• Illinois: Walgreens shareholders have approved a $10 billion buyout offer from private equity firm Sycamore Partners. The deal, which was originally announced in March, will take the company private for the first time since 1927. At a special meeting of shareholders, around 96% voted in favor of the proposed private equity deal. "We appreciate the consideration and overwhelming support from our shareholders in our value-maximizing transaction with Sycamore," said Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth. "With Sycamore's partnership, we will be better positioned to accelerate our turnaround strategy, further enhance the customer, patient and team member experience and become the first choice for pharmacy, retail and health services. We look forward to closing the transaction and entering this next chapter." According to Walgreens, it expects the deal to close in the third or fourth quarter of the year, "subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals." (Japsen, Forbes, 7/11)
• Texas: U.S. District Court Judge Sean Jordan of Texas' Eastern District on Tuesday reversed a rule from the CFPB that would have removed medical debt from credit reports. According to CFPB, the rule, which was finalized in January under the Biden administration, would have removed an estimated $49 million in medical debt from the credit reports of 15 million Americans. Removing medical debts from credit reports would have increased the credit scores of millions of people by an average of 20 points. In his ruling, Jordan said the CFPB rule exceeded the agency's authority and that it was not allowed to remove medical debt from credit reports due to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In response to the ruling, the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA), a trade group that represents some of the country's major credit bureaus, said the decision would help protect lenders against providing loans to borrowers who are unlikely to pay their debts. "America's financial system is the best in the world because it is based on a full, fair and accurate credit reporting system," said CDIA president and CEO Dan Smith. "Information about unpaid medical debts is an important element in assessing a consumer's ability to pay. This is the right outcome for protecting the integrity of the system." (Bettelheim, Axios, 7/13; Associated Press/MedPage Today, 7/15; Wise, NPR, 7/15)
• Wisconsin: In a 4-3 ruling, the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked an 1849 law that effectively banned abortion in all instances in the state. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, healthcare providers in Wisconsin temporarily stopped providing abortions since they believed they could be prosecuted under the 1849 law, even though it had not been enforced in decades. Soon after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) sued over the 1849 law, and a trial judge issued an initial ruling in Kaul's favor in 2023. In the Wisconsin Supreme Court's ruling, four liberal justices ruled against the 1849 law, and three conservative justices dissented. The new ruling allows healthcare providers in the state to continue offering abortions until 20 weeks post-fertilization, with exceptions for cases where the patient's health is at risk after that. "Today's ruling marks a major victory for reproductive freedom following the uncertainty and harm to women’s health that had resulted from the overturning of Roe v. Wade," Kaul said. (Marley/Somasundaram, Washington Post, 7/2)

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