Public Policy

  • October 07, 2024

    Feds Face Biggest Test Yet In Madigan Probe: Mike Madigan

    The man who was once Illinois' most influential politician heads to Chicago federal court this week to stand trial on charges that he led a criminal enterprise for nearly a decade, amassing power and benefits for himself, his law firm and his allies. The stakes for prosecutors are higher than ever as they face the elected official at the center of their Illinois corruption probe.

  • October 07, 2024

    Sanctioned Election Denier Is Stalling, Dominion Exec Says

    A former Dominion Voting Systems executive urged a Colorado federal judge Monday to find a key witness and 2020 election denier can't appeal a $1,000-per-day sanctions order for walking out of a deposition, arguing the appeal is a "frivolous" delay tactic.

  • October 07, 2024

    Nationstar Mortgage Fails To Dodge Proposed Fee Suit Action

    A Washington federal judge refused Monday to let Nationstar Mortgage LLC escape a putative class action accusing the mortgage loan servicer of illegally charging fees for loan payoff statements.

  • October 07, 2024

    NJT Cop Can't Overturn Firing Over Positive THC Test

    A New Jersey appeals panel won't upend a decision by the New Jersey Transit Corp. police chief terminating an officer for testing positive for THC, rejecting the officer's argument that the chief wrongly deviated from an administrative law judge's determination that the test was unreliable.

  • October 07, 2024

    Treasury Proposes Exempting Tribal Cos. From Income Tax

    Tribal-owned businesses would not be subject to federal income tax under proposed regulations released Monday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, a move that would also allow such entities to be eligible to receive direct cash payments in lieu of clean energy tax credits.

  • October 07, 2024

    Stormwater Fees Not Illegal Tax, Mich. Appellate Panel Finds

    Stormwater drainage charges in Ann Arbor constitute a lawful fee and not an illegal tax, the Michigan Appeals Court ruled, saying the charges did not require voter approval as demanded under the state constitution for increased local tax rates.

  • October 07, 2024

    Sparring With Adams, Feds Shadowbox The Supreme Court

    The corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams may be the next front in an ongoing clash between federal prosecutors' desire to police official misconduct and a line of U.S. Supreme Court cases holding that alleged graft does not always amount to a federal crime.

  • October 07, 2024

    SpaceX, T-Mobile Can Offer Service In Helene-Ravaged Areas

    SpaceX and T-Mobile gained special temporary authority from the Federal Communications Commission to launch their plan for cellular coverage from space in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

  • October 07, 2024

    Mich. Judges Ask If 'Deplorable' Robocalls Actually Criminal

    A Michigan appeals court panel is considering for a second time whether two conservative activists can be criminally prosecuted for running a misinformation campaign that one judge on Monday called "deplorable," after the state Supreme Court narrowed the reach of the law they were charged with violating. 

  • October 07, 2024

    NJ City Sues To Halt Hudson Riverfront Development

    The Hoboken Planning Board has turned into a rubber stamp for developers including a duo that wants to build towers that will impede the view from the scenic Palisades cliffs, a neighboring city alleged in a New Jersey state court lawsuit.

  • October 07, 2024

    Ga. Justices Revive State Abortion Ban During Appeal

    The Supreme Court of Georgia on Monday temporarily reinstated the state's abortion ban, just one week after it was struck down for a second time by a Fulton County judge who said the law infringed on Georgians' constitutional right to privacy.

  • October 07, 2024

    11th Circ. Balks At Ex-Braves' $47M Easement Case

    Former Atlanta Braves players John Smoltz and Ryan Klesko, challenging a U.S. Tax Court ruling that slashed the value of a conservation easement deduction by 90%, won't have their appeal heard by the Eleventh Circuit after the court said Monday the duo had jumped the gun on challenging the decision before it was made final.

  • October 07, 2024

    Manafort Associate's Bribery Case Won't Get Top Court Look

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up the case of a former bank CEO who had argued the Second Circuit's decision to uphold his conviction for bribing former Donald Trump staffer Paul Manafort wrongly criminalized even the smallest of benefits a bank executive receives from a customer.

  • October 07, 2024

    FCC Looks To Update Satellite Spectrum Sharing Rules

    The Federal Communications Commission is working on new spectrum sharing rules for non-geostationary orbit fixed-satellite systems, saying the proposal will clarify details from a 2023 order requiring systems to work with each other to prevent signal interference.

  • October 07, 2024

    Mich. Couple Owe $3.3M Tax Debt, US Says

    A Michigan federal court should order the sale of three properties held by a real estate company to satisfy the roughly $3.3 million tax debt of a couple who are the company's nominee owners, the U.S. government said in a complaint Monday.

  • October 07, 2024

    Voter Groups Ask To Protect Member IDs in Redistricting Row

    Voting rights groups challenging the constitutionality of North Carolina's recently redrawn state and federal legislative districts are looking to shield the identities of their members from lawmakers, saying the last-ditch bid to depose them flies in the face of the First Amendment.

