Aerospace & Defense

  • October 08, 2025

    Trump Tariffs Unconstitutional, Watchdog Tells Justices

    Either President Donald Trump doesn't have authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or the law is unconstitutional, the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog told the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday, urging the justices to affirm lower court rulings deeming those measures unlawful.

  • October 08, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Hesitant To Review DOD Contract Cost Appeal

    A Federal Circuit judge appeared reluctant Wednesday to review an Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals' decision over the proper way to calculate the cost Pratt & Whitney paid for commercial engine parts, pointing to precedent that goes against the government's position.

  • October 08, 2025

    Maryland Co. Challenges DHS Snub For Cybersecurity Award

    A Maryland company told a Court of Federal Claims judge this week that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency improperly rated and passed over its quotation for a solicitation seeking digital transformation support services.

  • October 08, 2025

    Lockheed, CNA Strike Settlement For Coverage Fight

    Lockheed Martin Corp. and a CNA Financial Corp. unit have reached a settlement for a coverage dispute related to litigation that accused the aerospace and defense company of environmental contamination in Orlando, Florida, according to court records.

  • October 08, 2025

    Army Finds Support At Fed. Circ. In Fight Over COVID Delays

    A Federal Circuit judge appeared skeptical that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should compensate a contractor for fees incurred during the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, saying it likely falls under protected government activity.

  • October 08, 2025

    Tyson Hillshire Corn Dogs Have Wood Bits, Suit Claims

    Tyson Foods and Hillshire Farms on Tuesday were hit with a proposed class action in Illinois federal court over recalled corn dogs and sausages on sticks that had pieces of wood in the batter, brought by a consumer who says the recall falls short of remedying consumers.

  • October 08, 2025

    Retirees Can't Show Losses From Pension Deal, Judge Says

    An aerospace materials manufacturer shouldn't face a proposed class action alleging it violated federal benefits law when it converted $1.5 billion in pension obligations to risky insurance-backed annuities, a Pennsylvania federal judge recommended Tuesday, saying retirees hadn't demonstrated that the transaction diminished their benefits.

  • October 07, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Talks Judge Denzel Washington, AI Susan Sarandon

    More than half of the Federal Circuit's judges were in Boston on Tuesday conducting out-of-town oral arguments, and afterward they discussed the most concerning and most promising elements of artificial intelligence, how to write a good brief, why en banc hearings are rare and which celebrities they'd love to see on a panel.

  • October 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Ex-Service Members' Antimalarial Drug Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday breathed new life into a lawsuit by four former U.S. military service members who claim drugmakers Hoffman-La Roche Inc. and Genentech Inc. failed to warn them about permanent psychiatric side effects allegedly caused by the antimalarial drug mefloquine.

  • October 07, 2025

    Chamber Asks 9th Circ. For Clarity In Trade Secrets Cases

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce backed Boeing's bid for the Ninth Circuit to reconsider a panel's decision to reinstate a $72 million jury verdict against the company, saying the panel's "swift treatment" of such a complex issue threatens creating confusion.

  • October 07, 2025

    FAA Drone Rule Draws Over 1M Comments As Public Weighs In

    Complex safety certification, technological and other security requirements are among the issues that U.S. regulators must still iron out before a long-awaited new rule allowing drones to fly beyond the sight line of their operators can truly take off, according to drone companies, aviation and other industry groups.

  • October 07, 2025

    Construction Co. Sues Air Force Over Contract Exclusion

    A construction company has said the Air Force engaged in unequal discussions before ranking its proposal outside the top 12 offerors for a multiple award construction and engineering contract, in a complaint filed at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. 

  • October 07, 2025

    Rolls-Royce Can't Ditch Helicopter Crash Suit Before Trial

    A Texas federal judge won't give Rolls-Royce Corp. a win before trial in a suit over a fatal helicopter crash in the U.S. Virgin Islands, finding that the company failed to show that Indiana law bars the plaintiff's claims.

  • October 07, 2025

    FAR Rewrite Could Cut Small Biz From Task Orders

    The Trump administration's newly updated Federal Acquisition Regulation aims to support small businesses by retaining a rule that prioritizes them and slashing administrative barriers, but it could also reduce their chances of landing task orders and sole-source awards.

  • October 07, 2025

    11th Circ. Won't Halt Labor Mandate Case For Gov't Shutdown

    The federal government can't stay a builders association's case challenging an executive order that requires union-favoring labor agreements for expensive government contracts, the Eleventh Circuit ruled, declining a request made in light of the government shutdown.

  • October 06, 2025

    Supreme Court Won't Review Russian Bank Jet Crash Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to undo a precedential Second Circuit decision finding that Sberbank of Russia must face Anti-Terrorism Act litigation related to the 2014 downing of a commercial airliner over eastern Ukraine, rejecting the bank's argument it is entitled to sovereign immunity.

  • October 06, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Weighs NASA Contractor's IP Infringement Immunity

    The Federal Circuit questioned whether litigation brought by two California men alleging a NASA contractor infringed their patent should play out in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, during oral arguments held in Boston on Monday. 

  • October 06, 2025

    Boeing Aims To Trim Damages In Trade Secrets Case

    Facing a trade secrets misappropriation claim revived by the Eleventh Circuit, The Boeing Co. told an Alabama federal judge that a defunct company isn't entitled to unjust enrichment damages for a temporary contract the U.S. Air Force awarded two decades ago or a jury trial.

  • October 06, 2025

    FCC Eyes Creating 'Assembly Line' For Space Licensing

    The Federal Communications Commission plans to streamline space licensing by setting up an "assembly line" to clear paperwork faster, the agency's chief said Monday.

  • October 06, 2025

    Unions Ask Court To Save Fed. Workers' Jobs Amid Shutdown

    A California federal judge should block the Trump administration from carrying out its threats to use the government shutdown as an occasion to fire another large swath of federal workers, two unions argued, requesting a temporary restraining order that would protect the jobs of the federal workers they represent.

  • October 06, 2025

    Illinois, Chicago Sue To Block National Guard Deployment

    The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago sued the Trump administration in federal court Monday seeking to block the federalization and deployment of as many as 700 members of the National Guard to the city, arguing that bedrock legal principles limiting the president's authority to involve the military in domestic affairs are "in peril."

  • October 06, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, the owner of the Kentucky Derby was hit with a suit accusing it of withholding escrow funds for environmental compliance violations owed under a 2022 deal with hospitality company Enchantment Holdings LLC.

  • October 06, 2025

    High Court Passes On Halkbank's Immunity Claims

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up Halkbank's claims that it has common-law foreign sovereign immunity from criminal charges alleging the bank laundered about $1 billion in sanctioned Iranian oil proceeds.

  • October 06, 2025

    Justices Deny 'Space Force' TM Appeal From IP Atty

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday skipped an appeal from an attorney who said a 2018 speech from President Donald Trump was the inspiration for his attempt to register "US Space Force" as a trademark. 

  • October 03, 2025

    Up First At High Court: Election Laws & Conversion Therapy

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in six cases during the first week of its October 2025 term, including in disputes over federal candidates' ability to challenge state election laws, Colorado's ban on conversion therapy, and the ability of a landlord to sue the U.S. Postal Service for allegedly refusing to deliver mail. 

Expert Analysis

  • DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

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    As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US

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    In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.

  • How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

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    Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Justices' Review Of Fluor May Alter Gov't Contractor Liability

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to review Hencely v. Fluor, a case involving a soldier’s personal injury claims against a government contractor, suggests the justices could reconsider a long-standing test for determining whether contractors are shielded from state-tort liability, says Lisa Himes at Rogers Joseph.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • Measuring The Scope Of COFC's Telesto Bid Protest Ruling

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    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims described its recent denial of bid protest jurisdiction in Telesto v. U.S. over other transaction agreements as a modest departure from prior decisions, but the holding also makes it difficult to distinguish between a follow-on procurement and a definitive agreement to proceed, say lawyers at Wiley.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines bring a needed course correction amid overexpansive enforcement, but there’s more the DOJ can do to provide additional clarity and predictability for global companies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute

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    The recent Soto v. U.S. decision that the statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation exemplifies the U.S. Supreme Court's view, emerging in two other recent opinions, that it is a reviewing court's obligation to determine the best interpretation of the language used by Congress, says attorney Kenneth Carpenter.

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