Public Policy

  • January 16, 2025

    US Attorney In North Carolina's Middle District To Retire

    U.S. Attorney Sandra Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina will retire effective Saturday after a lengthy tenure helping put away violent felons and recovering millions of dollars in False Claims Act litigation while supporting and expanding programs and initiatives to help reduce recidivism and violent crimes.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump Taps Williams & Connolly's Sarah Harris As Acting SG

    Sarah M. Harris of Williams & Connolly LLP will serve as acting U.S. solicitor general for President-elect Donald Trump while his permanent pick undergoes the confirmation process.

  • January 16, 2025

    L3Harris CEO Urges Musk, Ramaswamy To Limit Bid Protests

    L3Harris Technologies' CEO published an open letter Wednesday to leaders of the new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency — billionaire Elon Musk and ex-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy — calling on them to overhaul the defense contracting process and limit bid protests to three per year, per contractor, among other changes.

  • January 16, 2025

    FCC Rejects TV License Attacks As Leadership Switch Nears

    The Federal Communications Commission rejected four controversial petitions targeting major news broadcasters Thursday, dispensing with the cases just days before Donald Trump reclaims the White House and installs a Republican majority on the commission.

  • January 16, 2025

    UK CMA Settles Sports Betting Company Divestiture

    Spreadex has appealed an order from the U.K.'s competition enforcer commanding it to sell off a sports betting company that it acquired in 2023, but in the meantime, it is taking all the necessary steps to comply with the agency's order.

  • January 16, 2025

    SEC's General Counsel Barbero To Exit As Trump Takes Office

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Thursday that General Counsel Megan Barbero will depart the agency on the day of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, capping a nearly two-year run that saw the agency face setbacks to its regulatory powers before conservative courts, but also notch some important wins.

  • January 16, 2025

    Biden Makes Final Push To Fortify US Cybersecurity Posture

    President Joe Biden took the latest step toward boosting the nation's cybersecurity Thursday, issuing an executive order that requires software vendors that work with the government to prove they're meeting certain security standards and promote the use of artificial intelligence for cyberdefense.

  • January 16, 2025

    7th Circ. Mulls Preemption Of HUD's Disparate-Impact Rule

    A Seventh Circuit judge said Thursday he found it odd that a trade association for insurers was bringing a facial challenge to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule governing disparate-impact claims under the Fair Housing Act that would effectively require "a 50-state survey to adjudicate."

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump's HUD Pick Opposes Telework, Backs Opportunity Zones

    Eric Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said he would bring the agency's largely remote workforce back to the office and boost a popular incentive for development in testimony before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.

  • January 16, 2025

    Tribes, ND Spar Over High Court's Voting Rights Order

    Two North Dakota tribes say a decision by the Supreme Court rejecting an appeal over the state's voting subdistricts forecloses the secretary of state's argument that race was a predominant factor in redrawing the districts.

  • January 16, 2025

    GOP Describes FTC Dems' Last Days As 'Farcical,' 'Senseless'

    Democratic enforcers at the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are on a blitz of guidelines and complaints in their last days at the agencies, a push increasingly assailed by FTC Republicans who've said Democratic-specific efforts to enshrine antitrust safeguards for workers and more "has no future."

  • January 16, 2025

    Cherokee, Feds Reach $80M Settlement In Accounting Fight

    The Cherokee Nation and the federal government have settled a dispute for $80 million after a D.C. federal court last year determined that the U.S. had not fulfilled its duty to provide the tribe with a full accounting of its federal trust assets, ending nearly a decade of litigation.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump AG Nominee Pam Bondi's Net Worth Tops $12M

    President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, has a net worth of over $12 million and holds stock in Trump's media company, according to financial disclosures shared with Law360. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump's DOT Pick Says Air Safety, New Tech Big Priorities

    President-elect Donald Trump's would-be transportation secretary pledged to oversee a leaner and more efficient U.S. Department of Transportation focused on expediting project permitting, prioritizing mega infrastructure projects, and ensuring that Boeing and aviation safety gets "back on track."

  • January 16, 2025

    DHS Unit Clarifies EB-2 National Interest Waiver Eligibility

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have unveiled new guidance clarifying the eligibility criteria for EB-2 employment-based immigration petitions for applicants with advanced degrees or exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business to get national interest waivers.

  • January 16, 2025

    Quarry, Conn. Town Eye Settlement In $9.5M Shutdown Feud

    The town of East Haven, Connecticut, and a quarry owner are in settlement talks to end both a lawsuit and an appeal of the owner's $10.6 million bench trial win on claims he was forced to shut down operations for improper political reasons, a federal district court filing indicates.

  • January 16, 2025

    Gov't Wants Time During Epic, Google's 9th Circ. Face-Off

    When Epic Games and Google face off next month at the Ninth Circuit, the federal government is hoping it will get a few minutes to state its case for why the appellate court shouldn't overturn an order forcing Google to allow alternative app stores on its platform, the government said in a recent motion.

  • January 16, 2025

    FDIC Case Belongs In Fed. Court After Jarkesy, 5th Circ. Told

    A former Herring Bank executive argued in a Fifth Circuit brief that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s in-house enforcement proceedings against him denied him his right to a jury trial in federal court, saying the allegations against him involve legal issues that have historically been decided by juries.

