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  • John C. Coffee, Jr. – Boeing and the Future of Deferred Prosecution Agreements By John C. Coffee, Jr.
  • Leveraging Information Forcing in Good Faith By Hillary Sale
  • The Dark Side of Safe Harbors Comment bubble 2 By Susan C. Morse
  • John C. Coffee, Jr. – Mass Torts and Corporate Strategies: What Will the Courts Allow? By John C. Coffee, Jr.
  • Compliance’s Next Challenge: Polarization By Miriam H. Baer
  • Will the Common Good Guys Come to the Shootout in SEC v. Jarkesy? And Why It Matters By Eric W. Orts
  • Climate Disclosure Line-Drawing and Securities Regulation By Virginia Harper Ho
  • Board Committee Charters and ESG Accountability By Lisa M. Fairfax
Editor-At-Large Reynolds Holding

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Columbia Law School's Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets

Editorial Board John C. Coffee, Jr. Edward F. Greene Kathryn Judge

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Michael R. Levin

Should Investors Care What Executives Think of Boards of Directors?

By Michael R. Levin July 16, 2025 by Michael R. Levin

Each year numerous surveys, reports, and analyses assess boards of directors, or BoDs. One from PwC landed about the same time as another from SquareWell Partners in the past couple of months, inviting a comparison.

PwC has surveyed CEOs and …

It’s Not That Investors Oppose Anti-ESG Proposals…

By Michael R. Levin July 3, 2025 by Michael R. Levin

The “anti-ESG” proposal arose somewhat recently, becoming more common within the past five or so years. Similar in spirit to ESG proposals, but their opposite. Like their conventional counterpart, they request a company consider or study or write a report

…

The Activist Investor Discusses “Voting No” on Directors

By Michael R. Levin February 13, 2025 by Michael R. Levin

Let’s say upfront: voting “no” or withholding votes on directors is a relatively weak way to influence a portfolio company. We’re stubborn, so we prefer electing directors or amending bylaws. Binding acts work much better than non-binding, like opposing exec …

Everything Is Rational Apathy

By Michael R. Levin December 19, 2024 by Michael R. Levin

Rational apathy stands at the center of current and long-time developments and debates in corporate governance and activism. Dominance of index funds in share ownership, prevalence of proxy advisers, pass-through voting programs, trading proxy votes on an exchange, and the …

How Tesla Pumped the Vote

By Michael R. Levin July 1, 2024 by Michael R. Levin

Tesla confronted an enormous challenge in winning support for the two controversial proposals at the 2024 Tesla annual meeting: to ratify CEO Elon Musk’s 2018 pay plan and to redomicile from Delaware to Texas. We thought it would take an …

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Who Re-Classifies a Board of Directors?

By Michael R. Levin June 5, 2024 by Michael R. Levin

Classified boards of directors (BoD) remain one of the sorest of sore spots about portfolio companies. Investors complain about them endlessly. Proxy advisors loathe them. Shareholder proposals to de-classify tend to succeed.

Sure, many new IPOs and de-SPAC companies start …

How to Buy Shareholder Votes

By Michael R. Levin April 23, 2024 by Michael R. Levin

Scholars who study activism have researched the value of a shareholder vote for decades. A very small number of activists have attempted to apply that research to actual proxy contests and other AGM matters. The subject was confined to academics …

Shareholders (and ISS) Won Big With Universal Proxy Card in 2023

By Michael R. Levin August 23, 2023 by Michael R. Levin

Now that proxy season has wrapped up, we thought we’d look back at the experience with universal proxy card (UPC). Overall, shareholders expressed their preferences in BoD elections with precision. Proxy advisors, in particular ISS, saw their recommendations win in

…

Does SEC Commissioner Want to Kill Shareholder Proposals?

By Michael R. Levin July 12, 2023 by Michael R. Levin

Based on his recent speech to the Society for Corporate Governance, it certainly seems as if SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda would welcome an end to shareholder proposals. He proposes ideas that would empower companies to limit severely how shareholders could …

The Second Universal Proxy Card Hits EDGAR

By Michael R. Levin October 26, 2022 by Michael R. Levin

Last month, the first universal proxy card (UPC) hit EDGAR under the new SEC rule. We now have another example, with some interesting tidbits for aficionados and proxy junkies, and also for anyone who seeks an edge in proxy contest …

Universal Proxy Cards and the 67 Percent Solution

By Michael R. Levin June 7, 2022 by Michael R. Levin

The upcoming Universal Proxy Card (UPC) presents activist investors with only one potentially significant new burden: solicit two-thirds of the shares in a proxy contest at a portfolio company. Everything else in the new rule, including the new proxy card …

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Each business day, our team sifts through blog posts, news stories, and other sources to keep up-to-date on relevant recent developments. The following links will take you to our recommended selections. To see the sources we follow click Filter Sources.

