Some opponents of the Affordable Care Act claimed that the Act could self-destruct because providers would refuse to take on newly covered (supposedly, non-lucrative) patients, particularly those covered under the Act's massive Medicaid expansion. Not so, at least according to a new study in Michigan conducted by the Ann Arbor-based Center for Healthcare Research & […]
Michigan State University College of Law Professor Mark Totten has written Credit Reform and the States: The Vital Role of Attorneys General after Dodd-Frank. Here is the abstract: Congress employed multiple strategies in the wake of the Great Recession to provide greater protections for consumers in the financial marketplace. One strategy aimed at agency design […]
Consumers shop on the Internet for low prices and convenience. But both low prices and convenience are at risk because prices for consumer goods and services on the Internet change frequently, making it hard to get the best (or even a good) price without a lot of search and monitoring time. This article by Stephanie […]
by Brian Wolfman Last Thursday, Judge Arthur Spatt, a federal district judge in Brooklyn, postponed a decision on final approval of a settlement in a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) class action on the ground of inadequate notice. See Corpac v. Rubin & Rothman, 2013 WL 265318 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 24, 2012). The plaintiff alleged […]
That's the name of the video linked here. Many of the readers of this blog work for justice in the civil courts. The video is about people who represent poor people in criminal cases.
Yesterday, Scott Michelman posted on Public Citizen's opposition to proposed Tennessee lawyer advertising rules that would undermine consumer choice and competition in the legal services market. Citing similar concerns, the FTC has also opposed the proposed rules, as explained here. UPDATE: Read the FTC's press release and comments on the proposed rules.
by Deepak Gupta There are some important counterpoints to the wild predictions I'm already hearing from industry lawyers about the effect of today's D.C. Circuit's decision invalidating the NLRB recess appointments. First, because the decision openly creates a circuit split with an Eleventh Circuit decision upholding George W. Bush's recess appointment of Judge Pryor and […]
This post picks up from Allison's earlier post to add more details. As Allison noted, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, ruling today in Noel Canning v. NLRB, held that President Obama's recess appointments of three NLRB commissioners in January 2012 were invalid because the Senate was not in a constitutionally-required "Recess." […]
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit held this morning that the Constitution permits “recess appointments” only during the Recess between Sessions of Congress and only for positions that become vacant during the Recess. The opinion conflicts with a 2004 decision of the Eleventh Circuit. The DC case arises from a challenge to […]
Alabama-based bank Regions Financial Corp. has agreed to stop offering payday loans in North Carolina. Although North Carolina has banned payday loan shops or Internet services, federal law allows a bank to make those loans if allowed in the bank’s home state. This article from the Charlotte Post has the details. Payday loans are made […]