Aerospace & Defense

  • February 25, 2025

    FCC Hires US House Lawyer As Regulator's Deputy GC

    The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday named a top lawyer from the legislative branch as the agency's new deputy general counsel for litigation.

  • February 24, 2025

    US Steel, Nippon Urge Court Not To Toss Cleveland-Cliffs Suit

    U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel have pressed a Pennsylvania federal court to leave intact their suit accusing Cleveland-Cliffs and United Steelworkers union leadership of illegally conspiring to prevent their planned $14.9 billion merger, arguing that they're trying to block an "unlawful agreement," not shut down political speech.

  • February 24, 2025

    DC Circ. To Hear Judge Newman's Appeal In April

    The D.C. Circuit has set a date in April to hear an appeal from Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman, who is fighting her suspension from the bench for refusing to undergo medical tests.

  • February 24, 2025

    Md. Judge Blocks DOGE Access To Education, OPM Data

    A Maryland federal judge on Monday prohibited the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management from continuing to share with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency the sensitive information of federal employees and student aid recipients, saying the agencies likely have violated federal privacy law.

  • February 24, 2025

    Claims Court Can Hear $650M Other Transaction Deal Dispute

    A Court of Federal Claims judge has declined to dismiss Raytheon's protest over a $648.5 million Missile Defense Agency interceptor development deal, saying it clearly fits within the court's jurisdiction over Other Transaction Authority agreements.

  • February 24, 2025

    Bezos Satellite Co. Seeks To Block His Paper In Docs Dispute

    A satellite facility launched by Jeff Bezos' Amazon wants a preliminary injunction to partially block Washington state's labor department from releasing records to the Bezos-owned Washington Post, arguing that the photos and documents are exempt under the state's public records law because they would expose sensitive trade secrets.

  • February 24, 2025

    FAA, SpaceX Say Rocket Launch Review Passes Muster

    The Federal Aviation Administration and SpaceX asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge to grant them wins in litigation challenging the adequacy of an environmental review completed for the company's Starship rocket launch program in Boca Chica, Texas.

  • February 24, 2025

    Feds Fight Reinstatement Of Ousted Inspectors General

    The Trump administration fired back at a lawsuit brought by eight inspectors general who were fired last month, telling a D.C. federal judge that federal law does not require the president to hold off on the terminations for 30 days after notifying Congress.

  • February 24, 2025

    Engineering Co.'s $4.1M Claims Axed In Army Corps Dispute

    The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals has dismissed an engineering company's claims seeking $4.1 million in damages after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers terminated a Mexico City-based construction contract, saying the court lacks jurisdiction.

  • February 24, 2025

    GAO Sinks Protest Over Army Corps Solicitation Amendment

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has said the Army Corps of Engineers rightly changed a solicitation to remove the requirement that solicitors attach a project labor agreement, denying a construction contractor's protest of the change.

  • February 24, 2025

    Atty Faces $190K Demand After Losing Malicious Litigation Trial

    A trio of Blank Rome LLP attorneys and an aviation company told a Pennsylvania federal court on Friday they are owed combined costs of nearly $200,000 from an attorney who lost a malicious litigation jury trial against them in December.

  • February 24, 2025

    Elizabeth Holmes Loses 9th Circ. Appeal Over Theranos Fraud

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday affirmed the criminal fraud convictions of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former Theranos executive Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani along with their respective 11-year and nearly 13-year prison sentences, rejecting arguments that the lower court made multiple evidentiary errors that unfairly swayed jurors.

  • February 24, 2025

    Caplin & Drysdale Hires High-Profile Gov't Investigations Atty

    Caplin & Drysdale LLP has hired out of retirement the former U.S. Department of Justice counterintelligence chief who investigated Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for classified information, Russian interference in the 2016 election and other high-profile investigations, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • February 24, 2025

    Supreme Court Won't Revisit Contentious Feres Doctrine

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a former Air National Guard reservist's suit seeking damages for a military hospital surgery that left him paralyzed, declining to revisit a doctrine barring injury claims considered "incident to" military service.

  • February 21, 2025

    DOJ Hits Judge Weighing Trans Troops Ban With Complaint

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday filed a misconduct complaint against the D.C. federal judge overseeing litigation challenging President Donald Trump's executive order ostensibly banning transgender troops from serving in the military, accusing her of bias after she hammered government attorneys for answers they provided during a hearing earlier this month.

  • February 21, 2025

    Trump Fires Top Military Commander CQ Brown

    President Donald Trump announced in a social media post Friday that he dismissed Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr. as the Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, inserting politics into his selection of the country's top military officer with a dig at the former administration's decision not to promote Trump's intended nominee.

