Government Contracts

  • December 10, 2024

    Tool Co. Fights Bid To DQ Law Firm In Whistleblower Case

    A tool company pushed back on a bid to disqualify a Smith Gilliam Williams & Miles PA attorney from representing it in a former employee's False Claims Act suit, saying documents made available to the firm when a different firm attorney represented the ex-employee in a domestic matter have no bearing on the case.

  • December 10, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Overturns VA Rule On 'Special' Ambulance Rates

    The Federal Circuit has vacated a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rule effectively reducing the rates the VA pays for "noncontract" ambulance services for disabled veterans, saying the rule exceeded the agency's statutory authority.

  • December 10, 2024

    Privinvest Denied Appeal In 'Tuna Bond' Bribery Case

    An Emirati shipbuilder on Tuesday was refused permission to appeal a London court judgment that found the company was involved in the "tuna bond" bribery scandal that wrecked Mozambique's economy.

  • December 09, 2024

    Judge Newman Says Fed. Circ. Threatened Her To Seal Filings

    U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman asked the D.C. Circuit Monday to unseal supplemental documents attached to her opening brief arguing that the suspension her colleagues have imposed on her for refusing to participate in an investigation into her fitness to serve as a Federal Circuit judge was unconstitutional.

  • December 09, 2024

    High Court Again Weighs Reach Of Federal Fraud Statutes

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grappled with the question of whether using deceptive means to induce a business transaction with no contemplation of causing economic loss constitutes mail or wire fraud, the latest challenge in a line of cases that seeks to narrow the reach of federal fraud statutes.

  • December 09, 2024

    Boeing Supplier Wins Bid To Block Texas Biz Records Inquiry

     A Texas federal judge on Monday adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation granting Spirit AeroSystems Inc.'s bid to permanently enjoin a Texas statute requiring businesses to immediately comply with the state's demand to examine business records.

  • December 09, 2024

    Vail Resorts Says Colo. District Can't Escape Debt Deal

    A Colorado special district seeking to revive a lawsuit challenging an intergovernmental agreement from the early 2000s is only trying to avoid repaying millions of dollars in debt, Vail Resorts and another special district told a state appellate court.

  • December 09, 2024

    Petrobras Calls On Justices To Review Samsung RICO Suit

    The American subsidiary of Brazil's state-owned oil company called on the U.S. Supreme Court to unravel the Fifth Circuit's decision blocking its racketeering claim against Samsung Heavy Industries over an alleged $1.6 billion bribery scheme involving drillship contracts.

  • December 09, 2024

    What's Next After Boeing 737 Max Deal Snags On DEI Clause

    A Texas federal judge's recent rejection of Boeing's plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice underscores the increasing vulnerability of corporate and government diversity, equity and inclusion policies, experts say, spelling fresh complications for the embattled American aerospace titan and the legal saga over its 737 Max jets.

  • December 09, 2024

    Judge Axes $33M Suit Challenging Feds' Wildfire Response

    An Oregon federal judge has dismissed a suit by two lumber companies claiming that the U.S. Forest Service failed to properly fight a wildfire in the Willamette National Forest, holding that the agency's decisions are shielded under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

  • December 09, 2024

    Supreme Court Won't Review Ex-HUD Official's Conviction

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case of a former staffer in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General who was convicted of failing to disclose a loan from a friend who was later hired as a government subcontractor.

  • December 07, 2024

    Up Next: Environmental Reviews, Wire Fraud & TM Awards

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear its final set of oral arguments for the 2024 calendar year starting Monday, including disputes over the proper scope of federal environmental reviews and whether corporate affiliates can be ordered to pay disgorgement awards in trademark infringement disputes.

  • December 06, 2024

    Ga. Man Freed After 26 Years Sues Over Bogus Murder Charge

    A Georgia man who spent more than a quarter-century in prison for murder before his name was cleared with the help of two true crime podcasters has sued the county and cops behind his arrest and prosecution alleging he was framed for the accidental death of a friend during a game of Russian roulette.

  • December 06, 2024

    Chinese Magnet Co. CEO Latest Charged In DOD Supply Scam

    Federal prosecutors on Friday unsealed the latest indictment in an allegedly sprawling conspiracy involving Quadrant Magnetics LLC and its employees, charging Quadrant's CEO with conspiring to export sensitive U.S. defense data to China while illegally selling U.S. defense companies Chinese-made Quadrant magnets.

