacy legislation that would be able to overcome hurdles that have long stymied efforts to set a national standard for how companies collect, use and share consumers' personal information.
-
February 12, 2025
Trump Picks Encore Fiduciary Founder As DOL Benefits Chief
The Trump administration on Wednesday nominated Encore Fiduciary's principal and professional fiduciary liability expert Daniel Aronowitz to steer the US Department of Labor's employee benefits division, which produces and enforces federal regulations that apply to employer-provided retirement and healthcare plans.
-
February 12, 2025
Trump's Federal Worker Resignation Offer Gets Green Light
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday lifted an order temporarily blocking President Donald Trump's federal worker "deferred resignation" offer and allowed it to proceed, ruling that unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers don't have standing to challenge the directive.
-
February 12, 2025
8th Circ. Vacates Ruling In Minn. Tribal Reservation Dispute
An Eighth Circuit panel on Wednesday remanded a dispute between a Minnesota tribe and Mille Lacs County officials to a federal district court with instructions to vacate, saying a recently amended state law upholds a 19th-century treaty that gives unqualified law enforcement jurisdiction to the tribe over its reservation's boundaries.
-
February 12, 2025
Republican Senators Float Ending EV Tax Credits
Republican lawmakers in the Senate on Wednesday unveiled a bill that would end electric vehicle and charging station tax credits that they dubbed "reckless."
-
February 12, 2025
OpenAI Says Musk Takeover Bid 'Exposes' Intent Behind Suit
OpenAI on Thursday told a California federal judge overseeing Elon Musk's lawsuit seeking to block OpenAI from becoming a for-profit enterprise that the Tesla founder has proposed acquiring OpenAI's business, saying the takeover effort reveals Musk's lawsuit to be "an improper bid to undermine a competitor."
-
February 12, 2025
Arkansas Looks To Dismiss Cherokee Gambling License Suit
Arkansas has urged a federal court to toss the latest version of a casino licensing suit by two Cherokee Nation businesses, arguing that they don't have the right to sue the state and that the court has already dismissed the state and its governor as defendants.
-
February 12, 2025
VA Blocked From Quickly Appealing Systemic Racism Suit
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cannot immediately appeal a Connecticut federal judge's refusal to slap down a lawsuit alleging systemic discrimination at VA hospitals because the case does not present novel issues requiring midstream clarification, the same judge who advanced the case last March has ruled.
-
February 12, 2025
SEC Rescinds Stricter Gensler-Era Proxy Exclusion Guidance
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday rescinded Biden-era guidelines around excluding certain shareholder proposals from proxy statements, reverting the agency's posture to an era that was generally more receptive to companies seeking such exclusions.
-
February 12, 2025
Bondi Says NY Failed To Enforce Feds' Immigration Policies
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice is suing New York over its Green Light Law, which she claims prevents law enforcement officers from doing their jobs.
-
February 12, 2025
Unions Beef Up Suit To Keep DOGE Out Of Federal Agencies
Unions and nonprofits seeking to stop Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the U.S. Department of Labor's data have enhanced their injunction request, looking also to shield the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's and Department of Health and Human Services' data and prove they have standing to sue.
-
February 12, 2025
DOJ Removes For-Cause Protection For FTC, Other Agencies
The U.S. Department of Justice has determined that for-cause removals for members of the Federal Trade Commission, National Labor Relations Board and Consumer Product Safety Commission are unconstitutional, acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris informed Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., ranking Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a letter Wednesday.
-
February 12, 2025
Trump's Trans Sports Ban Challenged In New Hampshire Suit
President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender individuals from competing in women's sports was hit with its first court challenge Wednesday, as two New Hampshire trans teenagers added the federal government to their lawsuit challenging a similar state-level policy.
-
February 12, 2025
Avangrid Unit's Counterclaim Cut From Plant Cleanup Fight
The United Illuminating Co. cannot assert a counterclaim against the commissioner of Connecticut's energy regulator as they battle over the cleanup of the defunct and polluted English Station power plant in New Haven because the utility has not overcome the state's sovereign immunity, a state court has ruled.
-
February 12, 2025
OSC Sues FEMA Worker Who Skipped Trump Houses
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, whose leader President Donald Trump is attempting to fire, filed a complaint Tuesday seeking to discipline a Federal Emergency Management Agency staffer who instructed employees last fall to avoid homes with Trump campaign signs.
-
February 12, 2025
FCC Chief Says Comcast To Be Probed For Supporting DEI
The FCC's new leader is going after Comcast and NBCUniversal for their efforts to be diverse and inclusive, revealing Wednesday that he had directed the agency to open an investigation into the pair of companies to ensure they aren't "promoting invidious forms of discrimination."
-
February 12, 2025
OCC Departs International Network Focused On Climate Risks
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Tuesday became the latest U.S. government entity to withdraw from the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System, an international consortium focused on the financial sector's responses and resilience to climate change.
-
February 12, 2025
Colo. Judge Tosses Online Fax Co.'s Junk Ad Suit
A Colorado federal judge dismissed an online fax service provider's Telephone Consumer Protection Act suit alleging a group of companies overwhelmed its system with "junk" faxes, finding in a Wednesday order that the law's prohibition specifically applies to a "machine" that receives and prints faxes.
