Environmental

  • January 23, 2026

    Green, Tribal Orgs. Fear Utah Lawmaker 'Attack' On Monument

    Environmental and tribal groups have warned that Utah's Republican members of Congress are planning to launch an "attack" against the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument as they seek to overturn a resource management plan designed to protect the public land as an ecological and cultural resource.

  • January 23, 2026

    $7B Grain Belt Power Line Project Can Move Forward In Ill.

    The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday allowed Grain Belt Express LLC to move forward with plans to stretch a high-voltage direct current transmission line across nine southern Illinois counties as part of a $7 billion power supply project, reversing a lower court that said the company behind the project hadn't properly shown that it could finance it.

  • January 23, 2026

    Enviros Seek Quick Win In Mont. National Forest Logging Row

    A group of environmental nonprofits is asking a federal district court for a summary judgment win in their challenge to a plan to clear-cut 12,331 acres in Montana's Flathead National Forest, saying the project's biological opinion does not reflect the litany of construction that is already underway adjacent to the property.

  • January 23, 2026

    Ill. Justices Deem Permits 'Irrelevant' To Pollution Exclusion

    Whether emissions are allowed under a permit is "irrelevant" when determining whether a commercial general liability policy's pollution exclusion applies to a claim made over those emissions, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Friday.

  • January 22, 2026

    Smucker Pet Food Buyers Win Cert. In PFAS Disclosure Fight

    A California federal judge certified Thursday a class of Golden State consumers who accuse The J.M. Smucker Co. of failing to disclose risks of so-called PFAS forever chemicals in certain pet food packaging, rejecting Smucker's arguments, among others, that PFAS exposure is too individualized for classwide resolution.

  • January 22, 2026

    Transportation Cases To Watch In 2026

    Clashes over the scope of federal preemption in personal injury cases involving freight brokers and motor carriers, the Trump administration's gutting of Biden-era vehicle emissions standards and cuts to states' transportation and infrastructure funding are among the court battles that transportation attorneys are monitoring in 2026.

  • January 22, 2026

    Fla. Archaeologist Says Stolen Artifact Claims Ruined Career

    A Florida archaeologist filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against a Maryland nonprofit and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official, alleging she damaged his reputation and ruined his career with false claims that he trafficked stolen Native American human remains. 

  • January 22, 2026

    SpaceX Eyes IPO, Spirit Mulls PE Owner, And Other Rumors

    Elon Musk's SpaceX is putting together a group of Wall Street investment banks for a potential IPO, Spirit Airlines is in talks with investment firm Castlelake to help lead it out of bankruptcy, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks to the Middle East to potentially raise tens of billions of dollars. 

  • January 22, 2026

    Fla. Must Provide Everglades Detention Center Funding Docs

    A state judge on Thursday ordered the Florida Division of Emergency Management to fulfill a records request from an environmental group related to a federal grant that funded an immigration detention center in the Everglades.

  • January 22, 2026

    Judge Expands Block On Trump's Grant Restrictions

    A Washington federal judge agreed to broaden a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration over its political restrictions for using over $12 billion worth of federal grants, expanding the block to cover additional plaintiffs who were added to the suit.

  • January 22, 2026

    FERC Commissioners Back Fed-State Push For PJM Changes

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday backed plans from the Trump administration, state governors and PJM Interconnection to address escalating power prices amid data center-fueled increases in electricity demand, and encouraged the nation's largest grid operator to promptly submit policy proposals.

  • January 22, 2026

    Md. Judge Keeps Ship Manager Liability Shield Bid Alive

    A Maryland federal judge Thursday allowed the manager of the container ship that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge to press ahead, for now, with its request to invoke a nearly two-centuries-old maritime law to limit its liability for the 2024 wreck.

  • January 22, 2026

    AGs Target Investor Advocacy Group As 'Climate Cartel'

    A group of state attorneys general led by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a warning letter Wednesday to climate advocacy organization Ceres claiming concerns about violations of antitrust and consumer protection laws.

  • January 22, 2026

    Golf Club Says Allianz Unit Owes $2.2M In Hurricane Coverage

    An Allianz unit acted in bad faith when refusing to pay nearly $2.3 million in coverage for damages caused by Hurricane Helene, a private golf club alleged in a suit removed to North Carolina federal court.

  • January 22, 2026

    Washington Drops $9M Climate Fund Suit Against NOAA

    Washington state dropped its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce after a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from withholding more than $9 million meant to shore up the state's resiliency to climate change.

  • January 22, 2026

    2 Firms Advise Energy Infrastructure Co.'s Go-Public Deal

    Utility-scale energy infrastructure developer Hecate Energy Group said Thursday that it is set to become a public company valued at $1.2 billion under a merger advised by Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP and Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP.

  • January 21, 2026

    BP Says Wash. Residents' 'Noxious Odors' Class Claims Stink

    A BP unit facing a proposed class action over oil refinery fumes urged a Washington federal judge to flush the suit, arguing that the plaintiffs' proposed class definition is flawed because individual residents would be affected differently based on wind direction, distance from the facility and other factors.

