The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the registration of the first U.S. “green” stock exchange—Green Impact Exchange (GIX)—with trading to begin in 2026....more
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, Judge Matthew Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted a motion for preliminary injunction barring the U.S. Department of Labor from enforcing the...more
4/17/2025
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Funding ,
First Amendment ,
Preliminary Injunctions
On April 8, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “aimed at securing America’s energy dominance by removing unlawful and burdensome state-level impediments to domestic energy production.”...more
4/10/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Preemption ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration
Acting SEC Chair Mark T. Uyeda outlined potential regulatory changes to make IPOs more attractive and to scale public company disclosures at the Florida Bar’s 41st Annual Federal Securities Institute and M&A Conference. ...more
On March 25, 2025, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed into law significant amendments to §§ 144 and 220 the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL)....more
On March 27, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to end its defense of the climate disclosure rules it adopted last year that would have required publicly traded companies disclose climate-related risks and...more
Some proxy advisors and institutional investors have made changes to their diversity policies and mandates, including the following ...more
3/31/2025
/ BlackRock ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Glass Lewis ,
Institutional Investors ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Proxy Voting ,
Shareholders ,
State Street ,
Vanguard
The SEC published updated Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations on the filing of Schedules 13D and 13G/Shareholder Engagement....more
3/28/2025
/ Asset Management ,
CDIs ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Institutional Investors ,
Investment Management ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Schedule 13D ,
Schedule 13G ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders
The SEC rescinded Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L and issued updated guidance on the exclusion of shareholder proposals under Rule 14a-8 and certain other aspects of Rule 14a-8....more
The Securities and Exchange Commission has expanded the confidential filing options, including...more
On March 14, 2025, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit lifted a lower court’s preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at ending...more
Welcome to the latest edition of the Fenwick Securities Law Update. This issue contains updates and important reminders on...more
3/19/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
CDIs ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
EU ,
Form 10-K ,
Guidance Update ,
Schedule 13D ,
Schedule 13G ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Proposals
On March 13, 2025, the Delaware Senate unanimously approved proposed amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, which would, among other things, provide a new safe harbor for “interested” transactions involving...more
The intense focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) following executive orders from President Donald Trump earlier this year are shifting the balance of pro- and anti-DEI proposals compared to the full 2024 proxy...more
As we previously reported, on February 3, 2025, a federal judge in Baltimore issued a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at ending programs supporting diversity,...more
Following the decision that validated The Trade Desk’s reincorporation from Delaware to Nevada back in November 2024, the judge overseeing the challenged reincorporation of Tesla from Delaware to Texas has ruled that Tesla’s...more
On February 26, 2025, the Commission announced that it has adopted a new omnibus package of proposals designed to “simplify EU rules, boost competitiveness, and unlock additional investment capacity.” Commission President...more
3/3/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Parliament ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Taxonomy
On February 3, 2025, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore...more
2/27/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fifth Amendment ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Separation of Powers ,
Trump Administration
On February 17, 2025, Senate Bill No. 21 was introduced in the Delaware State Senate to amend the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL)....more
2/24/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Board of Directors ,
Business Entities ,
Complex Corporate Transactions ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Directors ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Interested Parties ,
Mergers ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Safe Harbors ,
Shareholder Rights ,
Shareholders
On February 3, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted a motion to dismiss filed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), dismissing plaintiffs’ claims that SB 253 (the Climate...more
2/10/2025
/ CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Commerce Clause ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dismissals ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
First Amendment ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Supremacy Clause
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update. This issue contains updates and important reminders on...more
2/10/2025
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Companies ,
Nasdaq ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Activism
This case stems from the proposed reincorporations of Tripadvisor, Inc. and Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. from Delaware to Nevada, which were first presented to the corporations’ respective stockholders for approval in...more
2/7/2025
/ Appeals ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Delaware ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Entire Fairness Standard ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholder Approval ,
Shareholders ,
TripAdvisor
As in-scope companies prepare to begin publishing climate disclosures in California in 2026 (assuming these laws survive the ongoing litigation), New York State has taken steps to follow California’s lead by introducing two...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as expected, has approved Nasdaq's recent proposal to remove the board diversity rule from its Listing Rules....more
Last week, Nasdaq filed a proposed rules change with the Securities and Exchange Commission to remove the board diversity rule from Nasdaq's Listing Rules....more
1/23/2025
/ Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Nasdaq ,
Proposed Rules ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders