Aerospace & Defense

  • September 11, 2024

    Watchdog Sues DOD Alleging 'Abbey Gate' FOIA Violations

    Nonprofit watchdog Judicial Watch Inc. has asked a D.C. federal court to compel the U.S. Department of Defense to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request pertaining to communications among top officials about the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan known as "Abbey Gate."

  • September 11, 2024

    Department Of Homeland Security's Top Lawyer Steps Down

    The Department of Homeland Security's top lawyer has resigned from his position in the administration, according to a LinkedIn post.

  • September 10, 2024

    Biden Says He'd Veto Proposed GOP Continuing Resolution

    President Biden said Monday that he would veto House Republicans' proposed continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025, asserting that the funding measure amounts to "brinksmanship" and would "place agencies at insufficiently low levels — both for defense and non-defense — for a full six months."

  • September 10, 2024

    V&E Launches New Dublin Office In Aviation Finance Push

    Vinson & Elkins LLP has launched a new office in Ireland to provide New York and English law advice to clients on aviation leasing and financing matters.

  • September 10, 2024

    EU Nations OK To Seize Profits From Brokering Russia Trade

    European Union countries are permitted to confiscate the proceeds of a brokering transaction that are covered by the EU's sanctions against Russia even if the goods never enter the bloc, the EU's highest court said Tuesday.

  • September 09, 2024

    SpaceX Urges Arbitration Of Sex Harassment Suit

    Attorneys for SpaceX urged a California state court judge Monday to rethink a tentative ruling that declined to send a sexual harassment claim by an employee to arbitration but found 10 other claims are arbitrable, arguing the harassment claim predates a statute requiring that it be adjudicated in court. 

  • September 09, 2024

    BAE Defeats ERISA Suit Over Abandoned Retirement Funds

    A Virginia federal judge tossed a BAE Systems Inc. employee's suit claiming the company skirted federal benefits law by using forfeited funds in its retirement plan to pay off its contribution responsibilities, stating the plan's own documents required the company to use the funds this way.

  • September 09, 2024

    Army Corps Wants Border Fence Deal Rating Dispute Tossed

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has urged the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to dismiss a suit alleging it gave an unfairly low performance rating to a border fence construction contractor on a $789 million deal, arguing the rating was fair and reasonable.

  • September 09, 2024

    SES, Intelsat Tell FCC They Need $3.1B Combo To Compete

    Satellite companies SES and Intelsat told the Federal Communications Commission they need regulators to approve their $3.1 billion merger, which was announced this spring, so they can better compete in a quickly advancing marketplace.

  • September 09, 2024

    House OKs Bill To Bar Contracts With Chinese Biotech Cos.

    Driven by concerns about U.S. genetic data being shared with the Chinese government, House lawmakers passed a bill on Monday to bar federal agencies from buying certain biotechnology linked to the Chinese government or from contracting with firms that use those products.

  • September 09, 2024

    Navigation Co. Defends Plan To Deploy GPS Alternative

    A geolocation company's bid for an exclusive license for a portion of the lower 900 megahertz band to deploy mobile broadband and a navigation system to backstop the Global Positioning System has hit resistance at the Federal Communications Commission.

  • September 09, 2024

    Think Tank Leader Re-Arrested On Foreign Agent Charges

    An Israeli-American professor who was indicted on charges of working as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government and international arms trafficking has been arrested again after he fled the authorities last year in Cyprus, the U.S. government told a federal judge in Manhattan on Monday.

  • September 09, 2024

    DC Circ. Revives Legal Malpractice Suit Over Terrorism Case

    The D.C. Circuit has revived legal malpractice claims brought by the family of a bombing victim who was killed in Jerusalem in 1997 by Hamas militants, after the family claimed their counsel's slow progress deprived them of a chance at a larger recovery in a mass disbursement of Iranian assets to terrorism victims.

  • September 09, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery made some expensive decisions last week, ranging from a $130 million stockholder award and a freeze on $450 million in equity financing to a whopping $1 billion bill for fraud and breach of contract damages. New cases aimed at Virgin Galactic, settlements pulled in Hemisphere Media Group Inc. and court hearings involving Apollo Global Management heated up. In case you missed it, here's the roundup of news from Delaware's Court of Chancery.

  • September 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Considers Age Of Ex-Trump Aide's Surveillance Claims

    Even after more than an hour of argument, the D.C. Circuit didn't seem convinced Friday that ex-Trump 2016 campaign adviser Carter Page timely accused the Justice Department, the FBI and several individuals of various violations tied to their surveillance of him as they probed Russian election interference.

  • September 06, 2024

    VA Must Turn LA Campus Into Vets' Housing, Judge Says

    A California federal judge on Friday ruled in favor of a class of disabled homeless military veterans alleging that they're facing disability discrimination due to the lack of permanent supportive housing on a West Los Angeles campus.

