Lawsuit over Google privacy policy dismissed, smoking labels held unconstitutional, auto safety rule on rearview cameras delayed, and more.
- A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) that sought to force the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to block Google’s new privacy policy.
- A district court judge declared unconstitutional a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule requiring cigarette makers to put graphic warning labels on their products, finding the rule violated the First Amendment’s right of free speech. See related The Regulatory Review essay.
- Lawyers for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry faced questioning in front of a three-judge panel of the D.C Court of Appeals about rules ascertaining when states and industries must comply with regulations curtailing the use of greenhouse gases.
- A federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Organic Trade Growers and Seed Association against Monsanto over genetically modified seed patents.
- A trial to determine how much British Petroleum owes for the Deepwater Horizon spill was postponed to allow more settlement talks between the oil company and plaintiffs’ lawyers.
- Co-pilots for commercial airlines will have to fly six times longer to be qualified to sit in the cockpit under a proposed change in training rules the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
- The U.S. Office of the Federal Register invited comment on a petition addressing the incorporation by reference of private standards into binding rules appearing in the Code of Federal Regulations.
- A House subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 4078, the Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act, that would impose a moratorium on new regulations.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will delay until later this year the adoption of a rule that would require automobile manufacturers to install rear-view cameras in passenger vehicles.
- A new Fukushima disaster report conducted by Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation found that plant operators and regulators had failed adequately to prepare for a huge tsunami and its likely impact.
- Several congressional Republicans announced they will appeal to the Ninth Circuit a district court decision holding unconstitutional the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
- A House subcommittee voted to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board of the Affordable Care Act, and a full committee vote is expected in the coming weeks. See related The Regulatory Review essay.
- The Senate failed to approve a Republican-led effort to overturn the Department of Health and Human Services contraceptive insurance coverage requirement. See related The Regulatory Review essay.
