Aerospace & Defense

  • October 10, 2024

    SpaceX Urges Trim To Enviro Orgs'. FAA Launch Approval Suit

    SpaceX is pushing a D.C. federal judge to scrap claims that an environmental assessment for its rocket launch program in South Texas must be supplemented after launches allegedly harmed sensitive surrounding areas and migratory birds, and as it faces new litigation over a system installed to prevent launch pad failures.

  • October 10, 2024

    Debriefing Doesn't Waive Protest Deadline For Army Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has thrown out as untimely a protest over a U.S. Army fuel tank servicing order, saying simplified acquisition procedures used for the deal meant a filing deadline exception for post-award debriefings didn't apply.

  • October 10, 2024

    GOP Rep. Pushes FCC To Act On 12 GHz Broadband Access

    An Oklahoma lawmaker has joined a chorus that has been calling for the Federal Communications Commission to open the lower 12 gigahertz spectrum band to two-way broadband fixed wireless access.

  • October 10, 2024

    Vet Groups Back Soldiers Fighting Naturalization Mandate

    Veterans' groups are backing soldiers fighting the Pentagon's efforts to mandate a one-year service requirement for citizenship eligibility, telling the D.C. Circuit that soldiers who enlist during wartime would risk getting deployed without the benefits of citizenship.

  • October 10, 2024

    Shield Satellite Radio From Interference, FCC Told

    Sirius XM told the Federal Communications Commission that continued attempts to open the 6 gigahertz band for low-power wireless devices could pose a threat to the satellite radio service's signals if strong protections are not put in place.

  • October 10, 2024

    Housing Nonprofit Hits NY Town With Disability Bias Suit

    A housing nonprofit has claimed in New York federal court that local officials stopped the construction of an affordable housing project in the Hamptons because a lot of the units would go to people with mental health disabilities and military veterans, who would receive supportive services.

  • October 10, 2024

    Sanctioned Afghan Officials Drop Suit For Treasury's Review

    Two former Afghan lawmakers withdrew their lawsuit challenging the financial and immigration restrictions they face in the U.S., while the U.S. Department of Treasury considers a request to remove the sanctions.

  • October 10, 2024

    Bradley Adds Ex-AUSA As Finance, Gov't Enforcement Partner

    A former assistant U.S. attorney left the public sector after four years to join Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP's Birmingham, Alabama, office, this week.

  • October 10, 2024

    Ex-Defense CEO Pleads Guilty To $12M Contract Fund Theft

    The former CEO of a defense contractor has pled guilty to his role in a scheme to steal $12.1 million in payments from a U.S. Air Force autonomous technology contract to cover unrelated expenses, including executives' personal expenses.

  • October 09, 2024

    Fed. Circ. May Need To Fix Contractor Registration Dilemma

    Two opposing Court of Federal Claims decisions regarding when a strict registration requirement applies to federal contractors have opened up a clash that could require the Federal Circuit's intervention to be resolved.

  • October 09, 2024

    Marine In Afghan Baby Kidnapping Suit Won't Be Discharged

    A U.S. Marine attorney accused of kidnapping an Afghan child has reportedly avoided getting booted from the military despite a Marine Corps panel on Tuesday finding he engaged in conduct unbecoming of an officer in his fight over the child.

  • October 09, 2024

    Blank Rome Attys Beat DQ Bid Over Witness Contact

    A Philadelphia federal judge Wednesday refused to disqualify Blank Rome from representing three of its attorneys facing claims they brought a baseless lawsuit against another attorney in retaliation for switching from corporate defense to the plaintiffs bar.

  • October 09, 2024

    Repeat Whistleblowing Led To Firing, Ex-Sikorsky Worker Alleges

    A Connecticut man who describes himself as a "well-known" whistleblower at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. says he was illegally terminated for reporting alleged wage and hour and environmental violations to government authorities, claiming the helicopter manufacturer fired him using bogus allegations he broke into an office he was given clearance to access.

  • October 09, 2024

    5th Circ. Revives Air Force Bias Case, Citing Broader Standard

    The Fifth Circuit revived a former civilian U.S. Air Force employee's lawsuit alleging she was given negative performance reviews after rejecting colleagues' sexual advances, saying a lower court needs to reevaluate her claims under a year-old circuit standard that allows for a wider range of bias allegations.

  • October 09, 2024

    DC Judge Sanctions DOD For Destroying Gitmo Tapes

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday sanctioned the Pentagon for destroying dozens of video recordings of the torture of a Palestinian man imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay, barring the Pentagon from rebutting the man's testimony of what he endured.

  • October 09, 2024

    Boeing Rescinds Wage Offer As IAM Strike Enters 4th Week

    Boeing has withdrawn its most recent wage offer to more than 33,000 employees who've been on strike for nearly a month, prolonging a labor standoff with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that has grounded some of Boeing's key production lines to a halt.

  • October 09, 2024

    RFK Jr. Jumps Into TikTok Ban Fight At DC Circ.

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has joined the fray in litigation at the D.C. Circuit challenging a federal law that could put TikTok out of business in the United States, contending in a new lawsuit that the sale-or-ban statute defies the First Amendment.

  • October 08, 2024

    Military Health Plans Deny They Were Overpaid On DOD Deal

    Five military healthcare plan providers have asked the Maine federal court to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice's claims that they were overpaid for healthcare services, arguing they were paid exactly what they were owed under their fixed-price contracts.

  • October 08, 2024

    Jackson, Kagan Target Loper Bright In Ghost Gun Case

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was uncharacteristically quiet during initial arguments Tuesday over the federal government's authority to regulate ghost guns. While her colleagues debated whether kits of unassembled parts qualify as firearms, she waited patiently to post a different question: Can courts now toss agency interpretations they don't like?

  • October 08, 2024

    House Panel Probes FCC's Revoking Starlink's $885M Subsidy

    The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee is investigating the Federal Communications Commission's 2022 decision to pull an $885.5 million broadband subsidy for SpaceX's Starlink, calling the Elon Musk-owned satellite internet company an asset in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and accusing the agency of "partisanship," in a new letter Monday.

  • October 08, 2024

    Judge Clarifies Contentious Registration Rule For Contractors

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims clarified that a contentious registration requirement for federal contractors only kicks in when they submit final proposals in response to government solicitations, blessing a previously disqualified business' $45 billion nuclear cleanup deal.

  • October 08, 2024

    Judge Tells VA To Quickly Develop Housing For LA Veterans

    The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and experts picked by a class of homeless, disabled military veterans were ordered by a California federal judge to collaborate on plans for veteran housing on a Los Angeles campus.

  • October 08, 2024

    Exporting Chips To China Doesn't Merit 7 Years, 9th Circ. Told

    Counsel for a former UCLA electrical engineering professor urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to reduce his seven-year prison sentence for illegally exporting high-powered semiconductor chips to China, saying the conduct did not amount to an evasion of national security controls.

  • October 08, 2024

    Ex-Judge Can Testify In Suit Against Blank Rome Attys, 2 Cos.

    An attorney suing three Blank Rome LLP lawyers, an aircraft motor manufacturer and its parent company was unable to persuade a Pennsylvania federal court to stop a former judge from testifying for the defense as an expert witness in a retaliation case stemming from her decision to switch from representing companies to doing plaintiffs work.

  • October 08, 2024

    Honeywell To Spin Off Materials Biz Amid $9B Buying Spree

    Skadden-advised Honeywell said Tuesday it will spin off its advanced materials business into an independent publicly traded company, the latest maneuver in a $25 billion strategic restructuring that the company said has included about $9 billion deployed for acquisitions in 2024. 

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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