News & Analysis as of

Board of Directors Securities Exchange Act Corporate Governance

Husch Blackwell LLP

SEC Staff Issues New Guidance on Shareholder Proposals and Schedule 13G Eligibility

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On February 12, 2025, the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M (SLB 14M) setting forth staff guidance on shareholder proposals submitted...more

Robinson & Cole LLP

Legal Update: Nasdaq Board Diversity Rules Struck Down in Court

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On December 11, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc in Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment v. SEC, held that the approval by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the Nasdaq...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Fifth Circuit Nullifies Nasdaq’s Diversity Rule for Corporate Boards

A federal circuit court recently vacated a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) order approving Nasdaq’s diversity rule for boards of directors of public companies....more

Venable LLP

Fifth Circuit Vacates Nasdaq's Board Diversity Rules: Key Implications for the 2025 Proxy Season

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On December 11, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in a 9-8 en banc decision, vacated the approval of Nasdaq's board diversity rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The court held that the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Fifth Circuit Vacates SEC Order Approving Nasdaq Board Diversity Rules

McDermott Will & Emery on

On December 11, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) order approving The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC’s (Nasdaq) board diversity rules, holding that the...more

Goodwin

Nasdaq Board Diversity Rules Vacated by En Banc Fifth Circuit Decision

Goodwin on

In an en banc decision filed on December 11, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Fifth Circuit) vacated the 2021 approval by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of rules adopted by The Nasdaq...more

Cooley LLP

UPDATED—en banc Fifth Circuit puts the kibosh on the Nasdaq board diversity rules

Cooley LLP on

(This post updates my post of December 12 to add further discussion of the decision.) - In August 2021, the SEC approved a Nasdaq proposal for new listing rules regarding board diversity and disclosure, accompanied by a...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Fifth Circuit Strikes Down Board Diversity Rules in En Banc Decision

In a 9-8 en banc decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit blocked the Nasdaq board diversity rules, ruling that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lacked the authority to approve the rules....more

Fenwick & West LLP

Nasdaq Board Diversity Rules Struck Down by Fifth Circuit

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In August 2021, the SEC approved new board diversity rules requiring Nasdaq-listed companies (i) to include a board diversity matrix in their proxy statement or on their website and (ii) to disclose whether they have one...more

BCLP

Nasdaq Concedes Invalidation of Board Diversity Rule by Divided Fifth Circuit en Banc

BCLP on

On December 11, in a 9-8 ruling, the Fifth Circuit invalidated the SEC’s approval of the Nasdaq board diversity rule in Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment v. SEC. Invoking the “major questions” doctrine, the court ruled the...more

Baker Botts L.L.P.

Director Independence: Beware of Who Your Friends Are

Baker Botts L.L.P. on

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently settled charges against James R. Craigie, a former CEO, Chairman and board member of Church & Dwight Co. Inc. (the “Company”), for violating proxy disclosure rules...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

DEI Under Scrutiny, Part XII: Scope of Pending Legal Challenge to Nasdaq’s Diversity Rule Narrows

On July 25, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) notified the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that at least part of the basis for the currently pending legal attack on the Nasdaq’s proposed...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

DEI Under Scrutiny, Part XI: Fifth Circuit Reconsiders Nasdaq’s Board Diversity Rule

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will likely weigh in soon on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approval of Nasdaq’s board diversity rule that will require listed companies to disclose...more

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Diversity in the Boardroom: Full Fifth Circuit Plans to Rehear Challenge to the SEC Approval of Nasdaq Board Diversity Rules

The Fifth Circuit has vacated the opinion we discussed in our Oct. 30, 2023, client alert Diversity in the Boardroom: Fifth Circuit Rejects Challenge to the SEC Nasdaq Board Diversity Rules; En Banc Petition Quickly Filed and...more

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Fifth Circuit Upholds Nasdaq Board Diversity Rule in Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment, National Center for Public Policy...

On October 18, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment v. SEC, 5th Cir., No. 21-60626 upheld Nasdaq’s board diversity rule, which encourages greater board...more

Allen Matkins

California Says Corporations And LLCs Can't Be Directors; The Securities Exchange Act Apparently Believes Otherwise

Allen Matkins on

Nine years ago, I posed the question of whether the California General Corporation Law permits corporations to serve as directors.  My answer at the time was "no" because Section 164 of the Corporations Code defines...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Fifth Circuit Upholds Nasdaq Board Diversity Rule

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Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld Nasdaq's board diversity rule, which the SEC first approved in August 2021 and was then challenged as unconstitutionally discriminatory and an improper...more

WilmerHale

Fifth Circuit Hears Argument on Nasdaq Board Diversity Rule

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On Monday, August 29, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral argument on a challenge to the Nasdaq Board Diversity Rule (the “Rule”). The Rule requires Nasdaq-listed companies to publicly disclose Board...more

Holland & Knight LLP

SEC, Nasdaq Square Off Against Challengers to Nasdaq's Board Diversity Rule

Holland & Knight LLP on

The SEC was once again before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Aug. 29, 2022, this time in connection with the agency's approval of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC's (Nasdaq) Board Diversity Rule (Rule). The...more

BCLP

Excluding a Shareholder Proposal? Not So Fast…

BCLP on

The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance recently published Legal Bulletin 14L (CF) (the “Bulletin”) providing updated guidance on excluding shareholder proposals under Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.  Specifically, the...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Ninth Circuit Cuts Shareholders More Slack on Section 11 Claims

In the past several years, the number of claims filed against newly public companies under the Securities Act of 1933 has increased significantly. At the same time, the development of direct listings has given companies...more

Cooley LLP

Blog: Petition filed for review of SEC approval of Nasdaq board diversity rule

Cooley LLP on

It should hardly come as a surprise to anyone that the new Nasdaq board diversity rule (see this PubCo post) would be challenged in the courts. The rule was approved by the SEC on Friday, August 6. On Monday. August 9, the...more

Allen Matkins

Challenge To Nasdaq Diversity Rule Filed In Federal Court Of Appeals

Allen Matkins on

Professor Stephen Bainbridge writes that the Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment has filed a petition for review with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals challenging Nasdaq's board diversity rule.  Some readers may be...more

Morgan Lewis - ML Benefits

Issues to Consider When Officers Grant Equity Awards

Equity-based awards are often a significant element of a company’s compensation program. However, unlike more broad-based employee benefit programs, which are generally only subject to federal laws, equity-based compensation...more

Allen Matkins

Committee Authority To Authorize Share Repurchases

Allen Matkins on

Section 311 of the California Corporations Code authorizes the creation of one or more committees.  Unlike Delaware, a committee of the board must have two or more members.  The board of directors may vest all of the...more

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