  • October 07, 2024

    Court Punts Case Over Trump's 'Eating The Dogs' Comments

    An Ohio county prosecutor is better suited than a court to decide if criminal charges are warranted against Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate JD Vance for allegedly fueling harassment, including bomb threats, against Haitian migrants, an Ohio court has ruled.

  • October 07, 2024

    Mich. Says Local Courts' ADA Compliance Is Not Its Job

    A proposed class of disabled attorneys lacks standing to pursue civil rights claims against Michigan alleging courthouses were inaccessible, the state has told a federal judge, arguing it is not responsible for local facilities and is otherwise protected by sovereign immunity under state disability laws.

  • October 07, 2024

    Don't Overdo School Wi-Fi Lending Restrictions, FCC Told

    An educational nonprofit and school broadband provider are asking the Federal Communications Commission for flexibility in how anchor institutions such as public libraries, colleges and nonprofits can use federal funds to loan out Wi-Fi hot spots off premises.

  • October 07, 2024

    Ga. Asks Justices To Ignore Meadows' Election Removal Bid

    Georgia county prosecutors fought a bid by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to move his election interference case into federal court, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that the legal issues at play require more "percolation" before they are ripe for review.

  • October 07, 2024

    Massachusetts' Chief Federal Judge To Take Senior Status

    U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of Massachusetts has notified President Joe Biden he will take senior status on July 31, 2025, the court announced Monday.

  • October 07, 2024

    College Tennis Player Can't Block NCAA Prize Money Rules

    NCAA rules restricting college athletes from earning prize money in outside competitions will remain in effect during a University of North Carolina tennis player's antitrust suit after a federal judge cast doubt on the strength of the case.

  • October 07, 2024

    Mass. Justices Unsure If Divisive Housing Law Has 'Teeth'

    The Massachusetts high court appeared split Monday on whether the state properly issued guidelines requiring towns in greater Boston to add housing density near mass-transit facilities.

  • October 07, 2024

    Mass. High Court Reluctant To Kill Lost Value Policy Exclusion

    Massachusetts' highest court on Monday appeared likely to reject a challenge to standard auto insurance policy language that excludes coverage for the dip in resale value of a vehicle after a crash.

  • October 07, 2024

    Defiant Philly Judge Gets Suspended For Political Posts

    A Pennsylvania judge who flouted conduct rules by making political posts was suspended without pay Monday, a matter the state's judicial ethics court called historic because of the jurist's repeated defiance of warnings.

Expert Analysis

  • USPTO Guidance Suggests 2 Strategies For AI Inventions

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    Analyzing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent guidance, it appears that there are at least two paths for establishing that an artificial intelligence invention is eligible for protection, and that which strategy to use may turn on how broadly the invention is applied, says William Morriss at Frost Brown.

  • Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2

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    Enacted in December 2022, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space for employees to express breast milk, but some companies may still be struggling with how to comply, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 4 Takeaways From The FDIC's Proposed Recordkeeping Rule

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new proposed rule would impose recordkeeping and other compliance requirements on custodial deposit accounts with transactional features, and practitioners should be aware of four important factors, including who is affected and who is exempt, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.

  • Navigating Restrictions Following Biotech Bill House Passage

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    Ahead of the BIOSECURE Act’s potential enactment, companies that obtain equipment from certain Chinese biotechnology companies should consider whether the act would restrict their ability to enter into contracts with the U.S. government and what steps they might take in response, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Dealmaker Lessons From CFIUS' New Enforcement Webpage

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    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recently launched webpage, which details the actions — and inactions — that led to enforcement activity, provides important insights for dealmakers about filing requirements, mitigation commitments and the cost of noncompliance, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Presidents And Precedents May Direct Khan's Future Course

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    While the Sept. 25 technical expiration of Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's term demands no immediate action, it does invite an analysis of commission policy and post-election possibilities, says Axinn's Richard Dagen, a former FTC official.

  • SEC Settlement Holds Important Pay-To-Play Lessons

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent fine of an investment adviser, whose new hire made a campaign contribution within a crucial lookback period, is a seasonable reminder for public fund managers to ensure their processes thoroughly screen all associates for even minor violations of the SEC’s strict pay-to-play rule, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • What's In Colorado's 1st-Of-Its-Kind Neural Privacy Law

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    Colorado recently became the first U.S. state to directly regulate neurotechnology with new legislation amending the Colorado Privacy Act to specifically protect biological and neural data, offering an example of how lawmakers can tackle the perceived regulation gaps in this area, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • What To Expect From Calif. Bill Regulating PE In Healthcare

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    A California bill currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval, intended to increase oversight over private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare, is emblematic of recent increased scrutiny of investments in the space, and may affect transactions and operations in California in a number of ways, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • 7 Takeaways For Companies After Justices' Bribery Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Snyder v. U.S. decision this summer, holding that a federal law does not criminalize after-the-fact gratuities made to public officials, raises some key considerations for companies that engage with state, local and tribal governments, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Courts Will Still Defer To Feds On Nat'l Security

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    Agencies with trade responsibilities may be less affected by Chevron’s demise because of the special deference courts have shown when hearing international trade cases involving national security, foreign policy or the president’s constitutional authority to direct such matters, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives

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    As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

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    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

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