Episodes
Federal regulators were busy in April 2024, with agencies publishing a record-breaking 66 significant new regulations; more than half of which had price tags higher than $200 million. This burst of regulatory activity can be attributed to a once obscure law known as the Congressional Review Act (CRA). If the November election brings Republican control of the White House and Congress, rules issued this summer or fall may be subject to review and disapproval in 2025. This panel will review how...
Published 09/04/24
Experts will examine the major questions doctrine, its role in regulatory litigation, and its place in administrative law in light of recent developments. Please register and join us for a live webinar on August 14, 2024 at 11 am EST. Featuring: Paul Ray, Director, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation Elliot Gaiser, Ohio Solicitor General (Moderator) Susan Dudley, Founder, GW Regulatory Studies Center & Distinguished Professor of Practice,...
Published 08/21/24
Published 08/21/24
Kathryn Ciano Mauler and Eric Wang join the podcast to discuss the FEC rules behind campaign funds, particularly in the transfer of said funds between candidates. Their discussion breaks down the questions surrounding the recent changes to the 2024 ballot, and how that will affect each campaign's fundraising efforts, especially in a post-Chevron legal landscape.
Published 08/12/24
Alex J. Adams, Director of Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare is joined by Reeve T. Bull, Director of the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management. Director Adams and Director Bull detail the importance of regulatory reform efforts in Idaho and Virginia, respectively, and discuss the impact that regulatory reform can have on employment opportunities, business development, and the cost of living. What is zero-based regulation ("ZBR")? What did Idaho's zero-based regulation executive...
Published 08/12/24
Legal experts Jonathan Butcher and Jon Riches discuss the debate between parental rights and children’s privacy in education under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”). Moderated by Luke Wake, their discussion examines the debates over the role of student privacy, parental rights, and the role that the government is playing in education.
Published 08/12/24
On July 2, 2024, the US Supreme Court granted certiorari in the case, Food and Drug Administration v. Wages and White Lion Investments, LLC. In Explainer Episode 70, expert Jeff Stier discusses the FDA's regulatory action prohibiting specific vape flavors from being sold by these two companies, and the legal issues that the Supreme Court will review in the October 2024 term. What are the implications of the FDA prohibiting the sale of these vape flavors? What regulatory process did the FDA...
Published 08/08/24
The panelists will discuss Biden Administration policies and regulations at the DOL and SEC addressing investing based on environmental, social, and governance (or “ESG”) factors; whether they are consistent with statutory law; and whether the agencies followed appropriate administrative processes in promulgating these ever-evolving policies. Moderator: Gregory Jacob, Partner, O'Melveny & Myers LLP Speakers: Paul Atkins, Chief Executive Officer, Patomak Global Partners LLC Elliot...
Published 07/23/24
In this episode of the Fourth Branch Explainer podcast, Prof. Eugene Volokh, from UCLA Law School, and Prof. David Bernstein, from the Antonin Scalia Law School, discuss the features, implications, and possibilities of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.
Published 06/18/24
The Regulatory Transparency Project’s Fourth Branch Podcast presents Explainer Episode 68. In this Fourth Branch Explainer podcast, Rachel N. Morrison from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) discusses the implications of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Regulations recently released. Listen in as Morrison discusses the pros and cons of new rules.
Published 06/11/24
Congress has been working on comprehensive federal data privacy legislation for decades without reaching agreement. But the finish line may be closer today than before. With the recent introduction of the American’s Privacy Rights Act (APRA), the chairs of the Senate and House Commerce Committees announced a bipartisan compromise, hoping to end the legislative stalemate. Our panel of data privacy experts will take a deeper look at APRA, including its provisions and implications. Who wins and...
Published 05/29/24
The Regulatory Transparency Project’s Fourth Branch Podcast presents Explainer Episode 67. In this Fourth Branch Explainer podcast, health policy experts Michael Cannon and Christina Sandefur discuss the regulatory landscape of veterans’ benefits, and how veterans’ healthcare impacts American foreign policy. The experts discuss Michael Cannon’s new book “Recovery”.
Published 05/28/24
The Regulatory Transparency Project presents a panel of legal experts, including Bob Eitel, Christian Corrigan, Will Trachman, and Kim Richey. Watch as these experts discuss the Biden Administration’s newly released Title IX Regulations and their implications for educational institutions, school districts, students, faculty, and parents. Join us for this webinar at 1 pm EST on May 8th.
Published 05/08/24
Earlier this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, held approximately 358 million barrels, its lowest level in forty years. Is that a problem? What is the SPR and how is it supposed to operate? How much petroleum is it supposed to hold? Listen in on the Regulatory Transparency Project's Explainer Episode 66, as expert J. Kennerly Davis discusses SPR.
