Government Contracts

March 17, 2025
Private Equity Billionaire Greenlighted As Pentagon's No. 2

Private equity billionaire Stephen Feinberg was confirmed as deputy defense secretary on Friday by a 59-40 vote in the U.S. Senate.
March 17, 2025
DJI Says DOD Chinese Military Co. Listing Was Irrational

Drone manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. has urged a D.C. federal judge to order the U.S. Department of Defense to take the company off a list of Chinese military companies, saying the listing was based on faulty reasoning and a failure to consider relevant evidence.
March 17, 2025
DC Circ. Skeptical Of Killing $200M Toll Road Arbitration Award

The D.C. Circuit seemed to have its doubts Monday about the Peruvian city of Lima's argument that it should overturn the confirmation of a $200 million arbitral award over a failed toll road construction project because the lower court ignored its claim that the contract was acquired via bribe.
March 17, 2025
Split 9th Circ. Won't Halt Federal Workers Reinstatement Order

A divided Ninth Circuit panel on Monday denied President Donald Trump's administration an immediate administrative stay of a California district court order requiring reinstatement of some probationary federal workers fired from six agencies, the majority saying a pause "would disrupt the status quo and turn it on its head."
March 17, 2025
Colo. Justices Reject Bid To Toss Election Defamation Suit

Colorado's justices have rejected petitions from President Donald Trump's campaign and conservative media personalities arguing that a former Dominion Voting executive's defamation suit should be tossed under a state anti-SLAPP law, according to an en banc order Monday declining to review the case.
March 17, 2025
Ginnie Mae Says Texas Bank Can't Undo Ruling On Lien

Ginnie Mae and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have urged a Texas federal court to grant them summary judgment in a Texas bank's lawsuit, which alleges the government wrongfully extinguished the bank's first-priority lien for nearly $30 million of collateral, saying the court already upheld the authority to terminate the lien.
March 17, 2025
Army Can Reject $435M TNT Plant Bidder Over China Ties

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has rejected a protest over a $435 million U.S. Army contract to design and build a TNT production facility, saying the Army reasonably rejected a bidder for security concerns over ties to China.
March 17, 2025
Trump Revokes Fed. Contractor Wage Order That Led To Suits

President Donald Trump rescinded former President Joe Biden's executive order increasing the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $15 an hour, leaving an uncertain future for the U.S. Department of Labor rule implementing the order and ongoing court challenges to the rule.
March 17, 2025
DOL Urges 5th Circ. To Keep Contractor Wage Hike Ruling

Former President Joe Biden had the authority to raise the minimum wage for federal contractors through a presidential executive order, the Trump administration's U.S. Department of Labor said, urging the full Fifth Circuit to leave in place a panel's decision backing the wage hike.
March 17, 2025
Pittsburgh Workers Challenge City's Residency Requirement

A bargaining unit representing maintenance workers for the city of Pittsburgh claims an amendment to the city charter requiring them to live within city limits should be thrown out, pointing to a court ruling that tossed a similar requirement for Pittsburgh police officers.
March 14, 2025
4th Circ. Lets White House Anti-DEI Efforts Proceed

The Fourth Circuit on Friday lifted a temporary injunction blocking President Donald Trump's administration from implementing the bulk of his executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, though each judge on the panel had differing views on the matter.
March 14, 2025
Fannie, Freddie Can't Avoid $612M Investor Win, Judge Rules

A D.C. federal judge on Friday upheld a $612.4 million jury verdict against the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, ruling that the jury was provided with "ample evidence" that reasonably led to its conclusion that FHFA improperly amended stock purchase agreements related to the companies.
March 14, 2025
Boeing NASA Tech IP Claims Survive Dismissal In Wash.

A Washington federal judge has narrowed a Colorado firm's suit accusing The Boeing Co. of using stolen technology to support NASA's Artemis moon exploration program, preserving some claims for copyright and trade secret theft while dismissing trademark and counterfeiting allegations.
March 14, 2025
Claims Court Judge Says GSA Was Wrong To DQ OASIS+ Bid

A Court of Federal Claims judge on Friday ruled in favor of government contractor Q2 Impact in a spat over its disqualification from bidding in the General Services Administration's massive OASIS+ professional services contract, saying the GSA misinterpreted the 2019 defense bill barring contractors from using Chinese-made telecommunications equipment.
March 14, 2025
Brookfield Hits Peru With $2.7B Arbitration Over Toll Roads

Brookfield Asset Management Inc. said it has initiated an international arbitration proceeding against Peru as the company seeks restitution of approximately $2.7 billion in damages over its operation of toll roads in the capital city of Lima.
March 14, 2025
Senate Approves Full-Year Funding Resolution