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Bloomberg
Trump Commutes Sentence of GPB Capital Founder David Gentile
December 1, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Court Upholds U.S. Attorney Ouster
December 1, 2025
Reuters
Airbus Hit With New A320 Problem
December 1, 2025
Dealbook
OpenAI Takes Stake in Thrive Holdings
December 1, 2025
Reuters
Black Friday Sales Hit Record High
November 30, 2025
D&O Diary
Delaware Legal Fee Awards Excessive?
November 30, 2025
Bloomberg
SEC Power to Recoup Illegal Profits at Risk as Supreme Court Eyes Case
November 30, 2025
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Delaware Chancery Finds Waiver of Privilege Despite Inadvertent Disclosure
November 30, 2025
Business Law Prof Blog
“In Connection With” Strikes Again
November 30, 2025
Cleary M&A Watch
Court Blocks California Climate Rules
November 25, 2025
Dealbook
Fed, Big Tech Lift Investors’ Spirits
November 25, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Four Apple Executives Are Top Contenders to Succeed CEO Tim Cook
November 25, 2025
Reuters
Alphabet Nears $4 Trillion Market Value
November 25, 2025
Bloomberg
Hassett Emerges as Fed Frontrunner
November 25, 2025
Wall Street Journal
U.S. to Skip Publication of Initial Third-Quarter GDP Estimate
November 24, 2025
Bloomberg
Comey, James Charges Dismissed
November 24, 2025
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
OFAC Sanctions Colombia’s President
November 24, 2025
Cooley Securities Regulation
SEC Chair Offers Vision for Crypto Regs
November 24, 2025
Corporate & Securities Law Blog
Delaware Courts Limit Noncompete Enforcement in Incentive Plans
November 24, 2025
Dealbook
UK Daily Mail Owner to Buy Telegraph
November 23, 2025
Corporate Governance
SEC Posts First “Reasonable Basis” Notice for Pending No-Action Request
November 23, 2025
Cleary Enforcement Watch
SEC 2026 Exam Priorities Change Little
November 23, 2025
Financial Times
Make Insider Trading Thing of the Past
November 23, 2025
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Delaware Chancery Levies Fees for Lack of Candor Causing Discovery Abuses
November 23, 2025
Bloomberg
Trump Plans Offshore Drilling Expansion
November 20, 2025
New York Times
Yen for Low Prices Boosts Walmart Sales
November 20, 2025
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
BIS Suspends “Affiliates Rule” on Exports
November 20, 2025
The Governance Beat
Ninth Circuit Temporarily Freezes California Climate Reporting
November 20, 2025
Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny
Delaware Chancery Limits Personal Jurisdiction in Crypto Theft Case
November 20, 2025
Bloomberg
Nvidia’s Huang Dismisses Bubble Fears
November 19, 2025
Reuters
Trump Mulls Preempting State AI Laws
November 19, 2025
Wall Street Journal
October Jobs Data Not Forthcoming
November 19, 2025
New York Times
Saudi Arabia Backs Elon Musk’s xAI
November 19, 2025
Brookings
Merge CFTC, SEC to Regulate Digital
November 19, 2025
Cleary M&A Watch
The Latest on No-Action Letter Changes
November 18, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Meta Defeats FTC Antitrust Case
November 18, 2025
Bloomberg
Elliott Wins CEO Change at Rexford
November 18, 2025
D&O Diary
SEC Enforcement Actions Decline
November 18, 2025
Reuters
SEC Eases 2026 Crypto Sector Exams
November 18, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Firm Layoff Tactics Keep Changing
November 17, 2025
New York Times
Crypto Flooded With Dirty Billions
November 17, 2025
The Governance Beat
SEC Exits Investor Proposal Processing
November 17, 2025
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Chancery Rules Bank Directors Face Liability for Illegal Overdraft Issue
November 17, 2025
Business Law Prof Blog
The Latest on Delaware Corporate Exits
November 17, 2025
Bloomberg
Zero-Day Options Limit Stock Rallies
November 16, 2025
Securities and Exchange Commission
Deputy Enforcement Chief Exits SEC
November 16, 2025
Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Monitor
SEC Registration Tips Post-Shutdown
November 16, 2025
Deal Lawyers.com
Coinbase DExits to Pro-Crypto Texas
November 16, 2025
Business Law Prof Blog
How Trump Can Hurt Proxy Advisers
November 16, 2025
Bloomberg
Warner Bros. Shields CEO Pay in a Sale
November 13, 2025
Reuters
Verizon to Cut About 15,000 Jobs
