RTP's Fourth Branch Podcast The Federalist Society

On November 7, the U.S. Supreme Court heard Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission, to decide whether Congress stripped federal district courts of jurisdiction over constitutional challenges to the FTC by granting the courts of appeals jurisdiction over FTC cease-and-desist orders. This panel will discuss key take-aways from the oral argument and implications for administrative litigation at the Federal Trade Commission, and perhaps for other agencies as well.

Featuring:

Ashley Baker, Director of Public Policy, Committee for Justice
Ronald Cass, President, Cass & Associates, PC
Henry Su, Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
[Moderator] Svetlana Gans, Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP

Visit our website – www.RegProject.org – to learn more, view all of our content, and connect with us on social media.

Some employers were surprised by the en banc Fifth Circuit’s December 2021 decision in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. v. Hewitt that a supervisor for an offshore oil company who received approximately $1,000 per day for a total of over $200,000 annually was eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The Act exempts from overtime pay workers “employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity,” and the oil company argued that a highly compensated supervisor like Mr. Hewitt qualifies for this “EAP” exemption. The en banc Fifth Circuit applied a Department of Labor regulation requiring EAP-exempt employees to have a fixed weekly salary to conclude that, notwithstanding high pay and supervisory duties, Mr. Hewitt was non-exempt because he was paid on a daily rather than weekly basis.

However, that argument has not been accepted across the bench. Judge Jones dissented that the weekly salary rule is inapplicable for workers who satisfy a separate regulatory requirement for exempt “highly compensated employees” who make over $100,000 per year (now $107,432). Judge Wiener’s dissent added that application of the weekly salary rule—which dates from 1940s—is illogical and unreasonable under the circumstances. DOL took no view on this case.

Additionally, Helix Energy created an apparent split with the First and Second Circuits, and the Supreme Court granted on certiorari May 2, 2022. Oral argument took place October 12. If the Court upholds the decision, employers that relied on the First and Second Circuits may face significant retroactive liability.

In this podcast, experts provide a litigation update on Helix Energy, what it is, what the possible outcomes may be, and the potential consequences of the same.

Featuring:

Dave Dorey, Senior Litigation Counsel, The Fairness Center
Timothy Taylor, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
[Moderator] Sheng Li, Litigation Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
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Tornado Cash is an open source, decentralized cryptocurrency tumbler that was introduced in 2019. The service allows users to mix identifiable Ethereum cryptocurrency funds with others, thus obscuring the trail back to the funds original source. On August 8, 2022, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Tornado Cash, making it illegal for United States citizens, residents, and companies to receive or send money through the service. OFAC claims that Tornado cash is responsible for laundering more than $7 billion in virtual currencies, including money believed to be stolen by North Korea and criminal groups.

As opposed to sanctioning people, organizations, or particular addresses associated with rogue regimes, OFAC has sanctioned the code of Tornado Cash itself, causing critics to claim that OFAC has exceeded its statutory authority .

In this podcast, experts discuss OFAC’s blacklisting of Tornado Cash, potential litigation from opponents, and the broader implications for financial privacy, national security, and free speech.

Featuring:
Paul Brigner, Head of U.S. Policy and Strategic Advocacy, Electric Coin Company.
Michael Mosier, General Counsel, Espresso Systems
Kevin Werbach, Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Moderator: J.W. Verret, Associate Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

In the last few years, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has emerged from relative obscurity to find itself squarely in the middle of many of today’s most contentious public policy fights. As the agency that regulates wholesale electricity and transmission rates, the Commission faces the tension between the rapid adoption of renewable generation sources and the reliability of the bulk power system. And as the agency that reviews applications to build natural gas pipelines and liquified natural gas export facilities, how should the Commission consider the European energy crisis? Given the “economic and political significance” of these tasks, how should the Commission carry out its mission in light of West Virginia v. EPA?

At a live Regulatory Transparency Project event, following remarks from FERC Commissioner James Danly, an expert panel discussed the present and future challenges facing energy reliability and regulation.

Featuring:
Michael Buschbacher, Counsel, Boyden Gray & Associates
Jennifer Chen, Senior Manager, Clean Energy
Jim Wedeking, Counsel, Sidley Austin LLP
[Moderator] Marc L. Spitzer, Steptoe & Johnson

Visit our website – https://www.RegProject.org – to learn more, view all of our content, and connect with us on social media.

In the last few years, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has emerged from relative obscurity to find itself squarely in the middle of many of today’s most contentious public policy fights. As the agency that regulates wholesale electricity and transmission rates, the Commission faces the tension between the rapid adoption of renewable generation sources and the reliability of the bulk power system. And as the agency that reviews applications to build natural gas pipelines and liquified natural gas export facilities, how should the Commission consider the European energy crisis? Given the “economic and political significance” of these tasks, how should the Commission carry out its mission in light of West Virginia v. EPA?

At a live Regulatory Transparency Project event, FERC Commissioner James Danly addressed the present and future challenges facing energy reliability and regulation. An expert panel including Michael Buschbacher, Jennifer Chen, Jim Wedeking, and moderator Marc Spitzer then followed the Commissioner’s remarks with a lively discussion.

Featuring:
James Danly, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Visit our website - https://www.RegProject.org - to learn more, view all of our content, and connect with us on social media.

The Goldwater Institute’s Christina Sandefur moderates a discussion with the Cato Institute’s director of health care policy Michael F. Cannon, on the role that the federal government plays in requiring prescriptions for medications. If you would like to read more from Cannon, see his and Jeffrey A. Singer’s white paper, Drug Reformation: End Government’s Power to Require Prescriptions.

Featuring:

Michael F. Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute
[Moderator] Christina Sandefur, Executive Vice President, Goldwater Institute

Visit our website – www.RegProject.org – to learn more, view all of our content, and connect with us on social media.