-
February 12, 2025
DOJ Wants Nationwide Injunction Trimmed In Citizenship Case
The U.S. Department of Justice has called on a Maryland federal judge to narrow the scope of a nationwide injunction blocking the implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, saying it should apply only to the individuals identified in the suit.
-
February 12, 2025
GOP Sens. Pitch $1K Tax On EVs To Boost Highway Fund
Republican senators on Wednesday proposed legislation that would establish a $1,000 tax on all new electric vehicles to help bolster a federal fund that pays for highway, road, bridge and transit upgrades nationwide.
-
February 12, 2025
Groups Try To Stop Trump's 'Catastrophic' Refugee Shutdown
A group of refugees and nonprofits suing President Donald Trump over his suspension of a refugee program are urging a Seattle federal judge to block enforcement of the executive order, warning refugees will otherwise remain stranded abroad as the program is dismantled.
-
February 12, 2025
Copyright Office's Economist Report Chimes In On AI Debate
A report released Wednesday by a group of economists convened by the U.S. Copyright Office explores the complicated — and sometimes fraught — economic considerations at the heart of the debate over copyright policy and artificial intelligence.
-
February 12, 2025
USPTO Ends Fast Exams Of Patents Targeting Climate Change
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has suspended a program that sped up examination of patent applications for inventions that are intended to mitigate climate change, saying any future petitions to participate in the program will not be granted.
-
February 12, 2025
RI Judge Won't Pause Order To Unfreeze Funds Amid Appeal
A Rhode Island federal judge refused Wednesday to pause a court order blocking a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs while the Trump administration appeals the ruling to the First Circuit.
Expert Analysis
-
Critical Steps For Navigating Intensified OFAC Enforcement
The largely overlooked SkyGeek settlement from the end of 2024 heralds the arrival of the Office of Foreign Assets Control's long anticipated enhanced enforcement posture and clearly demonstrates the sanctions-compliance benefits of immediately responding to blocked payments, says Jeremy Paner at Hughes Hubbard.
-
Unpacking HHS' Proposal To Amend HIPAA Security Rule
While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' proposal to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's security rule could face scrutiny under the Trump administration, it reflects a clear concern over health data security and could push entities to implement operational changes, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
-
Expect Scrutiny Of Banks To Persist, Even Under Trump
Although the change in administrations brings some measure of uncertainty as to the nature of bank compliance oversight, if regulators in Washington, D.C., attempt to dilute the vigilance of federal superintendence, the states are waiting in the wings to fill the void, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
-
Reg Waiver Eases Calif. Rebuilding, But Proceed With Care
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order suspending some environmental review and permitting requirements for the reconstruction of homes and businesses damaged by recent wildfires may streamline rebuilding efforts, but will require careful navigation of the evolving regulatory landscape, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.
-
The Post-Macquarie Securities Fraud-By-Omission Landscape
While the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 opinion in Macquarie v. Moab distinguished inactionable "pure omissions" from actionable "half-truths," the line between the two concepts in practice is still unclear, presenting challenges for lower courts parsing statements that often fall within the gray area of "misleading by omission," say attorneys at Katten.
-
Trump's Energy Plans: Climate, Data Centers, LNG And More
With a host of executive orders addressing climate and emissions policies, expanded energy development, offshore and onshore projects, liquefied natural gas and more, the second Trump administration has already given energy companies much to consider, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
-
AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex
Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.
-
What To Do When ICE Shows Up At The Hospital
In light of recent executive orders and changes to enforcement directives permitting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to enter sensitive locations like hospitals, healthcare providers should understand how to balance compliance with existing health laws and patient care obligations, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
-
Unpacking The Legal Foundation Of Trump's New Trade War
President Donald Trump's recent executive orders and proclamations regarding emergencies at the U.S. border are based on statutory powers enabling a president to address extraordinary external threats — and could be used to fend off legal challenges to the tariffs levied on Mexican and Canadian goods, says Chris Zona at Mandelbaum Barrett.
-
A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape
Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.
-
Trump's Energy Plans: Funding, Permits And Nuclear Power
In the wake of President Donald Trump's flurry of first-day executive orders focusing on the energy sector, attorneys at Gibson Dunn analyze what this presidency will mean for energy-related grants and loans, changes to permitting processes and developments in nuclear power.
-
When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law
In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
-
FTC Focus: Avoiding 'Gun Jumping' Violations
The Federal Trade Commission's recent record $5.6 million "gun jumping" enforcement action against XCL Resources, EP Energy and Verdun Oil sends a clear message about the seriousness of violations of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act's premerger requirements, and highlights compliance tips such as avoiding premature integration of operations, say attorneys at Proskauer.
-
What Compensation Committees Must Keep In Mind In 2025
New disclosure obligations, an evolving discussion on the analysis of executive perks and updated proxy adviser policies — on top of a new presidential administration — are all important things compensation committees must pay close attention to in 2025, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
-
Likely Doomed CFPB Contract Rule Still Has Industry Pointers
While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's January proposal on consumer financial contract provisions is unlikely to be finalized under the new administration, its provisions are important for industry to recognize, particularly if state attorneys general decide to take up the enforcement mantle, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.