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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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Reuters
U.S. Gasoline Crosses $3 Gallon Mark
March 2, 2026
Bloomberg
Trump Fails Tariff-Refund Push Delay
March 2, 2026
Delaware Business Litigation Report
Delaware Court Rules That Merger Provision Is an Arbitration Clause
March 2, 2026
The Governance Beat
Can AI Tool Replace Proxy Advisers?
March 2, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
Delaware Supreme Court OKs SB21
March 2, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Mortgage Rates Drop Below 6 Percent
March 1, 2026
New York Times
Berkshire Hathaway Posts Earnings Drop in Warren Buffett’s Last Year
March 1, 2026
Bloomberg
SEC Announces New Insider Trading Rules for Foreign Companies
March 1, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
Delaware Supreme Court Says Accountant Can Resolve Earnout Claims
March 1, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
The Latest on Reincorporations
March 1, 2026
Bloomberg
Warner Says Paramount Tops Netflix
February 26, 2026
Securities Litigation & Enforcement
Fewer Securities Class Actions Are Filed, but More Money Is at Stake
February 26, 2026
CoinDesk
SEC Chair Attends Adversary’s Event
February 26, 2026
Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Monitor
SEC Issues New C&D Interpretations
February 26, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
SEC’s No-Action Stance Is Heads I Win, Tails You Lose for Companies
February 26, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Market’s AI Obsession Brings Out Bears
February 25, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
SEC Updates Enforcement Manual
February 25, 2026
The Governance Beat
Risk of Nixing Investor Proposals Rises
February 25, 2026
Bloomberg
WisdomTree Gets SEC Nod for 24/7 Tokenized Money Market Fund
February 25, 2026
ABA Business Law Today
Insider Trading Cases in the AI Era
February 25, 2026
New York Times
Intel Strikes Deal With a Chip Start-Up Its CEO Invested In
February 24, 2026
Cleary Enforcement Watch
California Diversity Reporting Law for VC Funds to Start on March 1
February 24, 2026
Securities and Exchange Commission
SEC Updates Enforcement Manual
February 24, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Delaware Supreme Court Nixes Challenge to Moelis Stockholder Agreement
February 24, 2026
Fenwick Insights
Court Preserves HSR Rules for Now
February 24, 2026
Bloomberg
Democrats Fight for Tariff Refunds
February 23, 2026
Wall Street Journal
BLS Chief Says No Cooking of Books
February 23, 2026
New York Times
Binance Workers Find $1.7 Billion in Crypto Was Sent to Iranian Entities
February 23, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
M&A, Other SEC Rules More Flexible
February 23, 2026
Securities and Exchange Commission
SEC Charges Texas Start-Up and Its CEO With Fraud in Stock Offering
February 23, 2026
Bloomberg
U.S. Orders Tariff Deals Honored
February 22, 2026
Dealbook
Markets Seek an Iran “Off-Ramp”
February 22, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Trump Wants Netflix Director Out
February 22, 2026
Private Equity Pulse
PE Capitalizes on Better Exit Environment
February 22, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
Are Cattle Securities Now?
February 22, 2026
Delaware Business Litigation Report
Chancery Defers Ruling for Failure to Tell Potential Manager About Suit
February 19, 2026
Dealbook
New Walmart CEO Sees More Growth
February 19, 2026
The Governance Beat
SEC Silence on Proposals Leads to Suit
February 19, 2026
D&O Diary
SEC Chair Proposes Further Reforms
February 19, 2026
Securities and Exchange Commission
Does SEC Care If Crypto Price Drops?
February 19, 2026
Bloomberg
Foreigners’ U.S. Stock-Buys Up 134%
February 18, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Anthropic, Pentagon DEI Feud Worsens
February 18, 2026
Reuters
Zuckerberg: Kids Not Instagram Target
February 18, 2026
New York Times
Meta Spends Big on AI Agenda Push
February 18, 2026
Financial Times
Will Courts Hold Auditors to Account?
February 18, 2026
Reuters
Nvidia to Sell Meta Millions of Chips
February 17, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Bayer Offers Roundup Settlement Plan
February 17, 2026
D&O Diary
Last Year in ERISA Fiduciary Litigation
February 17, 2026
Bloomberg
SEC Polices Affinity Fraudsters
February 17, 2026
bitcoin.com
Lawmaker Blasts SEC Crypto Revamp
February 17, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Companies Raising Prices Again
February 16, 2026
Bloomberg
Alibaba Unveils Big AI Model Upgrade
February 16, 2026
Reuters
SpaceX to Vie for DoD Drone Tech
February 16, 2026
New York Times
Warner Considers New Paramount Talks
February 16, 2026
Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny
Shareholder Engagement Is in Flux
February 16, 2026
Bloomberg
AI Bubble Fears Spur New Derivatives
February 15, 2026
The Governance Beat
SEC to Crack Down on XBRL Errors
February 15, 2026
Crypto.news
SEC to Regulate Prediction Markets?
