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Environmental
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October 04, 2024
Top 5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Fall
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear several cases in its October 2024 term that could further refine the new administrative law landscape, establish constitutional rights to gender-affirming care for transgender minors and affect how the federal government regulates water, air and weapons. Here, Law360 looks at five of the most important cases on the Supreme Court's docket so far.
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October 04, 2024
Arnold & Itkin's Zeta DQ Bid 'Disappointing,' Ex-Clerk Testifies
A Harris County judge began mulling Arnold & Itkin LLP's bid to disqualify Transocean's counsel from Hurricane Zeta litigation after a marathon hearing Friday that included testimony from a former Arnold & Itkin law clerk-turned-defense-lawyer who said she watched the contentious proceeding with "bitter amusement" and "disappointment."
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October 04, 2024
EPA Fights To Save Civil Rights Regs Outside Louisiana
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked a Louisiana federal judge to reject the state's effort to impose a nationwide ban on civil rights regulations focused on disparate impacts.
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October 04, 2024
Iowa Farmer Wants Court To Nix Federal 'Swampbuster' Law
A farmer pushed an Iowa federal court to overturn the "Swampbuster" part of a federal conservation program that aims to protect wetlands for public use, arguing that the law is unconstitutional.
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October 04, 2024
High Court Nuclear Case Could Be Admin Law Blockbuster
By agreeing to consider the federal government's authority to license temporary nuclear waste storage facilities, the U.S. Supreme Court can ease the uncertainty facing a resurgent U.S. nuclear industry as well as clarify limits it's recently placed on federal agency power, experts say.
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October 04, 2024
Energy Cos. Say Toshiba Unit Can't Use Parent's Jury Waiver
Michigan's largest energy companies said a jury should hear their claims that a Toshiba subsidiary botched a $500 million job to renovate their jointly owned power plant, saying a jury trial waiver in an agreement with the parent company doesn't apply to the unit that did the work.
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October 04, 2024
EPA Finalizes Stronger Pesticide Rules For Farmworker Safety
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule strengthening protections for agricultural workers who could be exposed to pesticides, standards that had been weakened by the Trump administration.
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October 04, 2024
Enviro Group Drops EPA Fight Over Colo. Refinery Permit
The Center for Biological Diversity agreed to end its Tenth Circuit challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's refusal to object to a series of state permit changes for a Denver-area oil refinery, according to a Friday court filing.
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October 04, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Pause EPA's Iron Plant Rule
A D.C. Circuit panel rejected bids by U.S. Steel Corp. and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. to stay a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule setting emissions standards for their taconite iron ore processing facilities.
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October 04, 2024
NC Atty Dies In Hurricane Helene, Legal Community Rattled
A North Carolina family law attorney was included in the rising death toll caused by Hurricane Helene, whose effects were felt throughout the region's legal community.
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October 04, 2024
Europe Votes To Raise Tariffs On Electric Vehicles From China
European Union member states voted Friday to impose higher tariffs on imports of battery electric vehicles from China for the next five years, adding to the already staggering tariffs imposed by the United States and Canada.
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October 04, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen GMB Union sued by the makers of Tetley Tea after a staff walkout in September, boxer Mike Tyson hit with legal action from a marketing company and the Met Police face a misuse of private data claim from a woman who had a relationship with an undercover police officer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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October 04, 2024
Justices Won't Block EPA Methane Control Rule
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected pleas by Republican-led states and fossil fuel industry groups to block implementation of an Environmental Protection Agency rule strengthening methane emissions control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure.
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October 04, 2024
Justices Won't Freeze EPA's Mercury Rule During Challenge
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement its recent rule strengthening mercury air emission standards while red states' and fossil fuel groups' challenges proceed at the D.C. Circuit.
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October 04, 2024
High Court Will Review 5th Circ. Bar On Nuclear Waste Site
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday said it will review the Fifth Circuit's decision to bar the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from issuing a license to a temporary nuclear waste storage facility in Texas.
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October 03, 2024
Ill. Top Court Asked To Restore $7B Power Line Permit
Illinois utility regulators on Thursday urged the state's top court to reverse a lower court's decision striking a key permitting decision for part of the $7 billion Grain Belt Express high-voltage transmission line, saying the faulty ruling threatens the legislature's clean energy goals.
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October 03, 2024
Fifth Third Bank Solar Panel Loan MDL Centralized In Minn.
A collection of proposed class actions accusing Fifth Third Bank NA of hiding loan costs from customers will be consolidated in Minnesota, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled Thursday, noting that the judge assigned hasn't presided over an MDL yet.
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October 03, 2024
Drivers Rip GM's Bid For Full 6th Circ. Redo In Emissions Row
A group of drivers on Thursday balked at General Motors' bid to get the full Sixth Circuit to review a divided panel's recent decision partly reviving consolidated litigation alleging the automaker deceptively marketed Chevrolet Silverado and Sierra vehicles as being more environmentally friendly than they actually were.
