CPSC Commissioner Nominated
Client Alert | 1 min read | 10.03.25
After months of anticipation, the Senate has received a nomination for a Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
In May 2025, President Trump removed the three Democratic Commissioners, leaving the two Republican Commissioners, Dziak and Feldman. Then, on August 22, 2025, Commissioner Dziak announced his resignation, leaving Acting Chairman Feldman as the sole Commissioner.
On October 2, 2025, President Trump nominated William “Billy” Hewes, III to join Acting Chairman Feldman as a Commissioner of the CPSC.
Hewes has a political career spanning over three decades, beginning with his election to the Mississippi State Senate in 1992, where he served for 20 years. Known for his conservative values and focus on the Gulf Coast, he played a key role in shaping policy and economic development, insurance reform, and coastal recovery. In 2013, he was elected Mayor of Gulfport, Mississippi. Hewes served as the mayor of Gulfport until July 2025.
In addition to his elected roles, in 2018, Hewes was also appointed to serve on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Board of First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park System Advisory Board. FirstNet is described as a nationwide, high-speed network dedicated to public safety to help emergency responders, using a single platform for communications, do their jobs safely and effectively. Whereas the National Park System (NPS) Advisory Board advises the Director of the NPS and the Secretary of the Interior on matters relating to the NPS, including the administration of the Historic Sites, Buildings, and the Antiquities Act; the designation of national historic landmarks and national natural landmarks; and the national historic significance of proposed national historic trails.
We look forward to learning more about Hewes’ insights on product safety and approach to the CPSC during his upcoming confirmation hearings.
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Client Alert | 5 min read | 12.12.25
Eleventh Circuit Hears Argument on False Claims Act Qui Tam Constitutionality
On the morning of December 12, 2025, the Eleventh Circuit heard argument in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC, et al., No. 24-13581 (11th Cir. 2025). This case concerns the constitutionality of the False Claims Act (FCA) qui tam provisions and a groundbreaking September 2024 opinion in which the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida held that the FCA’s qui tam provisions were unconstitutional under Article II. See United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Fla. Med. Assocs., LLC, 751 F. Supp. 3d 1293 (M.D. Fla. 2024). That decision, penned by District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, was the first success story for a legal theory that has been gaining steam ever since Justices Thomas, Barrett, and Kavanaugh indicated they would be willing to consider arguments about the constitutionality of the qui tam provisions in U.S. ex rel. Polansky v. Exec. Health Res., 599 U.S. 419 (2023). In her opinion, Judge Mizelle held (1) qui tam relators are officers of the U.S. who must be appointed under the Appointments Clause; and (2) historical practice treating qui tam and similar relators as less than “officers” for constitutional purposes was not enough to save the qui tam provisions from the fundamental Article II infirmity the court identified. That ruling was appealed and, after full briefing, including by the government and a bevy of amici, the litigants stepped up to the plate this morning for oral argument.
Client Alert | 8 min read | 12.11.25
Director Squires Revamps the Workings of the U.S. Patent Office
Client Alert | 8 min read | 12.10.25
Creativity You Can Use: CJEU Clarifies Copyright for Applied Art
Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.10.25
Federal Court Strikes Down Interior Order Suspending Wind Energy Development
