To quote law prof Orly Lobel, "gig workers" are "people who provide contracted, freelance work on a short-term basis via digital platform technologies." Uber drivers are well-known examples. Lobel goes on: "Gig workers are drivers, delivery-people, personal assistants, handymen, cleaners, cooks, dog-sitters, and babysitters, but increasingly are also more specialized professionals, including nurses, doctors, teachers, […]
Author Archives: Brian Wolfman
There's been a lot of interest in the constitutional ruling in PHH Corporation v. CFPB (D.C. Cir.) — that it's not constitutionally okay for an independent agency to be directed by just one person who may only be removed for cause. But I haven't seen much about the merits of the parties' dispute under the anti-kickback provisions of […]
In a case in federal district court in North Dakota, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed this brief about the D.C. Circuit's decision in PHH Corporation v. CFPB and said this: In considering a separation-of-powers challenge to the Bureau’s structure, the PHH panel announced a new constitutional rule that agencies must be structured as multimember […]
On Tuesday, we posted here and here about the D.C. Circuit's decision in PHH Corporation v. CFPB, which held that the CFPB's governing structure is unconstitutional because its director is too independent of the President — the CFPB is an independent agency run not by a multi-member commission (the members of which serve as checks on one another), but by one […]
Read the court's very long opinion. The basic problem identified by the D.C. Circuit is that the CFPB is an independent agency run not by a multi-member commission (the members of which serve as checks on one another), but by one director (who may only be removed by the President for cause, see 12 U.S.C. […]
That's the topic of this article by Jeff Lingwall. Here is the abstract: This Article examines the emerging use of “food forensics” to discover injury in class action litigation. Based on increased public interest in what goes inside food, plaintiffs have begun relying on statistical and chemical testing to verify label claims. The test results often spur […]
We posted recently about Uber's plans to put driverless cars on the road in Pittsburgh very soon. Auto safety advocates say it's too soon and the public's safety is at risk. Today's Washington Post has this article on the topic by Elizabeth Dwoskin and Brian Fung. Here's an excerpt: Uber’s decision to bring self-driving taxis to the streets of […]
Interesting article from Brad Plumer here.
That's the topic of Taxing Sugar Sweetened Beverages to Lower Childhood Obesity by Sarah Wetter and James Hodge. Here is the abstract: Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contributes to multiple health problems including obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay, especially among children. Excise taxation has been proven efficacious in changing purchasing behaviors related to tobacco use with resulting […]
As the unemployment rate has dropped considerably to below 5% from double that during the Great Recession, another, seemingly paradoxical, trend has continued: a drop in adult male workforce participation, which was nearly 100% in the 1960s and is below 90% today. Read this NPR story on the topic or listen to it by clicking on the […]