Aerospace & Defense

  • February 20, 2025

    Feds Say DC Judge Can't Bar 'Hypothetical' Spending Freezes

    A Justice Department attorney argued before a D.C. federal judge Thursday that there is no basis to continue blocking the Trump administration from implementing a blanket suspension on federal spending, saying the court cannot bar "hypothetical" future freezes.

  • February 20, 2025

    Nootropics Co. Can't Push Nurse's Suit To Arbitration

    Makers of the Thesis brand of supplements can't push into arbitration a former U.S. Army nurse's lawsuit claiming its nootropics, sometimes called "smart drugs," secretly contained amphetamines, which caused her to fail a drug test and be booted from the military, a Washington federal judge has ruled.

  • February 20, 2025

    Dems Seek Answers, Reversals For 'Reckless' VA Cuts

    Democrats in Congress asked Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins to justify how firing 1,000-plus VA employees could possibly benefit veterans, and they called on him to reverse the cuts, stating that they are causing negative impacts.

  • February 20, 2025

    Bell Textron Says Iran Is Refusing To Pay $1.7M Storage Costs

    Helicopter manufacturer Bell Textron Inc. has sued the Islamic Republic of Iran in Texas federal court, claiming it is owed $1.67 million for its continued storage of equipment once owned by the pre-revolutionary Iranian government. 

  • February 20, 2025

    DOJ Official Flags 'Aggressive' FCA Approach Under Trump

    A senior U.S. Department of Justice official said Thursday that the Trump administration's focus on government efficiency will include "aggressively" enforcing the False Claims Act, including a strong focus on FCA enforcement of foreign trade issues amid recently imposed tariffs.

  • February 20, 2025

    RTX Unit Gets $1.5B F-22 Engine Deal Amid Fleet Uncertainty

    RTX unit Pratt & Whitney was given a three-year contract worth up to $1.5 billion with the U.S. Air Force to maintain engines for F-22 fighter jets, while the government mulls when the next generation of jets will be rolled out to replace them.

  • February 20, 2025

    Holland & Knight Adds Two To New Defense Industry Group

    Holland & Knight LLP has added two members to its new group devoted to the defense and national security industry, hiring a former U.S. Senate counsel for the subcommittee overseeing defense spending and a former Department of Defense technical director.

  • February 19, 2025

    Trump Is Defying Order To Unfreeze Foreign Aid, Groups Say

    The Trump administration is "brazenly" defying an order to restore foreign assistance funding, a pair of aid organizations told a Washington, D.C., federal judge Wednesday, asking the court to enforce its temporary restraining order and to sanction the government officials until they comply.

  • February 19, 2025

    Judge Criticizes Gov't For Fighting $7K Navy Back Pay Claim

    A Court of Federal Claims judge has remanded a former U.S. Navy seaman's back pay dispute after admonishing the government for fighting against the "relatively small" $7,000 claim despite the Navy having effectively admitted it was wrong.

  • February 19, 2025

    Space Tech Co. Denied Injunction In Amazon Contract Row

    A Swedish space technology provider did not adequately justify its request for a preliminary injunction against an aerospace parts manufacturer while the companies arbitrate over a supply contract for an Amazon Inc. broadband project, a Connecticut federal judge ruled Wednesday.

  • February 19, 2025

    Cybersecurity Official Rejoins DOD After Contentious Exit

    Former U.S. Department of Defense official Katie Arrington, a key figure in establishing its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program who previously left the Pentagon after a contentious suspension, announced she has rejoined the DOD as chief information security officer.

  • February 19, 2025

    GAO Says $185M Space Force Contract Was Reasonable

    The Government Accountability Office rejected a Virginia contractor's protest of a $185 million financial services contract for the U.S. Space Force, denying the contractor's claims that the government's price and performance assessments were unreasonable.

  • February 19, 2025

    US Lagging China In Spectrum Use, Experts Tell Senate

    The U.S. is rapidly losing ground to China in developing commercial uses for spectrum because it lacks an aggressive policy to make more government-controlled airwaves available for wireless and satellite communications, experts told the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

  • February 19, 2025

    Judge Calls Trump's Trans Treatment 'Total Discrimination'

    The D.C. federal judge who on Tuesday called President Donald Trump's executive order purporting to ban transgender people from serving in the military "unadulterated animus" pressed government attorneys once again Wednesday, asking how they could view the administration's numerous actions against trans people as "anything other than total discrimination."

  • February 19, 2025

    Vets Urge 9th Circ. To Bar UCLA From Baseball Lease Row

    A group of disabled military veterans asked the Ninth Circuit to uphold a California federal judge's ruling that it's too late for the University of California system to join a suit over a campus that the veterans say should have been used for housing.

  • February 19, 2025

    Fired Watchdogs 'Must Be Reinstated,' Senate Democrats Say

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and 28 other Senate Democrats have filed an amicus brief to support a lawsuit by eight of the inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump.