The U.S. Senate on Friday passed a continuing resolution funding the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2025, after a small group of Democrats sided with Republicans to end debate on the bill.
March 14, 2025
SpaceX Suit Against Coastal Commission Grounded, For Now

A California federal judge dismissed SpaceX's suit Friday alleging the California Coastal Commission wrongly tried to block its rocket launches, but allowed leave to amend the complaint after warning the company's lawyer he would not grant any leave if he kept up his current line of attack on the suit.
March 14, 2025
NYC Asylum Shelter Co. Illegally Fired Workers, Suit Says

A New York City contractor that provided shelter for asylum-seekers illegally laid off more than 200 employees without notice a class action filed in federal court said.
March 13, 2025
Public Broadcasting Sues FEMA Over Emergency Alert Funds

The nonprofit responsible for providing funding to more than 1,500 U.S. public radio and television stations filed suit Thursday in D.C. federal court, accusing the Federal Emergency Management Agency of placing an unlawful hold on $40 million in grant funds meant to bolster the national's emergency alert system.
March 13, 2025
Watchdog Says Federal Landlord Used Prohibited Chinese Drone

The U.S. General Service Administration's Office of Inspector General on Thursday pressed the Public Buildings Service to tell one of its contractors to stop using a drone manufactured by a Chinese company that the U.S. Department of Defense has identified as a potential national security threat.
March 13, 2025
Ohio Health Insurer Wins $24M Verdict ln Racketeering Case

An Ohio jury has awarded Medical Mutual of Ohio more than $24 million in damages, after the insurer accused its rivals FrontPath Health Coalition and HealthScope Benefits of undercutting the bidding process for healthcare contracts with the city of Toledo.
March 13, 2025
Judge Trims Claims Of Botched Federal Savings Transition

A D.C. federal judge trimmed a proposed class of federal employees and their family members' claims against two companies that manage workers' retirement plan and the plan's board Wednesday, tossing claims of negligence and breach of fiduciary duty but leaving breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims intact.
March 13, 2025
Split 7th Circ. Kills Injunction In Indiana Power Line Dispute

The Seventh Circuit has knocked down an injunction blocking an Indiana right of first refusal law that gives Indiana-based utilities the first shot at securing new transmission project contracts before those from other states.
March 13, 2025
Air Force Didn't Properly Assess Labor Rates On $121M Deal

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has sustained a protest over a $121.4 million U.S. Air Force communications support task order, finding the Air Force unreasonably assessed whether the awardee's proposed pay rates were realistic.
March 13, 2025
Drone-Maker Wants DOD Info On Listing As Chinese Military Co.

Drone manufacturer DJI wants the U.S. Department of Defense to turn over classified information behind the decision to list it as a Chinese military company, claiming the materials are essential for its lawsuit contesting the designation.

Expert Analysis

4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.
The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.
'Key Personnel' Defense Is Trending In GAO Bid Protests

A trio of recent cases before the U.S. Government Accountability Office demonstrate that both the government and intervenors are increasingly defending bid protests by arguing that a protester's key personnel became unavailable after a proposal submission, but prior to an award, says Joshua Duvall at Maynard Nexsen.
Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year

Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.
Series

Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
3 Noteworthy Effects Of The 2025 NDAA

The 2025 defense budget includes further restrictions on semiconductor sales to Huawei, requiring companies to rethink customer-base oversight, but other provisions are likely to broaden procurement contract opportunities, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.
FTC Privacy Enforcement Takeaways From 2024

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission distinguished three prominent trends in its privacy-related enforcement actions: geolocation data protections, data minimization practices, and artificial intelligence use and marketing, say Cobun Zweifel-Keegan at IAPP and James Smith at Dechert.
Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.
Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.
Anticipating How GAO Pleading Standards May Shift

The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act's mandate to create an enhanced pleading standard at the U.S. Government Accountability Office may change the calculus for where to file when challenging a U.S. Department of Defense procurement, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.
How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark

All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
5 Notable Information Security Events In 2024

B. Stephanie Siegmann at Hinckley Allen discusses 2024's largest and most destructive data breaches seen yet, ranging from ransomware disrupting U.S. healthcare systems on a massive scale, to tensions increasing between the U.S. and China over cyberespionage and the control of U.S. data.
US-China Deal Considerations Amid Cross-Border Uncertainty

With China seemingly set to respond to the incoming U.S. administration's call for strategic decoupling and tariffs, companies on both sides of the Pacific should explore deals and internal changes to mitigate risks and overcome hurdles to their strategic plans, say attorneys at Covington.
Series

Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.