Law and legal issues

A settlement tied to Flint, Michigan’s water contamination crisis alone won’t tax state finances but it underscores a collective burden that poses longer term pressures, S&P Global Ratings says.

Construction continues on new nuclear power plants in Georgia and South Carolina after the Westinghouse bankruptcy, but the Chapter 11 filing raises concerns for investors in the units, including public power utilities who issued billions in municipal debt.

The three state Republican groups will face off against the SEC and MSRB in oral arguments May 4 on whether a federal appeals court should vacate revisions the MSRB made to its rule on political contributions and curbing pay-to-play in the market.

Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly, former allies of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, are headed to prison for their roles in a politically motivated plot to create traffic jams near the George Washington Bridge in the scandal known as Bridgegate.

The Rhode Island Commerce Corp. and the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a joint motion in Rhode Island federal court on Wednesday asking the presiding judge to approve a final settlement over the RICC's involvement in a fraudulent private placement.

All Aboard Florida is assuring supporters of the private passenger train project that it will move forward despite the sales of its owner and an affiliate and pending legislation that the company says could jeopardize expansion plans.

Flint, Mich. will receive nearly $100 million in state and federal funds to replace thousands of water service lines under a settlement approved by a federal judge Tuesday.

Investors with holdings in municipal conduit bonds that have been the subject of recent SEC enforcement actions over fraudulent commingling of assets are suing Bank of Oklahoma Financial, which served as the trustee for many of the faulty offerings.

A procedural ruling by the state Supreme Court means Illinois’ not-for-profit hospitals have dodged a bullet, at least temporarily, on the state’s charity care requirements.

U.S. nuclear contractor Westinghouse reportedly could file for bankruptcy by Friday, Reuters said, casting new doubt on public power providers that issued municipal bonds for nuclear plants in Georgia and South Carolina.

In many ways, if Puerto Rico is a cup of coffee, the USVI is a shot of espresso.

Syncora Guarantee Inc. is looking to partner with a developer to lead the overhaul of Detroit land it acquired as part of its bankruptcy settlement with the city in 2014.

A courtroom hearing next month will determine whether California can issue a portion of nearly $10 billion of voter-approved bonds for its high-speed rail program.

Puerto Rico’s general obligation bondholders called for negotiations on the island’s debt after a judge halted litigation between them and holders of the island’s sales tax revenue bonds.

Heightened concern about a potential Westinghouse bankruptcy filing resulted in negative outlooks on municipal bonds issued for new nuclear units the company is building in Georgia and South Carolina.

Jefferson County can refinance $500 million of outstanding limited-obligation school warrants, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in a decision that could put the county in the bond market by mid-year.

A pension reform group took issue with a University of California report that argues that fully funding pensions may be a "misguided" goal.

Amie Riggle Berlin, the SEC’s lawyer who handled its case against Miami and Michael Boudreaux, explained the important aspects of a reliance on professionals defense and the need for issuers to stay truthful in their offering documents during a conference panel.

With its aid levels at stake, Detroit Public Schools Community District is planning a preemptive strike against state plans to shutter schools.

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a special master’s recommendation, largely favoring Georgia and water agencies there, in the lawsuit Florida filed against Georgia over the apportionment of water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin.