Aerospace & Defense

  • July 10, 2026

    Del. Justices Nix $16M Fee Award In SpaceX Investment Fight

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Friday erased a $16 million fee award stemming from a dispute over a fund manager's handling of a failed $50 million SpaceX investment, concluding that although the fund manager committed a limited breach of a "duty of candor," shifting all litigation expenses to him was unwarranted.

  • July 10, 2026

    FCC Floats $200K In Fines Over 'Covered List' Probes

    The Federal Communications Commission proposed fines Friday against eight companies for allegedly failing to answer letters inquiring about whether they sought to market devices in the U.S. that are restricted for national security reasons.

  • July 10, 2026

    Iran War Has 'Severely Disrupted' Fertilizer Trade, WTO Says

    The war in Iran has "severely disrupted" trade in fertilizers like urea and phosphate, raising concerns that agricultural yields could fall and food prices could rise, the World Trade Organization said Friday.

  • July 10, 2026

    US-Canada Stalemate Expected To Hold Amid USMCA Review

    The trade stalemate between the U.S. and Canada is likely to continue through a drawn-out review process for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, though companies will benefit from an underlying level of stability as the deal remains in effect, trade lawyers said.

  • July 10, 2026

    9/11 Families Cleared To Pursue Iran-Linked Crypto Assets

    Families of 9/11 victims seeking to satisfy default judgments against Iran can move forward with efforts to seize $344 million in frozen Tether cryptocurrency assets that U.S. sanctions authorities linked to the country, a New York federal court ruled.

  • July 09, 2026

    Feds Seek Stay In Soldier's Maduro Raid Betting Civil Suit

    Federal prosecutors urged a New York federal judge to halt a civil lawsuit accusing a U.S. Army sergeant of profiting from Polymarket bets he made about Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's capture after helping plan the raid, while parallel criminal proceedings play out.

  • July 09, 2026

    Judge Urged To Deny Transfer Of SpaceX Land-Swap Suit

    Environmental groups urged a D.C. federal judge to reject an attempt by SpaceX and the federal government to transfer the groups' lawsuit challenging a land-exchange deal to Texas, saying the deal was reviewed and approved by officials and lawmakers in D.C.

  • July 09, 2026

    6 Questions For NGSO Satellite Advocate David Redl

    Non-geostationary orbit satellites are at the forefront of the new space race, and David Redl, the executive director of the new SpaceConnect Association, wants to make sure decision-makers on the national and global scenes craft policies that match the industry's frenetic pace.

  • July 09, 2026

    Orbital Data Centers Pose Environmental Risks, FCC Warned

    Groups aimed at combatting pollution have urged the Federal Communications Commission to assess the environmental effects of low-orbit, satellite-based data centers before issuing any licenses for such projects, saying existing proposals "describe their plans in grandiose, civilization-changing terms."

  • July 09, 2026

    Safran On The Hook For $1.7M Pension Exit Bill, For Now

    A New York federal judge ruled Thursday that aerospace giant Safran must immediately pay off its $1.7 million withdrawal liability bill to the National Retirement Fund, even though the parties are currently in arbitration battling out whether the company can be held responsible for the payment.

  • July 09, 2026

    Blue Origin's Valuation Soars To $130B, Plus More Rumors

    Blue Origin's valuation hit $130 billion after a $10 billion funding round; state lawyers are finalizing an antitrust lawsuit related to Paramount's planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery; and Fiserv is considering selling its payments infrastructure business to U.S. banking giants.

  • July 09, 2026

    GAO Backs Navy Bid Rejection Over Small-Biz Share

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the Navy reasonably rejected an incumbent contractor's $113 million proposal to support the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division after finding it wouldn't steer enough of the deal to small businesses.

  • July 09, 2026

    WTO, IMF, World Bank, IEA Cite Uneven Iran War Toll

    The ongoing war in Iran sharply raised energy and fertilizer prices when it began, and although those prices have dropped, the conflict continues to fuel significant trade volatility, according to a joint statement issued by the leaders of four global economic rule-setting bodies.

  • July 08, 2026

    DOD Urged To Clarify Foreign Owner Rule For Contract Bidders

    Government contract attorneys and procurement advocacy groups have expressed concern over the Pentagon's move to expand foreign ownership disclosure requirements to 38,000 contractors, saying that the proposal could delay acquisitions and that its carveout for commercial contractors lacks clarity.

  • July 08, 2026

    FCC Says OK To New Foreign Investors In IHeart Radio

    The Federal Communications Commission has already given auto industry bigwig iHeartMedia Inc. permission to be partially owned by some foreign investors, but the company is looking to increase that number, and the agency has just given it the green light.

  • July 08, 2026

    US To Pay Anchorage $180M To End 12-Year Port Upgrade Suit

    The federal government will pay $180 million to the city of Anchorage, Alaska, to settle the municipality's more than decade-old lawsuit accusing the U.S. Maritime Administration of breaching contractual agreements related to a failed Port of Alaska expansion and upgrade project, the parties have announced.

  • July 08, 2026

    FCC Using AI To Modernize Operations, Says Top Legal Aide

    While the Federal Communications Commission is emerging as a key federal agency tackling artificial intelligence policy, the FCC itself is taking advantage of the technology to make its operations run more smoothly, a top official says.

  • July 08, 2026

    Archer Looks To Toss Remainder Of Joby's Trade Secret Suit

    Archer Aviation has asked a California federal judge to throw out what's left of rival electric air taxi-maker Joby Aviation's trade secret suit, saying Joby had ignored the court's instructions to proceed with narrowed claims and instead tried to expand its allegations without adding more substance.

  • July 08, 2026

    DHS Says Tribe Has No Veto Over Arizona Border Wall

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with the backing of Arizona's top legislative leaders, is seeking to dismiss the Tohono O'odham Nation's bid to block construction of 62 miles of border wall, arguing it's well within its authority to build the structure to address national and public safety threats.

  • July 08, 2026

    Immigration Board Rejects Asylum Tied To Conscription

    The Board of Immigration Appeals said a fear of conscription alone was not enough to establish that a Russian man was a refugee facing persecution in his home country, overturning an immigration judge's decision that granted him asylum.

  • July 08, 2026

    Trump Threatens To Cut Spanish Relations Over Defense Rift

    President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to cut off relations entirely with Spain, calling the country an unreliable partner during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

  • July 08, 2026

    FCC Cuts Space License Backlog In Half, Bureau Chief Says

    The Federal Communications Commission has cut a backlog of applications for space-based industry licenses by more than half since adopting an "assembly line" approach to clearing paperwork, the agency's top official on space policy said Wednesday.

  • July 08, 2026

    EU Parliament Approves Mexico Trade Agreement

    The European Parliament approved two pieces of legislation to implement the modernized trade agreement between the bloc and Mexico on Wednesday.

  • July 08, 2026

    Trump's SDNY Pick Steps In As Clayton Focuses On DC

    U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's pick to succeed him, James McDonald, will assume a leadership role as Clayton works on his own nomination for director of national intelligence in Washington.

  • July 08, 2026

    Nadine Menendez Loses Bid To Delay Prison For Surgery

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday denied Nadine Menendez's request to postpone her prison surrender by more than three months so she could complete breast cancer-related reconstructive surgeries, rejecting the request after a telephone conference with the parties.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • New Cuba Sanctions Raise Risks For Foreign Banks, Cos.

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    President Donald Trump's bold move leveling secondary sanctions against Cuba expands enforcement risk for foreign banks and companies with no U.S. nexus, signaling that non-U.S. businesses should reassess related transactions, counterparties and exposure as regulators test this broader authority, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • How Cos. Can Navigate Iran Sanctions Risks In China

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    For multinational financial institutions and other companies caught between the U.S. and China’s competing compliance regimes as they relate to Iranian oil, finding a path forward will require careful, jurisdiction-specific analysis, say attorneys at Perkins Coie and Ashurst.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

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    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • DOJ's FCA Data-Miner Focus Raises Compliance Stakes

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    A new U.S. Department of Justice initiative aims to help its Civil Division better vet False Claims Act suits brought by data-mining whistleblowers, signaling that data-driven qui tam enforcement is a priority and making it increasingly important for attorneys and companies to bolster compliance, documentation and internal data monitoring, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Legal Risks Rise As Construction-Site Drone Use Soars

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    Construction companies using drones face mounting legal risks as Federal Aviation Administration compliance requirements tighten, remote identification capabilities expand and proposed rules move toward organizational accountability, making it crucial to update contracts, schedules, safety protocols and data-governance practices now to avoid future liability, say attorneys at Cozen.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Notice, Timeliness, Jurisdiction

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    Three recent cases from the Armed Service Board of Contract Appeals provide insights about the impact of defects in a government notice of appeal rights, timeliness exceptions and limits on the board's jurisdiction to enforce a settlement agreement, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Binance Win Shows Constraints On Anti-Terrorism Act Claims

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    The Southern District of New York's recent ruling in Troell v. Binance illustrates that the Second Circuit's earlier decision in Ashley v. Deutsche Bank is holding weight with courts, and companies facing aiding and abetting risk should thus monitor evolving case law and assess exposure based on nexus allegations, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Understanding The Insider Trading Gap In Prediction Markets

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    While the first-ever insider trading indictment involving a prediction market — the recent prosecution of a service member involved in the capture of Nicolás Maduro — comprised extreme facts and straightforward legal theories, future cases will test the bounds of insider trading law, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

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    While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.

  • Rightsizing Regulation To Usher In Next-Generation Nuclear

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    Next-generation nuclear seems to be having its moment as a recent flurry of Nuclear Regulatory Commission rulemaking aims to fast-track the licensing and deployment of such technologies, says Hilary Jacobs at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Expect US Enforcers' Cartel Crackdown To Continue

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    Since agencies’ coordinated enforcement efforts targeting cartel-related activity have not slowed, U.S. companies in Latin America should assess new business lines for designated-cartel ties, scrutinize highest-risk third parties, and enhance training and internal investigation practices, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • The Ethics And Practicalities Of Representing AI Agents

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    With autonomous artificial intelligence agents now able to take action without explicit instructions from — or the awareness of — their human owners, the bar must confront whether existing frameworks like informed consent and client privilege will be sufficient on the day an AI agent calls seeking counsel, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • FCC Rule Changes Could Accelerate The Space Economy

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    A series of recently proposed Federal Communications Commission rulemakings that would expand opportunities for commercial space and satellite operations signal a regulatory shift toward greater flexibility, faster processing and more deliberate spectrum planning for space-adjacent and emergent space activities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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