  • January 16, 2025

    Antitrust's 'Moment' Has Arrived, Thanks To Biden Enforcers

    As President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House, with antitrust picks operating under a mandate to go after Big Tech and "censorship" with enforcement that's vigorous, but not stifling, which key parts of President Joe Biden's competition law legacy may last and what won't are coming into focus.

  • January 16, 2025

    NC Gov. Boosts Abortion Safeguards Amid 'Alarming Attacks'

    North Carolina's newly minted Gov. Josh Stein on Thursday in one of his first official acts rolled out an executive order that shores up abortion protections in the Tar Heel state, joining the ranks of other Democratic politicians seeking to cement progressive priorities ahead of a second Trump administration.

  • January 16, 2025

    USPTO Seeks Views On 'Traditional Knowledge' IP Treaty

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office requested comments Thursday on whether the U.S. should sign an international treaty that could require patent applicants to disclose if an invention draws on the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, which has concerned business groups.

  • January 16, 2025

    Browns Stadium Fight Belongs In Ohio State Court, Judge Told

    The city of Cleveland has sued the Browns in Ohio state court in an attempt to block the NFL team's planned stadium move, as the city and the state are urging the judge in a separate federal case to toss the team's bid to relocate to the suburbs.

  • January 16, 2025

    7th Circ. Judges Ask TSA Who Gets To Define 'Emergency'

    A Seventh Circuit judge on Thursday questioned how much deference the court should give to the Transportation Security Administration's definition of an "emergency" in a railway's lawsuit claiming TSA skipped normal rulemaking procedures to impose cybersecurity mandates on freight rail companies without pointing to an emergency that warranted it.

  • January 16, 2025

    PE Exec Nominated To Lead Fannie, Freddie Regulator

    President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate Bill Pulte, the CEO of private equity firm Pulte Capital, to lead the agency regulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump EPA Pick Faces Climate Questions, Dodges Details

    President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday tried to steer clear of controversy at a Senate confirmation hearing, taking a conciliatory tone, deferring judgment on specific matters and promising to exercise independence.

Expert Analysis

  • What FARA Enforcement In 2024 Reveals For The Year Ahead

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    A number of developments, from indictments to legislation, shaped the Foreign Agents Registration Act enforcement landscape last year, and following the U.S. Department of Justice's recently released long-awaited proposed amendments to the law, 2025 shows no signs of slowing down, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley.

  • How New Fraud Enforcement Tool Affects Gov't Contractors

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    Government contractors will likely face greater scrutiny under the recently enacted Administrative False Claims Act, which broadens federal agencies' authority to pursue low-dollar fraud claims, but contractors may also find the act makes settlement of such claims easier to negotiate, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Predicting What's Next For SEC By Looking At Past Dissents

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    While Paul Atkins' nomination to be the next chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken center stage, an analysis of Republican Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda's past votes and dissents provides a preview of where enforcement may shift in the new administration, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • FTC Picks Augur Pro-Business Bent For Much Of Economy

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    President-elect Donald Trump's choice of two top Federal Trade Commission officials suggests a business-friendly climate for a significant portion of the U.S. economy, with noteworthy exceptions of continued scrutiny of healthcare and Big Tech companies, excluding artificial intelligence, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Takeaways From 2024's Emerging IP Licensing Trends

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    Themes in intellectual property licensing from the past year – including artificial intelligence; risk management; and name, image and likeness rights – highlight key considerations for navigating an evolving landscape, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

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    General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Searching For Insight On Requested Google Chrome Remedy

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    The potential for Google to divest its Chrome browser — a remedy requested by the Justice Department following a D.C. federal court’s finding the company is a monopolist — has drawn both criticism and endorsement, but legal precedent likely supports the former, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Opinion

    3 New Year's Resolutions For Antitrust Agencies To Consider

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    James Fredricks at Skadden rings in 2025 with his wish list for the federal antitrust agencies, starting with a provision for a presumptive safe harbor for information sharing.

  • FTC Focus: A Changing Of The Guard

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    While rigorous antitrust enforcement is unlikely to slow down at the Federal Trade Commission, the focus will undoubtedly change, including when it comes to Big Tech, as Andrew Ferguson prepares to take the reins from Chair Lina Khan, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • 5th Circ.'s Nasdaq Ruling Another Piece In DEI Policy Puzzle

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent en banc opinion vacating Nasdaq's board diversity listing rule wades into the hotly debated topic of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at a time when many public companies are navigating the attention that DEI commitments are drawing from activists and shareholders, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 8 Trends And Predictions Following PE's Late 2024 Surge

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    Private equity will remain at the forefront of value creation in 2025, and anticipated market trends include sponsors' desire to return capital to investors and a more business-friendly tack by the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • How Changes In State Gift Card Laws May Affect Cos. In 2025

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    2024 state legislative movements around the escheatment of unused gift card balances and consumer fraud protections should prompt issuers to consider whether changes in company domicile or blanket cash-back policies are needed in the new year, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Health Tech Regulatory Trends To Watch In 2025

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    With an upcoming change in administration and the release of some long-awaited rules, the healthcare industry should prepare for shifting trends, including a growing focus on health data and interest in technology-enabled delivery of healthcare, say attorneys at Orrick.

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