Law and legal issues

The push for bills to punish companies, including municipal bond underwriters, for their fossil fuel or firearm policies continues in Arizona and Oklahoma.

The chamber is once again refusing Gov. Kevin Stitt's call to pass an income tax cut during a special session.

Bond parties say several parts of the original trust agreement support their lien on the authority's revenues.

A California Department of Water Resources spokeswoman said the department is considering an appeal of the Superior Court judge's decision.

A federal judge rejected every one of Missouri's arguments for why SIFMA's lawsuit should be dismissed.

The Illinois Supreme Court upheld pension reform legislation championed by Gov. JB Pritzker that was challenged in court by first responder pension funds.

The proposed bond-financed Uinta Basin Railway has been hit with regulatory setbacks in the wake of a 2023 federal court ruling.

Opponents of the state's capital gains tax will turn their efforts to a repeal ballot initiative following rejection by the high court.

A 2023 state law gave legislative leaders four appointments to the six-member turnpike board as lawmakers sought to reform the agency in the wake of a controversial, bond-financed expansion project.

The negative outlook on the Phoenix-based university's Ba1 rating is due in part to its battle with federal regulators, including the U.S. Department of Education, which it sued in 2021.

Fitch Ratings said the trajectory of the city's AA rating could depend on how Mayor John Whitmire, who took office this week, resolves the years-long impasse over firefighter pay.

The case, which was refiled last week without federal claims from an earlier lawsuit, will have its first hearing in January.

The county plans to sell $2.5 billion of tax-exempt sewer revenue warrants to refund the debt issued to finance its 2013 exit from Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

SIFMA, which also filed a brief, said the District Court judge's rejection of a bondholder lien on PREPA's revenues "grossly misreads the underlying bond documents."

The nation's fourth-largest city will have new officials at the helm of its government and finances for the first time in eight years.

A constitutional amendment approved by Texas voters Nov. 7 will reduce public school property taxes, leaving the state to make up for the revenue reduction.

The decision by the District of Columbia-based U.S. Appeals Court will officially vacate the Surface Transportation Board's environmental approval for the project.

Court-approved asset sales and bond exchanges are pushing a participant sports venue, a hospital, and a senior living community closer to exiting Chapter 11.

Owners of $284 million of defaulted bonds will get only $2.4 million in cash, along with a minority equity stake in Legacy Park's new owner.

The bankrupt city challenged pledged revenues for 2017 bonds, but the bankruptcy court said the lien was secured, at least until the Chapter 9 was filed.