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Environmental
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August 21, 2025
HHS Wants Out Of Unions' Suit Over Layoffs, Agency Cuts
The Department of Health and Human Services fought back against amended claims from several unions over layoff notices and the alleged dismantling of an agency focused on worker safety, telling a D.C. federal judge that the unions are pursuing "judicial overreach" in their suit.
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August 21, 2025
EPA Denies 'Sitting On Its Hands' On Pesticide Ban Request
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to reject green groups' effort to force it to respond to their petition to ban organophosphate pesticides, saying it "has not unreasonably delayed action."
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August 21, 2025
Engineering Consultant Fights 'Sweeping' Ban On Job Move
A former principal for a California environmental consulting firm asked a Michigan federal judge Thursday to dissolve or narrow a restraining order barring her from taking a job at a competitor, calling the order a "sweeping" ban that would "destroy" her career.
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August 21, 2025
Feds Extend Mich. Coal Plant Order Amid Court Fight
The U.S. Department of Energy has renewed an order keeping a Michigan power plant open past its retirement date for another three months, as the government faces court challenges to its exercise of emergency powers.
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August 20, 2025
9th Circ. Blocks Alaska's Bid To Loosen Federal Fishing Regs
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday said Alaska state officials may not open part of the Kuskokwim River to gill net fishing by all residents of the state because that would violate a federal law that favors rural, subsistence fishers.
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August 20, 2025
Wash. Seeks To Stop NOAA's Climate Change Grant Cuts
The state of Washington is urging a Seattle federal judge to save more than $9.3 million in climate change resiliency funding that it claims is "on the chopping block" as the Trump administration moves to eliminate programming to promote environmental justice and reduce carbon emissions.
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August 20, 2025
States Say Kidde-Fenwal Ch. 11 Disclosures Still Inadequate
Attorneys for seven states and Washington, D.C., have told a Delaware bankruptcy court that firefighting foam maker Kidde-Fenwal Inc. failed to meet court-directed disclosure statement requirements for its latest, fifth-amended Chapter 11 liquidation plan and called for rejection of the document.
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August 20, 2025
Colo. AG Pans EPA Plan To End Vehicle-Emission Standards
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday to advocate against the agency's proposal to eliminate air pollution standards for motor vehicles.
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August 20, 2025
DC Circ. Upholds Crow Tribe Water Rights Suit Dismissal
A D.C. Circuit Court panel won't overturn a decision dismissing a suit that looked to nullify a Montana water rights settlement, saying a 2010 law ratifying the agreement doesn't specify which tribal member can greenlight a deadline extension for publication of the agreement's statement of findings.
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August 20, 2025
Ark. Woman Gets Probation After Looting Native Burial Site
An Arkansas woman was sentenced to four years of probation after the U.S. Department of Justice said she excavated a Native American archeological site in the Ozark Mountains and took human remains and Indigenous artifacts.
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August 20, 2025
2nd Circ. Says Section 230 Can't Block EPA Defeat Device Suit
The Second Circuit on Wednesday said makers of software that allegedly enables vehicles to bypass pollution controls can't use a Communications Decency Act provision intended to protect companies from third-party use of their products to dodge a federal lawsuit.
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August 20, 2025
Chemours Says Injunction Appeal Warrants Stay Of CWA Suit
Chemours urged a federal judge to pause a Clean Water Act suit while it appeals a preliminary injunction ordering it to stop its Washington Works plant from discharging excessive amounts of a "forever chemical" into the Ohio River.
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August 20, 2025
5th Circ. Won't Stick BP, Chevron With $11M Well Cleanup Bill
A Fifth Circuit panel has affirmed a lower court decision dismissing a surety company's lawsuit claiming BP and Chevron need to pony up $11 million to pay for offshore decommissioning costs, saying the insurer wasn't entitled to be reimbursed.
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August 19, 2025
Sotera Urges 6th Circ. To Toss Investors' Toxic Gas Suit
Sotera Health Co. urged the Sixth Circuit to affirm the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing it of concealing the carcinogenic nature of a gas used at its sterilization plants, saying "defending yourself in litigation is not securities fraud."
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August 19, 2025
Nonprofits, Union Fight Withholding Of AmeriCorps Funds
A group of nonprofits and a union added claims to their suit in Maryland federal court aiming to stop the Trump administration from dismantling AmeriCorps, accusing the Office of Management and Budget of unlawfully withholding millions of dollars appropriated by Congress for grant programs.
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August 19, 2025
Trump Energy Orders Suit Must Be Sustained, Youths Say
Youths alleging President Donald Trump's energy policy directives harm their future by exacerbating climate change have urged a federal judge to keep their lawsuit alive, saying it "defies reason, science" for the government to claim the actions don't move the climate needle.
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August 19, 2025
2nd Circ.: Judge Erred In Remanding Vermont-3M PFAS Row
The Second Circuit on Tuesday agreed with 3M Co. that a federal judge wrongly sent Vermont's lawsuit against the company over "forever chemicals" contamination back to state court, finding 3M moved the case to federal court in time.
