On August 13, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied a motion for preliminary injunction to enjoin California Senate Bills 253 and 261. The Chamber of Commerce and five co-Plaintiffs...more
8/20/2025
/ Appeals ,
California ,
CARB ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dormant Commerce Clause ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
First Amendment ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investors ,
New Legislation ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Reporting Requirements
Corporate boards are no stranger to near-term pressures, but these days the pressures are piling as high as they ever have. Geopolitical tensions and supply-chain disruptions; climate change and technological revolutions;...more
8/19/2025
/ Best Practices ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Strategy ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Risk Management ,
Shareholders ,
Stakeholder Engagement ,
Strategic Planning ,
Sustainability
On June 20, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2337 (“SB 2337”), a novel regulation that will require significant disclosure obligations for proxy advisors, such as ISS and Glass Lewis, for their voting...more
7/28/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
First Amendment ,
New Legislation ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders ,
Stakeholder Engagement
On June 20, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2337 (“SB 2337”), a novel regulation that will require significant disclosure obligations for proxy advisors, such as ISS and Glass Lewis, for their voting...more
7/8/2025
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Glass Lewis ,
Governor Abbott ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
New Legislation ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Shareholders ,
Texas
The past few years have seen concerted efforts — both domestically and globally — advancing the reporting and disclosure of various climate- and sustainability-related metrics by businesses and investors. One of the most...more
3/25/2025
/ Compliance ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
In early March 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) finalized its climate-related disclosures rule (The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors) (the “Final Rule”)....more
Companies with forthcoming annual report and proxy statement filings should consult with counsel regarding recent regulatory and legal developments related to diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) initiatives and the...more
1/31/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Orders ,
Nasdaq ,
Proxy Season ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration
With Trump’s impending inauguration, significant shifts in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies domestically are expected, as is the overall cultural and corporate mood for ESG. Companies can anticipate a...more
1/16/2025
/ California ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenwashing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
State Attorneys General ,
Sustainability
On December 16, 2024, the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) released a notice soliciting comments on a number of specific questions to inform its implementation of the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (“CCDAA”...more
On December 11, 2024, in a 9-8 ruling along party lines, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (the “Fifth Circuit”) struck down the Nasdaq board diversity rules issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...more
On November 8, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced a settled enforcement action (the “SEC Order”) against Invesco Advisers, Inc. (“Invesco”), an investment advisory firm, for making misleading...more
11/14/2024
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
False Statements ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The first half of 2024 was eventful in the world of environmental, social and governance (“ESG”). Although ESG continued to lose the market tailwinds that have pushed it forward in recent years, regulatory pressures both...more
10/18/2024
/ Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Greenwashing ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proxy Season ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Sustainability
Over the last few months, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) discretely disbanded the Climate and ESG Taskforce (“ESG Task Force”) of its Division of Enforcement. The move follows a wave of recent pushback...more
Episode 43 with guest Jon Solorzano, Vinson & Elkins. Jon Solorzano is a Los Angeles-based attorney who serves as counsel and co-head of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) task force at the law firm of Vinson &...more
Consumer packaged goods companies know that sustainability sells. And in their efforts to market their products as sustainable, they’ve long contended with allegations of greenwashing—the practice of claiming their products...more
Following a nearly two-year wait, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) released its Final Rule—The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors—on March 6, 2024. The...more
3/18/2024
/ Administrative Stay ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
While 2022 showed that the sustainable debt market is not impervious to overall economic slow-down (particularly in the capital markets), 2023 demonstrated its resiliency, even in a high-interest rate market. Notwithstanding...more
3/15/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Debt Financing ,
Documentation ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Green Bonds ,
Green Finance ,
Green Loans ,
Interest Rates ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sustainability
Following a nearly two-year wait, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) released its Final Rule—The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors—on March 6, 2024. The...more
3/8/2024
/ Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Renewable Energy ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
ExxonMobil (“Exxon”) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Sunday, January 21, 2024, seeking a declaratory judgment to exclude a shareholder proposal from its proxy statement...more
ExxonMobil (“Exxon”) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Sunday, January 21, 2024, seeking a declaratory judgment to exclude a shareholder proposal from its proxy statement...more
Corporate sustainability continues to evolve, and keeping pace in 2024 means confronting five big questions. For proponents of ESG (environmental, social & governance), 2023 might have felt like a big setback. Asset...more
1/4/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Capital Investments ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Greenwashing ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability
Much of the attention on California of late has focused on the passing of two climate-related disclosure laws; namely, the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (“CCDAA”) (SB 253) and the Climate-Related Financial Risk...more
On October 25, a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (the “Fifth Circuit”) upheld the Nasdaq board diversity rule in the face of challenges that (among other things) the rule attempted to improperly and...more
11/7/2023
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affirmative Action ,
Board of Directors ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Investors ,
Minorities ,
Nasdaq ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College
Welcome to Vinson & Elkins’ Securities and ESG Updates. Our aim is to provide insights into notable developments in securities reporting and the environmental, social and governance space over the quarter and, where...more
10/13/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
BlackRock ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clawbacks ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenwashing ,
Insider Trading ,
NYSE ,
Private Funds ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Quarterly Report ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
As public companies anticipate the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) final climate disclosure rules, which are expected to be released sometime fourth quarter of 2023, California has beaten the federal government...more