What Does The SEC Approved NASDAQ Diversity Proposal Mean For Boards?
Financing Challenges for Small Cap Companies
During the first four months of 2025, at least eight companies listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) announced potential delisting and at least 11 SGX-listed companies announced that they have received privatization offers...more
On December 11, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lacked statutory authority to approve Nasdaq’s board diversity rules. Subject to certain exceptions,...more
On December 11, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (“Fifth Circuit”) vacated the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) approval of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC’s (“Nasdaq”) Board Diversity Rules....more
Last November, Nasdaq proposed a rule change that would lengthen the notification period for companies conducting reverse stock splits from five business days to 10 calendar days. The rule change became effective immediately...more
On December 31, 2024, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) issued Regulatory Notice 24-18 (“RN 24-18”) to provide updated guidance to members regarding Rules 15c3-1, 15c3-3 and 17a-5 under the...more
Insider Trading Policies. As previously discussed in our Winter 2022-2023 Corporate Communicator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted final rules in December 2022 relating to insider trading policy...more
On December 11, 2024, the 5th Circuit issued another important opinion (for the third time this year) requiring that an administrative agency's rules fit squarely within the statutory scheme that empowers the agency to act....more
In a 9-8 decision on December 10, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit struck down Nasdaq’s efforts to promote diversity on public company boards. The case, Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment v. SEC, vacated...more
Under rules approved in 2021, Nasdaq-listed companies were required to (1) publicly disclose a board diversity matrix and (ii) have, or disclose why they do not have, at least one diverse director on their board by 2023 and a...more
On December 11, 2024, the Fifth Circuit, in a divided opinion following an en banc hearing, struck down the Nasdaq “show or tell” diversity rules. The Court concluded that the rules, some of which the majority described as a...more
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP’s Securities & Corporate Governance Quarterly Newsletter is designed to update public and private company clients on recent developments in federal securities laws and corporate governance...more
On August 26, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an order approving proposed amendments by The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq) to clarify and modify the phase-in schedules for certain corporate...more
Clawback Rules. As previously discussed in last Winter’s Corporate Communicator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC") adopted final rules in October 2022 directing the NYSE and Nasdaq to adopt listing standards that...more
On November 28, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) published final clawback rules (the Final Rules) in response to the long-standing requirement under Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and...more
Stock option grant practices have been the subject of recent guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and continue to be scrutinized by various parties for compliance with the tax requirements of the...more
SEC Settles First-Of-Its-Kind $13m DeFi Tech Action; NASDAQ Board Diversity Rules Challenged in Fifth Circuit; Delaware Court of Chancery Declines to Enforce Contractual Limitations on Liability to Bar Contractual Fraud...more