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August 19, 2025
Ute Tribe Says 1880 Act Proves Land Ownership Claim
The Ute Indian Tribe asked the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a lower court decision refusing to hand over ownership of federally managed land, saying a law dating back to 1880 required the U.S. executive branch to "set apart" lands for a new reservation.
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August 19, 2025
Chinese Co. Looks To Enforce $217M Salmon Farming Award
Chinese agribusiness Joyvio Group Co. Ltd. is asking a Florida federal court to enforce a $217 million arbitral award it won following its nearly $1 billion purchase of a Chilean salmon farming business, after it emerged that the previous owners had deliberately inflated production capacity to drive up the price.
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August 19, 2025
Sunnova's $118M Sale Can Proceed Despite Bank's Protest
A Texas bankruptcy judge Tuesday declined to undo a $118 million sale of almost all the assets of solar panel business Sunnova Energy International Inc., rejecting a St. Louis-area bank's argument that the debtor failed to disclose that nondebtor assets would be part of the transaction.
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August 19, 2025
Feds Say They'll Rescind Biden-Era Species Protections
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said it will rescind a Biden-era Endangered Species Act rule that automatically places the strongest protections on all plants and animals covered by law.
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August 19, 2025
DOJ Environmental Atty Joins McGuireWoods In DC
A former U.S. Department of Justice lawyer who helped the Biden administration fight for the removal of a 1,000-foot buoy barrier in the Rio Grande and defended EPA guidance on forever chemicals has joined McGuireWoods' office in Washington, D.C.
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August 19, 2025
9th Circuit Pauses Oak Flat Land Transfer Pending Appeals
A Ninth Circuit panel has hit pause on the federal government's scheduled transfer of a centuries-old Indigenous worship site within Arizona's Tonto National Forest to a copper mining company while challenges to a multibillion-dollar proposed project play out in the appellate court.
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August 19, 2025
Black Hills, NorthWestern Merge In $15.4B All-Stock Deal
Utility company Black Hills Corp., advised by Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, on Tuesday announced plans to merge with Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP-advised energy and infrastructure company NorthWestern Energy Group Inc. in an all-stock deal with a combined enterprise value of $15.4 billion.
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August 18, 2025
4th Circ. Revives Ethylene Oxide Suit Against Union Carbide
A split Fourth Circuit on Monday revived a West Virginia woman's lawsuit alleging that a Union Carbide Corp.- and Covestro LLC-owned plant exposed nearby residents to ethylene oxide, finding that a lower court erred in siding with the companies.
Expert Analysis
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Enviro Justice Efforts After Trump's Disparate Impact Order
The Trump administration's recent executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice to unwind disparate impact regulations may end some Biden-era environmental justice initiatives — but it will not end all efforts, whether by state or federal regulators or private litigants, to address issues in environmentally overburdened communities, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation
A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.
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Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.
A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery
The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.
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What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.
Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.
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Opinion
Proposals Against Phillips 66 Threaten Corporate Law
Activist investor Elliott Investment Management's latest attempted tactic — initiating a high-stakes proxy contest against Phillips 66 — goes too far and would cause the company to both violate Delaware law and avoid the legal exception to the shareholder proposal process, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.
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Balancing Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order, Int'l Agreements
President Donald Trump's recent executive order directing exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources appears to conflict with the evolving international framework regulating such activities, so companies and investors should proceed with care and keep possible future legal challenges in mind, say attorneys at Dentons.
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Mitigating Import Risks Around Southeast Asian Solar Cells
The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent final determinations in its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into solar cells produced in certain Southeast Asian countries make it important for U.S. purchasers to consider risk mitigation strategies, including modifying supply chains and contractually assigning import responsibilities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Arbitral Ruling In EU Fisheries Clash Clarifies Post-Brexit Pact
The Permanent Court of Arbitration's recent ruling marks a pivotal moment in the evolving jurisprudence surrounding the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, concluded between the U.K. and the EU after Brexit, and sets an important precedent for interpretation and enforcement of trade and environment clauses in cross-border disputes, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.
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Series
Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.
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Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook
The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.
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4 Ways To Leverage A Jury's Underdog Perceptions
Counsel should consider how common factors that speak to their client's size, power, past challenges and alignment with jurors can be presented to try and paint their client as a sympathetic underdog, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Why Hiring Former Jurors As Consultants Can Be Risky
The defense team's decision to hire former juror Victoria George in the high-profile retrial of Karen Read shines a spotlight on this controversial strategy, which raises important legal, ethical and tactical questions despite not being explicitly prohibited, says Nikoleta Despodova at ND Litigation.
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What To Watch For As High Court Mulls NRC's Powers
If successful, Texas’ challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority — recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and currently pending before a Texas federal court — may have serious adverse consequences for aspiring NRC licensees, including potential nuclear power plant operators, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw
While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.