ALJ Halprin's 2 Decisions Show Trends, Meltzer Says
FCC Administrative Law Judge Jane Halprin doesn’t yet have a long record, but her decisions so far indicate some trends, said Wiley Rein broadcast attorney Ari Meltzer in a blog post Monday. Halprin’s taking up of the stalled cases involving…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
Sinclair Broadcast (see 1906270068) and Lake Broadcasting (see 1905310053) demonstrates she doesn’t allow matters to linger, Meltzer said. She also issued “strongly worded” decisions in those cases, indicating she takes issues involving candor seriously, Meltzer said: “As, perhaps, should be expected of someone who served 14 years as Ethics Counsel.” Halprin will preside over a prehearing conference Tuesday for a case on possible issues of candor and radio licensee Entertainment Media Trust (see 1906050063). Halprin’s reaction to the mid-hearing withdrawal of one of the principals in the Lake case also shows her to be “a stickler for process,” Meltzer said. “We may learn a lot more about Judge Halprin based on how she conducts her first hearing as an ALJ, and we will also be looking to see how she handles inter-party disputes, such as carriage complaints.”