Lifting the Fog Over Lobbying Compliance - updated with impact of COVID-19 on NYS lobbying community
[WEBINAR] "Walking the Line" - Public Agencies', Officials' and Employees' Roles in Local Elections
[WEBINAR] Who Does What? Defining Proper Roles for Staff and Elected Officials
Bribery & Corruption in the Military. A Front-Line View (Part II)
Ethics Laws and the Importance of Transparency for Public Officials
Blogging for Lawyers
The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that "substantial compliance" with the Open Meetings Act's public notice requirements is insufficient to shield public officials from civil liability for intentional public notice...more
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as “RICO,” was enacted to fight organized crime but has evolved into the bane of legitimate businesses. Along with criminal penalties that can only be...more
Appellants in New Vision Gaming & Development v. SC Gaming, Inc. f/k/a Bally Gaming, Inc. and Mobility Workx, LLC v. Unified Patents, LLC challenge the constitutionality of the administrative patent judge (APJ) incentive...more
On May 7, 2020, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Kelly v. United States, reversing the convictions of Bridget Anne Kelly and William Baroni, two appointees of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie,...more
In a stinging rebuke to government prosecutors, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed the federal fraud convictions of two New Jersey officials — Bridget Anne Kelly and William Baroni — who in brazen acts of political...more
Whenever the United States Supreme Court unanimously reverses a criminal conviction – particularly in a high profile case and particularly when the Court conclusively rejects the reasoning of a highly regarded appeals court –...more
Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision in Kelly v. United States[1] that limits federal prosecutors’ ability to seek criminal charges for public corruption. The Kelly case concerns the 2013...more
- The Supreme Court has unanimously reversed the convictions of the state officials in the “Bridgegate” scandal. - This decision will have broader implications beyond the context of political corruption and will also...more
The Supreme Court continued its clear commitment to trimming aggressive criminal prosecutions in high-profile cases by issuing a unanimous decision reversing the criminal convictions of two Bridgegate convictions in the New...more
Corrupt? Yes. An abuse of power? Yes. But criminal? Not quite. On May 7, 2020, the US Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions of two former New Jersey public officials responsible for “Bridgegate,” a scheme that...more
On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned a ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that upheld the convictions of two former New Jersey officials who were part of the 2013...more
On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions of two public officials charged in the “Bridgegate” political corruption scandal. ...more
The U.S. Supreme Court last week unanimously overturned the convictions of two top associates and allies of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in Kelly v. United States, 590 U.S. ___ (2020), a case stemming from the...more
On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court threw out federal program and wire fraud convictions for two former public officials who conspired to induce traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey as political retaliation in 2013. Bridget...more
On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Kelly v. United States, No. 18-1059, holding that for purposes of the federal wire fraud or federal-program fraud statutes, there can be no criminal violation...more
Calif. Supreme Court: San Diegans for Open Government v. Public Facilities Financing Authority of the City of San Diego - Only a party to a contract may bring a legal action under Government Code section 1092 to invalidate...more
A recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit resolved several issues under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) in a manner favorable to prosecutors. In United States v. Ng Lap...more
The Fourth Circuit has held that a Virginia politician who temporarily barred a constituent from her Facebook page violated the First Amendment. The ruling is the first appellate guidance analyzing the knotty issue of whether...more
If a public official creates a public forum from his or her social media account — even if the account was established before taking office — the official cannot block people from the account in response to the person...more
Houston partner John K. Edwards argued before the Texas Supreme Court in September 2016 on behalf of a newspaper and reporter in an important libel case that started in 2003 concerning an article published in a Fort Bend...more
Houston partner John K. Edwards recently argued before the Texas Supreme Court on behalf of a newspaper and reporter in an important libel case that started in 2003 concerning an article published in a Fort Bend County...more
California Supreme Court Clarifies Who is Liable for Prosecution for Misuse of Public Funds - A public official need not be in charge of public funds to be convicted of misappropriating them, the California Supreme Court...more
The case of R v AIL, GH and RH, one of the first the Court of Appeal has considered in 2016, is an interesting one from the perspective of all white-collar crime practitioners. The Court of Appeal had to consider whether it...more
Bennett Jones successfully represented the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC), Canada’s preeminent association of intellectual property professionals, as an intervener before the Federal Court of Appeal in Brown...more
It has been a banner season for politically important public corruption rulings. Two weeks ago the Fourth Circuit issued its opinion upholding the conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. Now the Seventh Circuit...more