For a discussion of recent cases regarding enforceability of automotive supply contracts, read our Client Alert Release-By-Release? The Michigan Supreme Court Is Asked To Clarify 2023 Requirement Contracts Ruling in Airboss.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the below notices of final rulemaking this month. Specifically, NHTSA published one correction to its recent final rule on child restraint systems, and two notifications of enforcement discretion announcing that it would not enforce the requirements of two of its new final rules until March 20, pursuant to the “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” presidential memorandum. The agency did not take further actions on these rules after March 20 and they remain effective.
Continue Reading NHTSA Rulemaking Roundup: March 2025Crowell’s &Motion podcast addresses all things related to the Transportation industry. In this session, our privacy and cybersecurity partner Jason Johnson discusses the California Privacy Protection Agency’s (CPPA) recent settlement with Honda to resolve claims that Honda violated the California Consumer Privacy Act. This settlement comes out of the Agency’s review of vehicles with embedded
Steven G. Bradbury has been appointed as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT) after the Senate confirmed him 51-46. Deputy Secretary Bradbury will be second in command to Secretary Sean Duffy.
Deputy Secretary Bradbury has a broad background in transportation, which includes serving as general counsel of the DOT from 2017 to 2021 and Acting Deputy Secretary of Transportation under the prior Trump Administration.
Continue Reading Steven G. Bradbury Confirmed as Deputy Secretary of DOTOn March 5, 2025, the European Commission presented a comprehensive Action Plan to boost the global competitiveness of the European Union’s automotive industry and support its transition to zero-emission, connected, and automated vehicles. To learn more, read our Client Alert European Commission Unveils Plan To Boost Europe’s Automotive Industry | Crowell & Moring LLP.
Key staffing changes are afoot at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as two individuals have recently joined the Agency’s leadership ranks. To learn more, read Crowell’s Retail & Consumer Products Law Observer blog post CPSC Announces New Staff Appointments.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has rescinded Biden-era memorandums from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that prioritized infrastructure projects with social justice and climate goals, aligning with the Trump administration’s policy direction. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated these memos lacked statutory basis and will no longer influence DOT programs. Critics of the earlier policies had noted that the policy prioritized infrastructure projects intended to maintain or upgrade existing roads, highways, and bridges rather than new construction. This will also give states more autonomy in prioritizing funding allocations.
Continue Reading DOT Reverses Course and Rescinds Policy Memos Related to Infrastructure ProjectsOn February 11, 2025, President Trump nominated Jonathan Morrison to be Administrator of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Notably, this will not be Morrison’s first stint at NHTSA as he served as Chief Counsel at NHTSA during the first Trump Administration.
Morrison has a long history of automotive-focused work. Before his first tenure at NHTSA, he was President of Auto Advisory Services, Inc. and head of legal and regulatory affairs for the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA). Auto Advisory Services, Inc. is described on Morrison’s LinkedIn as an association providing assistance to a network of “over 500 California dealerships, including many of the largest dealer groups in the country.” His LinkedIn further indicates he “held primary responsibility over CNCDA’s legal compliance operations, developing guidance for dealers in response to new or amended statutes, regulations, court opinions, or law enforcement activity” while also working to create “legislative and regulatory policy proposals to benefit the new car industry, and defeating or narrowing proposals that would be harmful to the industry.”
Continue Reading NHTSA Administrator NomineeThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has started its part of the workforce reduction process launched by the new Administration, as media reports the agency has laid off 4% of its staff and is expected to eventually reduce its overall workforce by 10%.
Continue Reading Personnel Cuts Hit NHTSAThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the below notices of final rulemaking in the Federal Register this month. Specifically, NHTSA published four delays of the effective dates of recent final rules following last month’s “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” presidential memorandum directing agencies to further review final rules that have not yet taken effect. See below for brief summaries of the new rules’ extended effective dates.