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October 03, 2024
NC Woman Sues Duke Energy Over Coal Ash Management
A Catawba County woman has hit Duke Energy with a lawsuit in a North Carolina state court asserting that contamination stemming from its management of coal ash waste caused her to develop kidney cancer.
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October 03, 2024
Colo. Billionaire's Brief Sparks Call For Gorsuch Recusal
A Colorado billionaire once hired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch as a budding young lawyer, later campaigned for the future justice's first judicial appointment and subsequently urged the court to loosen requirements for federal environmental reviews — all of which has sparked a call for the justice to bow out of one of the upcoming term's key cases.
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October 03, 2024
Energy Dept. Hands Out $1B Loan For EV Charging Expansion
The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Thursday that it has made a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.05 billion aimed at expanding public electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country.
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October 03, 2024
12 Lawyers Who Are The Future Of The Supreme Court Bar
One attorney hasn't lost a single U.S. Supreme Court case she's argued, or even a single justice's vote. One attorney is perhaps "the preeminent SCOTUS advocate." And one may soon become U.S. solicitor general, despite acknowledging there are "judges out there who don't like me." All three are among a dozen lawyers in the vanguard of the Supreme Court bar's next generation, poised to follow in the footsteps of the bar's current icons.
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October 03, 2024
Colo. Panel Finds No Proof Of Bias In Reservoir Project Vote
A Colorado Court of Appeals panel Thursday upheld the dismissal of environmental groups' lawsuit challenging a permit approval for a Northern Colorado pipeline and reservoir project, rejecting claims that two county officials were too biased and should have recused themselves from the vote.
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October 03, 2024
Georgia Resident Adds To Lawsuits Targeting Bio-Lab Fire
A resident of Conyers, Georgia, is adding to the litigation against Bio-Lab Inc. and its corporate parent, KIK Custom Products Inc., with a proposed class action filed after a fire at the company's facility in the city on Sunday led to evacuation and shelter-in-place orders.
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October 03, 2024
Flint Water Judge Wishes Public Knew Case Complexity
A Michigan federal judge on Thursday gave the final approval to a $25 million settlement to end claims from a class of Flint adults and businesses accusing a firm of failing to properly alert officials about the dangers of the city's water, noting that the case took years to resolve because it involved complicated legal issues.
Expert Analysis
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Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs
The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Adopting 7 Principles May Improve Voluntary Carbon Markets
The Biden administration's recently issued joint policy statement on improving the integrity of voluntary carbon markets may help companies using carbon credits to offset their emissions withstand scrutiny by government agencies, the public and investors, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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EU Directive Significantly Strengthens Enviro Protection
The recently revised European Union directive on environmental protection significantly strengthens its prior legislation and broadens the scope of environmental crime through the introduction of offenses for conduct resulting in severe damage, say Katharina Humphrey and Julian Reichert at Gibson Dunn.
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How Act 126 Will Jump-Start Lithium Production In Louisiana
Louisiana's recent passage of Act 126, which helps create a legal and regulatory framework for lithium brine production and direct lithium extraction in the state, should help bolster the U.S. supply of this key mineral, and contribute to increased energy independence for the nation, say Marjorie McKeithen and Justin Marocco at Jones Walker.
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Legal Battles Show Brands' Dilemma In Luxury Resale Trend
Recent litigation, such as Chanel's pending case against The RealReal, underscores the intricate balance luxury brands must strike between protecting their trademarks and embracing the burgeoning secondhand market that values sustainability, says Prachi Ajmera at Michelman & Robinson.
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Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond
Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.
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How Federal And State Microfiber Pollution Policy Is Evolving
Growing efforts to address synthetic microfiber pollution may create compliance and litigation issues for businesses in the textile and apparel industries, so companies should track developing federal and state legislation and regulation in this space, and should consider associated greenwashing risks, says Arie Feltman-Frank at Jenner & Block.
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An Insurance Coverage Checklist For PFAS Defendants
With PFAS liability exposures attracting increased media attention, now is a good time for companies that could be exposed to liability related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to review existing and past insurance policies, and consider taking proactive steps to maximize their likelihood of coverage, say attorneys at Nossaman.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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10 Tips To Build Trust With Your Witness During Trial Prep
Preparing a witness for deposition or trial requires more than just legal skills — lawyers must also work to cultivate trust with the witness, using strategies ranging from wearing a hat when conducting mock cross-examination to offering them a ride to court before they testify, say Faye Paul Teller and Sara McDermott at Munger Tolles.
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Opinion
It's Time To Defuse The Ticking Time Bomb Of US Landfills
After recent fires at landfills in Alabama and California sent toxic fumes into surrounding communities, it is clear that existing penalties for landfill mismanagement are insufficient — so policymakers must enact major changes to the way we dispose of solid waste, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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EPA Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Rules Face Bumpy Road Ahead
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for owners and operators of heavy-duty vehicles are facing opposition from both states and the transportation industry, and their arguments will mirror two pending cases challenging the EPA's authority, says Grant Laizer at Adams and Reese.