Published 05/07/24
In this RTP explainer episode 65, we are joined by Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and Christina Sandefur, Executive Vice President of the Goldwater Institute to discuss Michael Cannon’s new book, Recovery. Listen in as these experts consider the role of government agencies like the FDA in health spaces across America. "Recovery" discusses treatments approved by the FDA and the implications of approved drugs entering the market. Americans are...
Published 04/24/24
The Regulatory Transparency Project (RTP) is pleased to host a stellar panel of top labor and employment law experts for a lively discussion in which our panelists will grade the Biden Administration’s administrative, regulatory, and enforcement activity under the Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). How have these agencies’ approaches to administrative law under the Biden Administration been similar to or different from prior administrations? Where have...
Published 04/24/24
Murthy v. Missouri, originally filed as Missouri v. Biden, concerns whether federal government officials had violated the First Amendment by "coercing" or "significantly encouraging" social media companies to remove or demote particular content from their platforms. Multiple individuals, advocacy groups, academics, and some states sued various officials and federal agencies for censoring conservative-leaning speech on the 2020 election, COVID policies, and election integrity. The plaintiffs...
Published 03/18/24
In this episode, Jon Riches and James Sherk discuss fundamental questions related to government labor unions and their impact on public policy. They explore the nuances between public and private unions, their influence on public policy, and the concept of release time – its definition, prevalence across federal, state, and local levels, funding sources, legality, and potential policy remedies. Join us as we navigate through these critical questions and discuss real-world examples, including...
Published 03/04/24
On February 20, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The case asks whether a plaintiff’s Administrative Procedure Act (APA) claim “first accrues” under 28 U.S.C. § 2401(a)—the six-year default federal statute of limitations—when an agency issues a rule or when the rule first causes a plaintiff to “suffer legal wrong” or “be adversely affected or aggrieved,” 5 U.S.C. § 702. Petitioner Corner Post is a...
Published 02/27/24
The 2024 super election year has captured the world's attention, with the US elections playing a central role in shaping global politics. Join Kathryn Ciano Mauler and Katie Harbath as they delve into the complexities of worldwide political elections while discussing how to counteract and recognize how these elections will intersect with emerging technologies like AI. Featuring: Kathryn Ciano Mauler, Corporate Counsel, Google Katie Harbath, Chief Global Affairs Officer, Duco Visit our...
Published 02/16/24
For many years FDA has claimed the authority to regulate Laboratory Developed Tests, that is tests that are designed, produced, and used in a single lab – never being put up for sale. This authority, however, has been contested, and the FDA itself has traditionally practiced “discretionary enforcement,” wherein it has regulated LDTs very little. A change occurred in October 2023 when the FDA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking wherein it indicated its intention to codify its claim of...
Published 02/09/24
The approach the FDA has taken to regulating e-cigarettes and vape products, particularly those that are flavored, has been the topic of conversation for some years. Experts debate the best methods for review, risks and benefits involved in such products, and the means by which the FDA reviews such applications. Jeff Stier joined us to discuss a recent Fifth Circuit decision (Wages and White Lion Investments, L.L.C., doing business as Triton Distribution v. FDA) concerning the FDA's approval...
Published 01/25/24
What are bias response teams (BRTs)? What role do they play on American college campuses? And how is freedom of speech under the First Amendment involved? In this Fourth Branch Explainer podcast, experts Jonathan Butcher and Jon Riches briefly explain the intellectual foundations of bias response teams, how these systems operate on American college campuses, and how legal protections such as due process and freedom of speech are involved. Featuring: Jonathan Butcher, Will Skillman Fellow...
Published 12/14/23
This is a podcast version of a live webinar held on December 13, 2023. The webinar was co-sponsored by the Regulatory Transparency Project & the Religious Liberties Practice Group. *** In Bella Health and Wellness v. Weiser, a Colorado faith-based healthcare provider is challenging a recent Colorado law banning a treatment commonly known as abortion pill reversal on the grounds it forced them to violate their religious beliefs. The law, passed in April 2023, makes it illegal for...
Published 12/13/23
Moderated by Brent Skorup, experts Timothy B. Lee, Professor Pamela Samuelson, and Kristian Stout discuss the emerging legal issues involving artificial intelligence, and its use of works protected under copyright law. Topics include how artificial intelligence uses intellectual property, whether allegations of violations of intellectual property are analogous to prior historical challenges or are novel, and the tradeoffs involved. Featuring: Timothy B. Lee, Understanding AIPamela Samuelson,...
Published 11/07/23