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
In a move that perhaps comes as no surprise, on March 27, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “the Commission”) issued Press Release 2025-58 announcing it had voted to end its defense of its climate-related...more
As we previously discussed and in alignment with the U.S. Treasury Department’s previous announcement, on March 21, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued an interim final rule that dramatically...more
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
On February 27, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) announced a suspension of enforcement actions related to the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). This announcement means that reporting companies are...more
3/7/2025
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Filing Deadlines ,
FinCEN ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
U.S. Treasury
As we previously discussed, on January 7, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction delaying the implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act’s (“CTA”) reporting...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
On January 23, 2025, the Supreme Court granted the government’s motion to stay a nationwide injunction that was issued by a Texas federal judge in the case Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. v. McHenry. As we discussed previously,...more
1/29/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Appeals ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
Injunctions ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SCOTUS
As we previously discussed, on December 5, 2024, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), representing the Department of the Treasury, submitted a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, challenging a...more
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
In an Enforcement Notice released on December 5, 2024, the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) announced that it will not take enforcement action against companies subject to California’s Climate Corporate Data...more
As we previously discussed, on December 3, 2024, Judge Amos Mazzant of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a memorandum opinion and order granting a nationwide preliminary injunction against the...more
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) has announced temporary relief measures for reporting companies affected by recent hurricanes in the Southeast, providing additional time to comply with Beneficial Ownership...more
In a key development relating to the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”), on March 1, 2024, U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke of the Northern District of Alabama issued a memorandum opinion and final judgment ruling the...more
The Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”), a new federal law, went into effect on January 1, 2024 (see our update and summary here). In the weeks since, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) has continued to...more
The Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”), a new federal law, went into effect on January 1, 2024. The CTA requires that certain entities file Beneficial Ownership Information Reports (“BOI Reports”) with the Financial...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
Join climate bill-sponsor California State Senator Wiener at this V&E and PwC co-hosted CLE program covering what you should know about the new California Climate Disclosure laws....more
On October 10, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted amendments to the rules governing beneficial ownership1 reporting under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the...more
10/17/2023
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Brokers ,
Derivatives ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Investment Adviser ,
New Rules ,
Passive Investments ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Schedule 13D ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
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
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
9/28/2023
/ California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Department of Insurance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
On September 20, 2023, the SEC adopted final amendments to Rule 35d-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Names Rule”). Under the Names Rule, originally adopted in 2001, funds registered under the Investment Company...more
9/26/2023
/ Deceptive Intent ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
New Amendments ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Registered Funds ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Truth in Advertising ,
Unregistered Funds
On July 26, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) voted to approve final rules governing cybersecurity disclosures of public companies (“Final Rules”). The Final Rules make meaningful changes to the current and...more
On July 12, 2023, Vinson & Elkins counsel Jon Solorzano, former Senior Director, Legal and Corporate Development for The Clorox Company, joined Pam Cone of Amity Advisory for “ESG: Balancing Priorities at the Leadership...more