November 13, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Paramount, Comcast, Netflix Prepare Bids for Warner as Deadline Nears
November 13, 2025
New York Times
UK OKs Small Nuclear Reactor in Wales
November 13, 2025
The Governance Beat
White House Mulls Proxy Adviser Limits
November 13, 2025
Bloomberg
October Jobs, CPI Data Reveal Unlikely
November 12, 2025
Wall Street Journal
U.S. Mints Its Final Pennies
November 12, 2025
The Governance Beat
Microsoft Excludes Shareholder Proposal Without No-Action Relief
November 12, 2025
The Block
SEC Chair Unveils “Token Taxonomy”
November 12, 2025
Deal Lawyers.com
Delaware Chancery Rules M&A Choice-of-Law Clause Covers Defamation
November 12, 2025
Bloomberg
CFPB Says Money Poised to Run Out
November 11, 2025
The Governance Beat
More Vanguard Funds Get Voting Choice
November 11, 2025
Washington Post
DOJ Struggles as Thousands Exit
November 11, 2025
Dealbook
SoftBank Sells Nvidia Stake to Pay for AI
November 11, 2025
D&O Diary
Backdoor Class Actions Thriving in UK
November 11, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Tariff Case May Define Scotus Chief
November 10, 2025
Bloomberg
BlackRock Faces 100% Private Loan Loss
November 10, 2025
Dealbook
Will Musk Get the $1 Trillion?
November 10, 2025
D&O Diary
First Brands Sues Founder: Misconduct
November 10, 2025
ThinkAdvisor
Is SEC Regulation by Enforcement Dead?
November 10, 2025
Bloomberg
Inflation Data Fog Thickens for Fed
November 9, 2025
Reuters
Retailers Promise Cheaper Thanksgiving
November 9, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Visa, Mastercard Near Merchants Deal
November 9, 2025
Dealbook
Debt Has Entered the AI Boom
November 9, 2025
D&O Diary
Tariffs Securities Suit Hits Carmax
November 9, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Europe Probes Nasdaq Over Antitrust
November 6, 2025
Bloomberg
Bayer Weighs Roundup’s Demise
November 6, 2025
Reuters
Tesla Shareholders OK $1 Trln Musk Pay
November 6, 2025
New York Times
UK Faces Up to Hard Economic Choices
November 6, 2025
D&O Diary
Should Securities Suits Go to Trial?
November 6, 2025
Bloomberg
Crypto Trust-Charter Bid Sparks Alarm
November 5, 2025
New York Times
Tariffs Send Automakers Into Chip Tizzy
November 5, 2025
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
SEC Ups Foreign Private-Issuer Scrutiny
November 5, 2025
Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny
Delaware Chancery Confirms Common Law Standard for Actual Control
November 5, 2025
Dykema
Dealmakers Warily Optimistic for 2026
November 5, 2025
Bloomberg
Trump’s Options If Scotus Nixes Tariffs
November 4, 2025
The Governance Beat
ISS Proposes 8 Voting Policy Changes
November 4, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Big Tesla Investor Rejects Musk Pay
November 4, 2025
D&O Diary
AI-Related Securities Suit Filed Against IC Design Software Firm
November 4, 2025
Deal Lawyers.com
M&A Anti-Reliance Clauses Skirt Risk
November 4, 2025
Wall Street Journal
Starbucks to Sell China-Business Stake
November 3, 2025
Bloomberg
Tylenol Deal Is Both Cheap and Risky
November 3, 2025
The Governance Beat
A Rare Pricing of IPO During Shutdown
November 3, 2025
CoinDesk
SBF Retrial-Appeal Hearing Next Week
November 3, 2025
Deal Lawyers.com
Ozempic Firm Deal Jumps for Metsera
November 3, 2025
Wall Street Journal
The Amazonification of Whole Foods
November 2, 2025
Bloomberg
Teslas’ Broken Doors Prompt US Probe
November 2, 2025
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Delaware Chancery Addresses Counsel Role in Two-Person Board Deadlock
November 2, 2025
Business Law Prof Blog
Telsla’s Proposal Bundling Looks Dodgy
November 2, 2025
New York Times
Big Tech AI Spending Accelerating
November 2, 2025
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  • Business Law Prof Blog
  • Corporate & Securities Law Blog
  • DealLawyers
  • Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog
  • Gibson Dunn Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Monitor
  • Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance
  • How Appealing
  • PubCo @ Cooley
  • Securities Docket
  • Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny Blog
  • The D&O Diary
  • Truth on the Market
  • White Collar Crime Prof Blog
The Blue Sky Blog is Sponsored by Columbia Law School's Center on Corporate Governance.
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