  • January 21, 2026

    Firm Seeks To Toss Suit Alleging Hurricane Claim Fee Scheme

    A law firm urged a Louisiana federal court Wednesday to toss a proposed class action over an alleged scheme to collect exorbitant fees on hurricane-related property insurance claims, saying the complaint fails to plead a certifiable class and involves a "smorgasbord" of individualized legal malpractice claims.

  • January 21, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Judge Wrongly Blocked Trump Grant Freeze

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday wiped out a federal district judge's order restoring 32 congressionally funded grants frozen by the Trump administration, saying it's a contractual matter for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to decide.

  • January 21, 2026

    Cloover Raises $1.22B Via Series A, Debt Facility

    Cloover announced Wednesday that the green fintech company raised $22 million via a Series A equity financing as well as a $1.2 billion debt facility from a leading European bank, guided by Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. 

  • January 21, 2026

    Okla. Tribes Challenge Bid To Dismiss Hunting Rights Suit

    Three tribal nations are fighting a motion by Oklahoma to dismiss their challenge that looks to block the prosecution of Native Americans for hunting and fishing on tribal lands, telling the court that the state's Ex parte Young doctrine arguments are "not colorable."

  • January 21, 2026

    Businesses Seek OK On $436M Toyota Forklift Emissions Deal

    A proposed class of businesses is asking a California federal court to give the go-ahead on a $436 million settlement with Toyota Industries Corp. and its material handling affiliates in a suit that alleged the company misled them on their forklift and construction engine emissions.

  • January 21, 2026

    Los Alamos Cleanup Co. Hit With Retaliation Suit For Firings

    Two former employees of a company owned by Huntington Ingalls Industries and BWX Technologies that was tapped for a $2.1 billion contamination cleanup contract at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico have alleged in federal court they were unlawfully terminated after raising concerns about safety, employment and billing practices.

  • January 21, 2026

    11th Circ. Urged To Deny Inclusion Of Everglades Center Docs

    The Trump administration and Florida's emergency management agency have urged the Eleventh Circuit to not supplement the appellate record with their communications on federal funding relating to the new immigration detention facility in the Everglades, arguing the documents are immaterial.

  • January 21, 2026

    US Says Utah Tribe Lacks Injury Claim In $16M Clean Air Deal

    The federal government is asking the Tenth Circuit to deny the Ute Tribe's appeal to overturn a lower court's denial of its intervention to challenge a $16 million Clean Air Act consent decree, arguing that the Utah Indigenous nation can't identify any cognizable injury.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • How Courts Are Addressing The Use Of AI In Discovery

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    In recent months, several courts have issued opinions on handling discovery issues involving artificial intelligence, which collectively offer useful insights on integrating AI into discovery and protecting work product in connection with AI prompts and outputs, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • How Justices' Ruling On NEPA Reviews Is Playing Out

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court's May decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, narrowing the scope of agencies' required reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, the effects of the ruling are starting to become visible in the actions of lower courts and the agencies themselves, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Deep-Sea Mining Outlook Murky, But May Be Getting Clearer

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    U.S. companies interested in accessing deep-sea mineral resources face uncertainty over new federal regulations and how U.S. policy may interact with pending international agreements — but a Trump administration executive order and provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act should help bring clarity, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • Tips For US Investors Eyeing Middle East Data Centers

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    While Middle East data center investment presents a compelling opportunity in light of renewed U.S.-Gulf cooperation on artificial intelligence and critical technologies, these projects require a nuanced understanding of regional legal and regulatory regimes, says Haykel Hajjaji at Covington.

  • New DOJ Penalty Policy Could Spell Trouble For Cos.

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice’s recently published guidance making victim relief a core condition of coordinated resolution crediting, companies facing parallel investigations must carefully calibrate their negotiation strategies to minimize the risk of duplicative penalties, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Clean Energy Tax Changes Cut Timelines, Add Red Tape

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    With its dramatic changes to energy tax credits, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reshape project financing and investment planning — and wind and solar developers, especially those in the early stages of projects, face stricter timelines and heightened compliance challenges, says Dan Ruth at Balch & Bingham.

  • 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.

  • Trump Air Emissions Carveouts Cloud The Regulatory Picture

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    President Donald Trump's new proclamations temporarily exempting key U.S. industries from air toxics standards, issued under a narrow, rarely-used provision of the Clean Air Act, will likely lead to legal challenges and tighter standards in some states, contributing to further regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • How Property Insurers Serve As Climate Change Harbingers

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    Thomas Dawson at McDermott discusses the role that U.S. property insurers may play in identifying and assessing climate risk, as well as in financing climate change adaptation projects, in light of global warming and shifting geopolitical realities.

  • 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.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Deep Dive Into 14 Nixed Gensler-Era SEC Rule Proposals

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month formally withdrew 14 notices of proposed rulemaking, including several significant and widely criticized proposals that had been issued under former Chair Gary Gensler's leadership, signaling a clear and definitive shift away from the previous administration, say attorneys at Dechert.

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