News & Analysis as of

Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) Proxy Voting

Cooley LLP

Texas’ Proxy Advisor Law Takes Effect on September 1st

Cooley LLP on

Back in June, Texas passed a law – known as “Senate Bill 2337” – that mandates certain disclosures when proxy advisors recommend casting a vote for “non-financial reasons” or provide conflicting advice to multiple clients....more

Cooley LLP

Glass Lewis Policy Benchmark Survey: The Primary Topics

Cooley LLP on

Recently, I blogged about how ISS is soliciting input on its annual policy benchmark survey. Glass Lewis has also released its annual policy benchmark survey, with responses due by September 15th....more

KPMG Board Leadership Center (BLC)

Trends and takeaways from the 2025 proxy season

Proxy voting trends and outcomes, shareholder engagement, activism, and lessons for boards. KPMG Board Leadership Center Senior Advisor Stephen Brown and Freshfields Partner Pamela Marcogliese share their takeaways for...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Texas Passes Landmark Law Regulating Proxy Advisors: What Companies Need to Know

On June 20, 2025, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed SB 2337, a new law that significantly alters the landscape for proxy advisory firms (e.g., Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Service (ISS)) providing services to...more

Morgan Lewis

New Texas Law Puts Proxy Advice Under the Microscope

Morgan Lewis on

Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed into law S.B. 2337, marking a significant development in the increasing scrutiny of proxy voting as a focus of regulators targeting environmental, social, and governance (ESG)...more

Paul Hastings LLP

Regulating Proxy Advisors: Court Rules Advice Is Not a ‘Solicitation’ and Texas Enacts Its Own Law

Paul Hastings LLP on

On July 1, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ended more than five years of uncertainty and confusion by ruling that proxy voting advice issued by proxy advisors is not a “solicitation” under...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Texas Federal Court Allows an ERISA Fiduciary Challenge Against Alleged "ESG Investing" Without Any ESG Funds

Troutman Pepper Locke on

On January 10, 2025, in Spence v. American Airlines, a federal district court in Texas ruled that American Airlines (the company) and the committee overseeing its 401(k) plans (the committee) breached their duty of loyalty...more

Morgan Lewis

ESG Investing Update: Trends in Legislation, Litigation, and Market Response

Morgan Lewis on

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing has continued to be the subject of increasing regulatory, legislative, and litigation scrutiny. The scrutiny has accelerated following the results of the 2024 US federal...more

BCLP

Pullback on Consideration of Board Diversity by ISS, BlackRock and Vanguard

BCLP on

Citing recent DEI developments in the U.S., ISS released its Statement on Diversity Factors in Director Elections on February 11, 2025 announcing that it will “indefinitely halt consideration of certain diversity factors in...more

Cooley LLP

BlackRock and Vanguard Release 2025 Proxy Voting Guidelines

Cooley LLP on

On January 31, 2025, Vanguard issued its proxy voting policy for US portfolio companies, following the publication of BlackRock’s proxy voting guidelines for benchmark policies – US securities in December 2024. The updates...more

Venable LLP

ISS and Glass Lewis Release Proxy Voting Policy Changes for 2025

Venable LLP on

Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) recently released its updates to its Proxy Voting Guidelines. These updates will take effect for all annual meetings held after February 1, 2025....more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Latest Changes to ISS and Glass Lewis Proxy Voting Guidelines

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, two leading proxy advisory firms, recently announced updates to their U.S. proxy voting policies in advance of the 2025 proxy and annual meeting season. Public...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

ISS, Glass Lewis and BlackRock Issue 2025 Voting Guidelines

As companies begin preparing for the 2025 proxy season, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) and Glass Lewis, the leading providers of corporate governance solutions and proxy advisory services, recently issued...more

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

2025 Proxy Advisory Firm Voting Guidelines: Canadian Highlights

In preparation for the upcoming 2025 proxy season, issuers should familiarize themselves with the updated Canadian proxy voting guidelines recently published by Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) and Glass, Lewis &...more

Ropes & Gray LLP

Practical Takeaways from Spence v. American Airlines, Inc. for ERISA Plan Fiduciaries

Ropes & Gray LLP on

On January 10, 2025, Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas issued a much-anticipated ruling in Spence v. American Airlines, Inc., which marks the first time that a federal judge has written an on-the-merits...more

BakerHostetler

Preparing for the 2025 Proxy and Annual Reporting Season: Key Issues and Considerations

BakerHostetler on

For the 2025 proxy and annual reporting season, there are a number of key issues to consider and keep an eye on for further developments as preparations commence. This alert provides an overview of these issues and updates in...more

Cooley LLP

BlackRock Updates Voting Policies and Engagement Priorities

Cooley LLP on

Just before the holidays got going, BlackRock updated their voting policies and engagement priorities. Here’s a laundry list of those updated documents...more

Fenwick & West LLP

2024 Proxy Season Results in Silicon Valley and Large Companies Nationwide

Fenwick & West LLP on

Over the last five years, stockholder activism has undergone significant transformation, shaped by changing market conditions, regulatory developments, and evolving societal expectations. Activism has continued to spread...more

Cooley LLP

In appeal, NAM insists “solicitation” includes proxy voting advice

Cooley LLP on

Back in February, in ISS v. SEC, the D.C. Federal District Court vacated the SEC’s 2020 rule that advice from proxy advisory firms was a “solicitation” under the proxy rules. Both the SEC and National Association of...more

White & Case LLP

Japan 2024 Proxy Season

White & Case LLP on

Summary of June 2024 Annual General Shareholder Meeting Season Shareholder Proposals - - While the total number of shareholder proposals is comparable to the June 2023 general meeting season, the number of companies...more

Goodwin

Minding the Store: Unanticipated ESG Issues Affecting ERISA Fiduciary Supervision

Goodwin on

A recent summary judgment decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in an ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) class action challenging the alleged impact of environmental, social,...more

Mintz

Democratic Lawmakers Urge SEC Action on Greenwashing

Mintz on

On May 13, 2024, a group of 21 Democratic Congressmen--4 Senators and 16 Representatives, as well as the D.C. Delegate--submitted a letter to SEC Chairman Gensler, urging him “to finalize an anti-greenwashing rule you...more

ArentFox Schiff

Airline 401k Decision Illustrates Continued Takeoff of ESG Litigation

ArentFox Schiff on

A Texas federal judge recently permitted an environmental, social, and governance- (ESG) related Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) case filed by an airline pilot against his employer and its benefits plan to...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Courting Shareholder Proposals: ExxonMobil Sidesteps SEC and Sues to Block Scope 3 Shareholder Proposal - UPDATED February 2, 2024

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

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

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Courting Shareholder Proposals: ExxonMobil Sidesteps SEC and Sues to Block Scope 3 Shareholder Proposal

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

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

95 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 4

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide