Aerospace & Defense

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Pass On Bias Suit Over SBA Small Biz Program

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a veteran's constitutional challenge to a Small Business Administration contracting program over alleged racial bias, after the Fourth Circuit ruled he lacked standing to pursue his claims.

  • January 09, 2026

    Skadden's Ex-Palo Alto Leader Named Aetherflux's COO, CLO

    The former head of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP's Palo Alto office Joe Yaffe is now Aetherflux's chief operating officer and chief legal officer as the San Carlos, California, space-based solar power startup moves ahead with its "Galactic Brain" project to launch an artificial intelligence data center satellite in space, Aetherflux announced Friday.

  • January 09, 2026

    Up Next At High Court: Pollution Lawsuits & Trans Athletes

    The U.S. Supreme Court will kick off the new year by hearing disputes over the constitutionality of state laws banning transgender female athletes from female-only sports and whether state or federal courts are the proper forum for lawsuits seeking to hold major oil companies accountable for harm caused by their oil production activities along Louisiana's coast. 

  • January 09, 2026

    SpaceX Can Build Up Its Next-Gen Constellation, FCC Says

    The Federal Communications Commission gave its stamp of approval Friday for SpaceX to ramp up its second-generation Starlink satellite system.

  • January 09, 2026

    DOD Unveils Nearly $15B In Arms Sales To 8 Nations

    The U.S. Department of Defense filed notices detailing the sale of $14.9 billion in arms and other equipment to countries it called "major" non-NATO allies and "strategic" partners, including Morocco, the Philippines and Egypt.

  • January 09, 2026

    Calif. Construction Co. Nabs $15B Air Force Contract

    Brea, California-based Insight Pacific LLC has been awarded an open-ended, global construction contract with the U.S. Air Force worth up to $15 billion through 2035, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.

  • January 09, 2026

    4th Circ. Frees Man Convicted For Speech After 9/11

    A lecturer and scholar of Islam convicted of inducing others to levy war against the U.S. after Sept. 11, 2001, was freed from serving his remaining sentence Friday, when a unanimous Fourth Circuit panel ruled that his speech was protected under the First Amendment.

  • January 09, 2026

    Engineer Claims Co. Fired Her Over Refusal To Falsify Docs

    A Colorado manufacturing company fired its chief engineer after she raised concerns about false information included in a request for a quote submitted to a U.S. Department of Energy contractor and failed to pay her wages, the worker claimed in a suit in Colorado federal court.

  • January 09, 2026

    GAO Backs Air Force Denial Of Proposal With Excess Pages

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a protest that a construction company lodged challenging its failure to secure a contract after the U.S. Air Force chose not to consider information on pages that exceeded the allowable limit.

  • January 09, 2026

    Senate OKs Bipartisan Proposal To Limit Trump's War Powers

    The U.S. Senate voted to advance a War Powers Resolution that would prevent President Donald Trump from continuing to engage in military action in Venezuela without congressional authorization.

  • January 08, 2026

    FCC Updates 'Covered List' To Remove Some Drones

    The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will be pulling from its covered list certain drones and related components that the agency says no longer pose a risk to national security after consultation with the U.S. Department of Defense.

  • January 08, 2026

    Apparel Co. Seeks $730K From Gov't Over Beret Contract

    An apparel company sued the federal government, hoping to recoup more than $730,000 in costs incurred fulfilling a Defense Logistics Agency contract for military berets after the government approved a change to way the caps were stitched but then rejected them.

  • January 08, 2026

    Alito Recuses From Chevron, Exxon Coastal Pollution Case

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Thursday recused himself from considering Chevron and ExxonMobil's effort to place Louisiana pollution lawsuits stemming from the companies' World War II-era production in federal court, just days before the justices hear oral arguments in the case.

  • January 08, 2026

    Satellite Co. Pays $175K To End FCC's Team Telecom Case

    The Federal Communications Commission has agreed in return for a $175,000 payment to end its probe into whether a Luxembourg satellite company violated a national security deal with the U.S. government.

  • January 08, 2026

    NJ Man Cops To Role In North Korea Cyberfraud Scheme

    A New Jersey man charged in a cyberfraud scheme to generate revenue for North Korea's weapons of mass destruction programs by fraudulently obtaining remote information technology positions at more than 100 U.S. companies pled guilty to conspiracy charges Wednesday in Massachusetts federal court, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • January 08, 2026

    GOP Lawmakers Back Trump's Planned $1.5T Defense Budget

    Republican lawmakers at the helm of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees issued a statement Thursday in support of President Donald Trump's announcement that he wants to boost the United States' defense budget to $1.5 trillion next year.

  • January 08, 2026

    GAO Denies Protest Of $223M Navy Engineering Contract

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied a protest over the way the U.S. Navy scored technical factors when awarding a $223 million engineering contract, saying the agency reasonably found that the losing proposal did not discuss detailed training plans.

  • January 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Navy Doesn't Owe Contractor Labor Costs

    The Federal Circuit affirmed an Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals decision denying a materials supplier $1.15 million in labor costs allegedly owed by the U.S. Navy, finding the blanket purchase agreement did not separate out that expense.

  • January 07, 2026

    Trump Bars 'Underperforming' Defense Contractors' Buybacks

    President Donald Trump said Wednesday that defense contractors are barred from buying back their own stocks or paying shareholder dividends if they are underperforming on their U.S. government contracts, ordering a review and potential "remediation plan" for contractors found slacking.

  • January 07, 2026

    Trump Exits Climate Pact, UN Orgs. He Says 'Conflict' With US

    President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is withdrawing the United States from a decades-old international agreement that brings the world's countries together to take action against climate change, as well as 65 other international organizations and treaties that are "contrary to the interests" of the U.S.

  • January 07, 2026

    Injunction Protecting TSA Labor Contract Is Moot, Feds Says

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security should be allowed to proceed with plans to terminate a labor contract covering Transportation Security Administration workers, the Trump administration told a Seattle federal judge, claiming that a preliminary injunction issued by the court in June no longer applies.

  • January 07, 2026

    DOJ To Appeal Reinstatement Of Clearance For Mark Zaid

    The Trump administration told a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday that it will obey his injunction to reinstate attorney Mark Zaid's security clearance as it appeals the ruling in the D.C. Circuit, but left open the possibility that government intelligence agencies could try to revoke it again for new reasons.

  • January 07, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Notes Ambiguity In VA Data Migration Procurement

    A Federal Circuit judge on Wednesday acknowledged that a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs solicitation for data migration services was confusing, but challenged a protester's attorney to answer why his client never asked for clarification during the procurement.

  • January 07, 2026

    BlackSky Satellite SPAC Suit Settles In Del. For $7.5M

    Special purpose acquisition company Osprey and several of its top brass on Wednesday reached a $7.5 million deal to resolve litigation in Delaware Chancery Court alleging they protected their buy-ins while leaving public investors to suffer losses following a merger with satellite imaging company BlackSky.

  • January 07, 2026

    GAO Sustains Protest Over $18.2M Air Force Task Order

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has upheld a protest over the U.S. Air Force's $18.2 million award for maintaining its geographic information system, finding the Air Force failed to sufficiently investigate a potential organizational conflict of interest.

Expert Analysis

  • High Court Cert Spotlights Varying Tests For Federal Removal

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    A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to review Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish, a case involving the federal officer removal statute, highlights three other recent circuit court decisions raising federal removal questions, and serves as a reminder that defendants are the masters of removal actions, says Varun Aery at Hollingsworth.

  • How Cos. In China Can Tailor Compliance Amid FCPA Shifts

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement guidelines create a fluid business environment for companies operating in China that will require a customized compliance approach to navigate both countries’ corporate and legal systems, say attorneys at Dickinson Wright.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Privity, Pressure, Procedural Traps

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    Three recent decisions from the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims offer fresh lessons for contractors navigating the procedural edge of Contract Disputes Act litigation, says Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • EU Space Act Could Stifle US Commercial Operators

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    The EU Space Act, proposed last month, has the potential to raise global standards for safety and sustainability in space, but the U.S. and EU need to harmonize their regulatory approaches to avoid imposing regulatory burdens that undermine commercial innovation and agility, say Jessica Noble and Adriane Mandakunis at Aegis Space Law.

  • Unpacking Enforcement Challenges Of DOJ's Bulk Data Rule

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    Now fully effective, the U.S. Department of Justice's new data security program represents the U.S.' first data localization requirement ripe for enforcement, but its implementation faces substantial practical challenges that may hinder the DOJ's ability for wide-ranging or swift action, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Conflicts, Evaluations, Materiality

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Brian Doll at MoFo examines three June decisions from the U.S. Government Accountability Office examining the U.S. Army’s handling of an impaired objectivity conflict of interest, the adequacy of oral evaluations, and whether a nonmaterial misrepresentation can sustain a protest.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • New FCPA Guidance May Flip The Whistleblowing Script

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines lay out a new incentive structure that may put multinational U.S.-based companies in an unusual offensive whistleblowing position, potentially spurring them to conduct external investigations of their foreign rivals, says Markus Funk at Perkins Coie.

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