  • February 21, 2025

    Army Corps Contract Releases Not Clear On Rust Remediation

    The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals rejected the Army Corps of Engineers' attempt to evade a challenge from Sauer Construction LLC, saying there's a genuine issue of material fact whether the contractor's rust remediation claim is preempted by previous contract modifications.

  • February 21, 2025

    Judge Questions Trump Administration Fund Freeze Authority

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday left in place a temporary restraining order blocking a funding freeze by President Donald Trump's administration until the judge can rule on a request by a coalition of states for a preliminary injunction.

  • February 21, 2025

    Aerotech Can't Escape Workers' ESOP Investment Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge refused to toss a proposed class action from participants in a motion control technology company's employee stock ownership plan who alleged mismanagement, finding allegations that the company's low-risk investment strategy violated federal benefits law could proceed to discovery.

  • February 21, 2025

    Billionaire's Tax Privacy Suit Against Booz Allen Proceeds

    A billionaire's lawsuit against government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton blaming it for the theft of his tax returns in an unprecedented breach by a Booz Allen employee working at the IRS can move forward, a Maryland federal court ruled Friday, rejecting a bid to toss the case.

  • February 21, 2025

    Israeli Gets 2 Years For Smuggling Plane Parts To Russia

    A Florida federal judge on Friday sentenced an Israeli man to two years in prison for using his freight forwarding business to send aircraft parts to sanctioned companies in Russia during the war in Ukraine.

  • February 21, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Scraps Ruling On $14M Army Corps Contract Row

    A contract appeals board didn't fully consider the entirety of a modified contract before determining a company tapped to provide emergency power services in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico was not entitled to a $14 million claim, a Federal Circuit panel ruled.

  • February 20, 2025

    Trump Admin Must Obey Order To Restore Aid, Judge Says

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to restore foreign assistance funding in accordance with his temporary restraining order, but stopped short of sanctioning the government officials.

  • February 20, 2025

    DOJ Says It Will Drop Immigrant Bias Case Against SpaceX

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a Texas federal judge Thursday that it plans to drop administrative proceedings alleging Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. refused to hire refugees and asylees.

  • February 20, 2025

    Dems Blast 'Reckless' Nuclear Security Worker Firings

    Seven Democratic legislators sent a letter to newly confirmed Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday pressing for answers as to why the Department of Government Efficiency fired hundreds of National Nuclear Security Administration staff members, calling it a "reckless decision."

Expert Analysis

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

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    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • What Insurers Need To Know About OFAC's Expanded FAQs

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    The Office of Foreign Assets Control's recently expanded insurance FAQs clarify how OFAC views insurance policies in a number of specific circumstances involving sanctioned parties, and make plain that sanctions compliance is the responsibility of all participants in the insurance ecosystem, including underwriters, brokers and agents, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • How Trump's 2nd Term May Alter The Immigration Landscape

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    Rhetoric from Donald Trump's campaign and his choice of hardline appointees indicate that a more restrictive and punitive approach to immigration is in our immediate future, especially in areas like humanitarian relief, nonimmigrant visa processing, and travel and green card eligibility, says John Quill at Mintz.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Inside The Appeals Board's 2024 Report To Congress

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    An in-depth examination of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals’ annual report reveals ​a continuing decline in new cases, motions and hearings, a trend that may correspond with ​t​he increased use of alternative dispute resolution, and expedited or accelerated proceedings, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • How Boards And Officers Should Prep For New Trump Admin

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    In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and mass deportation campaign, company officers and board members should pursue proactive, comprehensive contingency planning to not only advance the best interests of the companies they serve, but to also properly exercise their fiduciary duty of care, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Implementing Human Rights Due Diligence

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    The Bureau of Industry and Security’s recent removal of a Canadian surveillance provider from its export blacklist, after just eight months, illustrates the importance of integrating human rights due diligence into the vetting process by asking a few targeted questions, say attorneys at Cravath.

  • DC Circ. Decision Opens Door To NEPA Regulation Litigation

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    A recent D.C. Circuit decision in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal Aviation Administration could open the door to more litigation over the White House Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act regulations, and could affect how many agencies conduct and interpret environmental assessments, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How CFIUS' Updated Framework Affects Global Investors

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    The recent change to the monitoring and enforcement regulations governing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will broaden administrative practices around nonnotified transaction investigations, increase the scope of information demands from the committee and accelerate its ability to impose mitigation on parties, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Perils Of Perfunctory Interpretation

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    Attorneys at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions in which the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the Federal Circuit ruthlessly dismantled arguments that rely on superficial understandings of different contract terms.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

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