February 15, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
Chancery: Avoiding Revenue Past Earnout May Breach Implied Covenant
February 15, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
For OpenAI, Profit Seems the Mission
February 15, 2026
Delaware Business Litigation Report
Texas Court Uses Texas Limitations Statute Despite Delaware Law Choice
February 12, 2026
D&O Diary
Top SEC Enforcer Vows Vigilance
February 12, 2026
Reuters
Pfizer to Collect $29 Million from SEC’s Steven Cohen Hedge Fund Case
February 12, 2026
Whistleblower Network News
No 2026 Payouts to SEC Whistleblowers
February 12, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
SEC Issues New Interpretations on Form S-4, Going Private, Tender Offers
February 12, 2026
Reuters
Kraft Heinz Pauses Company Split
February 11, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Bill Ackman Makes a Big Bet on Meta
February 11, 2026
Cleary M&A Watch
The Outlook for Private Credit in 2026
February 11, 2026
Cooley M&A
The Year Ahead for Life Sciences M&A
February 11, 2026
Delaware Business Litigation Report
Chancery Nixes Discovery on Personal Misconduct in Broken Deal Case
February 11, 2026
Bloomberg
U.S. House Advances Auto Safety Bill
February 10, 2026
Reuters
Paramount Sweetens Bid for Warner
February 10, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Tariffs Hit Ford for Another $900 Mln
February 10, 2026
New York Times
BP Pauses Buybacks as Profit Slumps
February 10, 2026
ThinkAdvisor
SEC and Commonwealth Tentatively Settle Over $93 Million Penalty
February 10, 2026
Dealbook
Court TV Getting a New Owner
February 9, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
Enforcers Eye Algorithmic Pricing
February 9, 2026
Financial Advisor
Ex-SEC Enforcement Chief Urges Limits on Regulation by Enforcement
February 9, 2026
D&O Diary
Why So Many Pump-and-Dump Suits?
February 9, 2026
Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny
Delaware Supreme Court Makes Earnouts Less Risky for M&A Buyers
February 9, 2026
Reuters
How Paul Weiss Boss Lost Grip on Firm
February 8, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Why Finding a Job Now Is So Hard
February 8, 2026
Dealbook
Casinos, Prediction Markets Go to War
February 8, 2026
The Governance Beat
Wells Fargo Wealth Quits Proxy Advisers
February 8, 2026
D&O Diary
Oracle Hit With Massive AI Infrastructure-Related Securities Suit
February 8, 2026
Reuters
Coca-Cola Nixes U.S. Frozen Products
February 5, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Paul Weiss Revolt Cost Chair’s Job
February 5, 2026
Bloomberg
Bitcoin Crashes Below $65,000
February 5, 2026
The Governance Beat
NYSE, SEC Align on Broker-Search Item
February 5, 2026
Deloitte Repoirt
Worry Over Private-Credit Risks Grows
February 5, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Nike Probed for Bias v. White Workers
February 4, 2026
Reuters
Bezos’ Washington Post Guts Staff
February 4, 2026
Dealbook
AI Construction Firm Raises $270 Mln
February 4, 2026
D&O Diary
Securities Suit Hits Private Credit Firm
February 4, 2026
Insurance Journal
Musk Loses Bid for Dismissal of SEC Lawsuit Over His Twitter Stake
February 4, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Disney Names Parks Chief New CEO
February 3, 2026
Bloomberg
CEOs Dislike Sucking Up to Presidents
February 3, 2026
Cleary M&A Watch
The Power of Proxy Advisers and Institutional Investors May Be Shifting
February 3, 2026
D&O Diary
Suit Claims AI-Washing Stock “Pump”
February 3, 2026
LinkedIn
When an SEC Emergency Is Not
February 3, 2026
Reuters
January Employment Report Delayed
February 2, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Musk Says Space X Acquired xAI
February 2, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
DOJ Antitrust Division Announces First-Ever Whistleblower Award
February 2, 2026
Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny
How Investor Activism Fared in 2025
February 2, 2026
D&O Diary
Chancery Allows Core De-SPAC Fiduciary Duty Claims to Proceed
February 2, 2026
Reuters
OPEC+ to Keep Oil Output Unchanged
February 1, 2026
Securities Litigation & Enforcement
Scotus to Review Disgorgement Power
February 1, 2026
Wall Street Journal
SEC Taps Ex-EY Partner to Run PCAOB
February 1, 2026
Bloomberg
SEC AI Plan May Strengthen Oversight
February 1, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
The Latest in Reincorporations
February 1, 2026
Blog Roll Header
  • 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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