On April 14, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued its opinion in the conflicts minerals case, National Association of Manufacturers, et al., v. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Court of Appeals upheld most aspects of the statute and the rule, but found that the statute and rule violate the First Amendment “to the extent that the statute and rule require regulated entities to report to the Commission and to state on their website that any of their products have not been found to be ‘DRC conflict free.’” The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for further proceedings consistent with its opinion. As of this time, there is no reprieve for issuers from the requirement to file a Form SD or conflict minerals report with the … Read More »