On April 13th, President Obama issued an Executive Order creating a federal inter-agency task to coordinate efforts on oversight of horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. Method such as hydraulic fracturing (i.e. “fracking”) have allowed access to massive new deposits of natural gas bring the price down for natural gas to historic lows. Full Story
Washington Post readers found out this morning that the Justice Department has been withholding information for years about hundreds or even thousands of cases that were tainted by faulty forensic work in the FBI Crime Lab. The front-page feature was based in large part on the work of Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, an NWC Board Member who was one of the FBI’s top scientists during the period of misconduct. Full Story
In a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) issued yesterday by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against Google, the FCC found that Google’s collection of unencrypted data obtained from Wi-Fi networks in its Street View project did not violate the Communications Act provision that prohibits the unauthorized interception and either use or publication of radio communications. Full Story
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With 35.7 percent of America’s adults and one third of America’s youth qualifying as overweight or obese, we’re all getting a lot of advice about how we should be eating. This question becomes particularly tricky for low-income Americans who receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”), formerly known as food stamps. Full Story
Jeffrey Skilling, the former CEO of Enron Corp. is officially out of options for challenging his 2006 conviction on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud, insider trading and lying to auditors. The very public former head of the failed accounting firm, who is currently serving a 26-year sentence in federal prison in Colorado, had obtained a victory before the Supreme Court in 2010 in a highly publicized decision in which the Supreme Court ruled that Skilling could not be convicted for “honest services” fraud where his actions did not involve any bribery or kickbacks. Full Story
Four years and six months; about a week shy of 1,650 days. That’s how long Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. Superior Court languished in the darkness and uncertainty that is the appeals process. While members of the class representing the employees undoubtedly moved on with their lives in one way or another, and other similar cases ended in settlement agreements, Brinker moved slowly ahead, and everyone waited. On April 12, 2012 that wait finally ended as the California Supreme Court issued a verdict that gave many Californian business owners a reason to breath a sigh of relief. Full Story
Beware, whistleblowers. Once you attempt to point out wrongdoing, your company will more than likely come back at you hard. And when they do, be careful because the retaliation will be stealth-like. Protecting whistleblowers has become a priority in the Dodd-Frank era, so they don’t berate you, or fire you, or demote you. Full Story
After an unsuccessful first attempt at prosecuting Roger Clemens for lying before Congress the government began its second attempt this week. Prosecutors fumbled the first time after only a few days when the judge, Reggie Walton of the U.S. District Court, declared a mistrial after the prosecution showed jurors evidence that had been declared inadmissible. Prosecutors are facing pressureto secure a guilty verdict after a string of unsuccessful attempts to convict athletes from performance enhancing drug investigations
Group Sues Treasury and IRS to Amend 501(c)(4) Regulations http://t.co/61IW6xxQQO - @CovPoliticalLaw Beeting b/t Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals and SEC provides insight http://t.co/YceCGLRxFu @@SECCorpGovLaw US Supreme Court Ruling May Hinder Ability to Challenge Agency Authority http://t.co/a2uKrrmFVr - @Squire_Sanders NLRB Reverses ALJ, Orders Deferral of Charge Against Union to Arbitration http://t.co/V2jgcvsTJQ - @seyfarthshawLLP House Subcommittee Questions Recent EEOC Activities http://t.co/JadzjkYf6l - @littlerasaps