  • September 06, 2024

    Gov't Asks Fed. Circ. To Rehear AI Deal Dispute

    The federal government is urging the Federal Circuit to revisit a high-profile decision reviving an artificial intelligence company's protest over its exclusion from a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency procurement, saying the ruling wrongly expanded the Court of Federal Claims' bid protest jurisdiction.

  • September 06, 2024

    Military Borrowers Get Initial Nod On $64M USAA Settlement

    USAA Federal Savings Bank garnered initial approval of a $64.2 million settlement that draws to a close nearly three years of litigation over claims it disregarded federal laws protecting military borrowers, according to an order filed Friday in North Carolina federal court.

  • September 06, 2024

    FDII Covers Overseas Services For US Gov't, Memo Says

    Government contractors that provide services to U.S. operations overseas are allowed to claim the deduction for foreign-derived intangible income, the IRS said in one of two internal memos released Friday that address foreign income issues.

  • September 06, 2024

    Boeing Loses Bid To Toss Investor Suit Over Blowout

    A Virginia federal judge gave the green light to Boeing investors to continue their securities fraud proposed class suit against the company over one of its planes' midair door blowout in January, rejecting the aerospace giant's motion to dismiss and telling Boeing it had a "real problem" on its hands.

  • September 06, 2024

    NLRB Denied Indicative Ruling Bid In SpaceX Dispute

    The National Labor Relations Board can't have an indicative ruling to pause an unfair labor practice case against SpaceX amid a challenge to the constitutionality of the board's structure, a Texas federal judge ruled, saying the agency didn't file a separate motion requesting such relief.

  • September 06, 2024

    As Biden Looks To Block US Steel Deal, Rival Co. Weighs In

    Cleveland-Cliffs is lauding President Joe Biden's reported decision to block U.S. Steel's $14.9 billion planned merger with Nippon Steel and says it is ready to scoop up U.S. Steel's union assets, as the rival steelmaker weighed in on the matter following a flurry of quick developments this week indicating that the Nippon deal is all but dead.

  • September 06, 2024

    Airline Asks 9th Circ. Panel To Reconsider Military Leave Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel didn't address whether a former Alaska Airlines pilot advanced enough evidence to show the airline denied him accrued vacation and sick time while on military stints, the company said, urging the panel to revisit its decision flipping the airline's earlier win.

  • September 06, 2024

    Judge Newman's Suspension Extended For Another Year

    Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman was barred Friday from hearing cases for at least another year due to her refusal to participate in an investigation into her health, with the appeals court's other judges deciding unanimously to extend a suspension that began last year.

  • September 05, 2024

    Navy Justifiably Terminated Deal Over Staffing, Fed. Circ. Told

    The U.S. Navy has urged the Federal Circuit to uphold a lower court ruling finding that it reasonably canceled a deal with a defense contractor to perform work at the naval air station in Jacksonville, Florida, over proper staffing, saying the company didn't follow the agreement's terms to provide a team of 20 professionals.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

    Author Photo

    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

    Author Photo

    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Addressing Dispositive Motions

    Author Photo

    Stephanie Magnell and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Claims and the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals that provide interesting takeaways about the nuances of motion practice utilized by the government to dispose of cases brought under the Contract Disputes Act prior to substantive litigation

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

    Author Photo

    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • 4 Steps To Repair Defense Credibility In Opening Statements

    Author Photo

    Given the continued rise of record-breaking verdicts, defense counsel need to consider fresh approaches to counteract the factors coloring juror attitudes — starting with a formula for rebuilding credibility at the very beginning of opening statements, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Mapping, Jurisdiction, Incumbency

    Author Photo

    In this month's bid protest roundup, Nicole Giles and Ethan Sterenfeld at MoFo discuss a decision from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and two from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which highlight how labor mapping, jurisdiction questions and incumbency bias can affect outcomes.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

    Author Photo

    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

    Author Photo

    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • Best Practices For Chemical Transparency In Supply Chains

    Author Photo

    A flurry of new and forthcoming regulations in different jurisdictions that require disclosure of potentially hazardous substances used in companies' products and processes will require businesses to take proactive steps to build chemical transparency into their supply chains, and engage robustly and systematically with vendors, says Jillian Stacy at Enhesa.

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

    Author Photo

    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Unpacking The Latest Tranche Of Sanctions Targeting Russia

    Author Photo

    Hundreds of new U.S. sanctions and export-control measures targeting trade with Russia, issued last week in connection with the G7 summit, illustrate the fluidity of trade-focused restrictions and the need to constantly refresh compliance analyses, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

    Author Photo

    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Aerospace & Defense archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!