I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes non-compete clauses are overboard. I had one way back in the day when I was working for a little wireless company, and they tried to enforce it when I went to work for a carrier, even though I was bringing no customers with me. It might have made sense if I tried to work for another independent agent, but, NC is also a right to work state, so, they had a tough time enforcing it. Regardless, they are often there for a reason, and it is not the federal government’s role to control this
Federal judge blocks FTC noncompete ban
A federal judge Tuesday blocked a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements from taking effect in September.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted in April to ban most noncompete agreements, which prevent tens of millions of employees from leaving their jobs to work for competitors or start a competing business.
The Dallas-based tax firm Ryan LLC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and other business groups sued to block the rule from going into effect, alleging agency overreach that would make it harder for companies to retain talent.
U.S. District Judge Ada Brown in Dallas said the FTC had overstepped its statutory authority and called the rule “arbitrary and capricious.”
“This win preserves the validity of millions of employment contracts across the nation that facilitate trust between employers and employees, innovation through the protection of IP, and investment in the training of employees,” said John Smith, senior vice president, chief legal officer and general counsel for Ryan.
It would be one thing if there was a method to arbitrate non-competes – oh, wait, there is. Court. And, in some cases, state law. The FTC, though, did not have the authority as designated by the US Congress to make this rule.
Last month, a federal judge in Philadelphia rejected a bid by tree-trimming company ATS Tree Services to block the ban, reasoning the FTC has the authority “to prevent unfair methods of competition in commerce” under the 1914 Federal Trade Commission Act.
If it is an unfair non-compete, yes, that’s where courts, usually arbitration, comes in. But, say, someone jumping from one law firm to another in the same city and bringing all those clients of their previous firm is where a non-compete makes sense. Regardless, in most cases the federal government really has no authority to regulate the economy in this manner. But, this is exactly what Kamala and her comrades would want to impose.
Tuesday happened to be the 80th birthday of Smokey Bear, an environmental avatar for most people my age growing up, often the first inkling we’d all have of what we came to call ecology. He made his first appearance on a poster in 1944. At the time, the nation was panicked at the possibility that Japanese submarines might fire-bomb the west coast. (In the spring of 1942, Japanese submarines actually did bombard Santa Barbara.) Created by an artist named Albert Stehle, Smokey soon became the face of fire prevention.
The internal watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning on Tuesday that that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency lost track of tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children, ABC News reported.
The first three spots in climate groups’ new $55 million, swing-state ad buy supporting Kamala Harris don’t mention climate change or global warming.
Another iconic Denny’s restaurant has closed its doors for the last time, stripping a California city of the chain’s last location.
During its last session, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority dealt 