  • December 06, 2024

    GEO Tells 9th Circ. Recent Ruling Backs It In Wage Fight

    Private prison contractor The GEO Group Inc. told the Ninth Circuit on Friday that a recent ruling in the same court underscores its assertion that only the federal government can say whether a minimum wage must be paid to detained immigrants participating in a voluntary work program in Tacoma, Washington. 

  • December 06, 2024

    5th Circ. Judge Notes Inconsistencies In Medicare Rate Policy

    A Fifth Circuit judge called out inconsistencies in a new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services policy, asking the government to explain apparent discrepancies that four Texas anesthesia practices say will cost them $4 million in reduced reimbursements.

  • December 06, 2024

    Ex-Conn. Official Seeks To Delay Trial Over Other Legal Case

    Former Connecticut state budget official Konstantinos Diamantis asked a federal judge Friday to delay his upcoming corruption trial, because his preparation was derailed by the recent death of his mother and he and his counsel were forced to divide their attention with "another legal matter."

  • December 06, 2024

    CFPB Sues Comerica Over Gov't Benefit Card Management

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday sued Comerica Bank in Texas federal court over its handling of Direct Express benefits cards, marking the first contested enforcement action that the agency has brought against a bank in more than four years.

  • December 06, 2024

    Huizar's Big Brother Avoids Jail In LA City Hall Bribery Case

    The older brother of former Los Angeles City Councilor José Huizar on Friday avoided prison for lying to investigators about his role laundering bribes for the disgraced politician, with a California federal judge crediting the defendant's cooperation after he "finally decided to tell the truth."

  • December 05, 2024

    Judge Newman Brings Fight To End Her Suspension To DC Circ.

    U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman asked the D.C. Circuit on Thursday to rule that a suspension her colleagues have imposed on her for refusing to participate in an investigation into her fitness to serve as a Federal Circuit judge violates the U.S. Constitution. 

  • December 05, 2024

    Gov't Efficiency Push Is A 'New Day,' House Speaker Says

    House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spoke excitedly Thursday about the new government efficiency operation helmed by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and touted the budding bipartisan lineup of a congressional caucus that will work with it.

  • December 05, 2024

    Justices Told 9th Circ. Got Test Wrong In $1.3B Award Fight

    Indian satellite communications company Devas Multimedia and its shareholders have each submitted briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court urging the justices to nix the Ninth Circuit's decision to refuse enforcement of a $1.3 billion arbitral award against a state-owned division of India's space agency.

  • December 05, 2024

    Sens. Urge DOD To Beef Up Telecom Security After Cyberattack

    The U.S. Department of Defense may not be doing enough to protect unclassified information from being intercepted by foreign spies, a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators have said.

  • December 05, 2024

    Judge Backs Army Corps' Denial Of Bidder On $5M Project

    A federal claims court judge on Wednesday affirmed the government's decision to reject an Illinois company's bid for a $5 million island habitat restoration, saying its ratings for past work and difficulties with an ongoing project were both fairly considered.

  • December 05, 2024

    McKinsey Unit To Pay $123M Over South Africa Bribe Scheme

    The African unit of consulting giant McKinsey & Co. will pay about $123 million to resolve a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into an alleged scheme to bribe South African government officials for contracts with state-owned companies.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Fed. Circ. Percipient Gov't Contract Ruling Is Groundbreaking

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    The effects of the Federal Circuit's decision last month in Percipient.ai v. U.S. may be limited to commercial product and service suppliers, but it is significant for government procurement in opening the door to protests by suppliers who previously would have lacked standing and Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • Justices' Bribery Ruling: A Corrupt Act Isn't Necessarily Illegal

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    In its Snyder v. U.S. decision last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a bribery law does not criminalize gratuities, continuing a trend of narrowing federal anti-corruption laws and scrutinizing public corruption prosecutions that go beyond obvious quid pro quo schemes, say Carrie Cohen and Christine Wong at MoFo.

  • 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.

  • 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 37 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.

  • 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.

  • Gov't Contractors Shouldn't Skip Steps In Rush To Adopt AI

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    Government contractors that may be tempted to deploy artificial intelligence in day-to-day operations like billing and data protection should first take time to consider and address the specific risks that come with using AI tools, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Lower Courts May Finally Be Getting The Memo After Ciminelli

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    A year after the U.S. Supreme Court again limited prosecutors' overbroad theories of fraud in Ciminelli v. U.S., early returns suggest that the message has at least partially landed with the lower courts, spotlighting lessons for defense counsel moving forward, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • 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.

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