  • February 19, 2025

    Nadine Menendez Loses Bid To Have Expert Testify On Gifts

    A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request by Nadine Menendez to have a witness testify that receiving gold bars as gifts is normal in her culture, dealing the wife of former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez a setback ahead of her corruption trial.

  • February 18, 2025

    Health Net Pays $11.25M To Settle Cybersecurity FCA Claims

    Health Net and its parent Centene Corp. have reached an $11.25 million False Claims Act settlement to resolve allegations that the health plan administrator falsely certified compliance with cybersecurity requirements under a U.S. Department of Defense contract.

  • February 18, 2025

    Trump Exec Order Expands Control Over Independent Agencies

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to limit the autonomy of independent agencies such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Communications Commission by requiring them to submit draft regulations for presidential review.

  • February 18, 2025

    Judge Says 'Animus' Could Doom Trump Transgender Order

    A D.C. federal judge Tuesday hammered government attorneys defending President Donald Trump's executive order ostensibly banning transgender people from serving in the U.S. military, challenging their claims that the order has yet to drive any practical changes when the Defense Department has already "paused" ascensions for trans recruits.

  • February 18, 2025

    Engine Co. Says Plane Crash Appeal Is Matter For NC Panel

    Aviation companies Avco Corp. and its subsidiary Lycoming Engines are urging a North Carolina appeals court to take up their bid seeking immunity from a civil lawsuit filed by families of victims killed in a 2015 plane crash, arguing that allowing a trial to go forward would cause "irreparable harm."

  • February 18, 2025

    CIA Gets Remaining Assange Visit Spying Claim Tossed

    A New York federal judge has dismissed a case accusing the CIA of unlawfully spying on lawyers and journalists who met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, finding it could not be decided without delving into protected state secrets.

  • February 18, 2025

    DC Midair Collision Family Brings $250M Claims Against Gov't

    The family of a passenger killed in last month's midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a military helicopter put the federal government on notice that they're pursuing $250 million in personal injury and wrongful death claims over the accident, attorneys for the family said Tuesday.

  • February 18, 2025

    CIA Officer Firings Under DEI Ban Halted As Judge Mulls TRO

    A Virginia federal judge blocked the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday from officially firing intelligence officers who have challenged President Donald Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to terminate diversity, equity and inclusion officers.

  • February 18, 2025

    Magnetics Co. Loses Constitutional Grounds Dismissal Bid

    A Kentucky federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss certain claims against a magnetics manufacturer and its executives, finding the assertion that technical-data licensing requirements are unconstitutionally vague needs more examination at trial.

Expert Analysis

  • US Intellectual Property-Based Sanctions Could Be Imminent

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    A recent presidential delegation suggests that regulators may be ready to wield the sanctions authority found in the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, which has been unutilized for the first 22 months of its life, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Loper Bright Offers New Materiality Defense To FCA Liability

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bight Enterprises v. Raimondo, ending Chevron deference, may have created a new defense to False Claims Act liability by providing the opportunity to argue that a given regulation is not material to the government's payment decision, says Tanner Cook at Husch Blackwell.

  • 2nd Circ. Halkbank Ruling Shifts Foreign Immunity Landscape

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    Following the Second Circuit’s recent common law immunity ruling in U.S. v. Halkbank, foreign state-owned banks, wealth funds and other entities now must seriously consider the risk of criminal liability for commercial activity that violates U.S. laws, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 9 Considerations Around Proposed Connected Vehicle Ban

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    Stakeholders should consider several aspects of the U.S. Department of Commerce's recent proposal to ban U.S. imports and sales of vehicles incorporating certain connectivity components made in China or Russia, including exempted transactions and vehicle hardware imports, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session

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    As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Preserving The FCA Is Crucial In Trump's 2nd Term

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    While the Trump administration may pursue weaker False Claims Act enforcement, it remains an essential tool in safeguarding public funds and maintaining corporate accountability, so now is not the time to undermine ethical behavior, or reduce protections and incentives for whistleblowers, says Adam Pollock at Pollock Cohen.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Title VII Compliance Lessons From Raytheon Age Bias Suit

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    A Texas federal court’s recent refusal to dismiss age discrimination claims from a former Raytheon employee, terminated after he admitted to acts that Raytheon says violated its harassment policy, nonetheless illustrates strategies employers can use to protect themselves when facing competing Title VII workplace obligations, say attorneys at Segal McCambridge.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • 6 Steps To Ready Defense Contractors For Cybersecurity Rule

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    Following the U.S. Department of Defense's final rule establishing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program in federal regulations, Sandeep Kathuria at Ice Miller provides a refresher on CMMC and identifies best practices for defense contractors awaiting full implementation of CMMC.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

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