New PEN America Report Finds 33% Jump in School Book Bans (publishersweekly.com)

In Order No. 4257, which examined the current ratemaking system, the Commission identified three principal areas of the PAEA system that encapsulate the nine objectives: (1) the structure of the ratemaking system; (2) the financial health of the Postal Service; and (3) service. The Commission concluded that the system had achieved some of the goals of these areas, but the overall system had not achieved the objectives taking into account the factors of the PAEA. In brief, the Commission’s findings were as follows: *The system was largely successful in achieving the goals related to the structure of the ratemaking system. However, the Commission concluded that the ratemaking system had not increased pricing efficiency. *The system had not maintained the financial health of the Postal Service as intended by the PAEA. While the Postal Service had generally achieved short-term financial stability, both medium-term and long-term financial stability measures had not been achieved. *High-quality service standards had not been maintained during the 10 years following the enactment of the PAEA.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today affirmed the preliminary injunction of the “Reader Act” (formerly HB 900) granted by Judge Alan D. Albright of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division in a written opinion issued on September 18, 2023. The law would have required independent bookstores, national chain bookstores, large online book retailers, book publishers and other vendors to review and rate millions of books and other library materials according to sexual content if those books are sold to school libraries, and to do so according to vague labels dictated by the state without any process for judicial review. In affirming Judge Albright’s earlier ruling, Judge Don Willett of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals noted that “Plaintiffs have an interest in selling books without being coerced to speak the State’s preferred message,” going on to say that he was “unpersuaded” by the State’s argument that the READER Act does not implicate Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights.

Staples, Inc. announced that on July 26, 2017 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the "HSR Act") with respect to the pending acquisition of Staples by investment funds managed by Sycamore Partners, a leading private equity firm. The termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the pending acquisition, which remains subject to other customary closing conditions, including Staples' stockholder approval.