Environmental

  • September 25, 2026

    WTO To Weigh Russian Claim EU Carbon Levy Breaks Rules

    The World Trade Organization said Friday it will consider Russia's challenge that the European Union's carbon import levy poses significant trade barriers despite the bloc's protest that it is unreasonable to treat seriously a complaint raised by a member waging a war of aggression.

  • September 25, 2026

    Insurer Owes Fla. Condo $1.4M For Irma Damage, Interest

    A Florida federal judge said an insurer must pay about $1.4 million to a condominium association to fulfill an appraisal award for property damage from Hurricane Irma, finding the insurer must also pay prejudgment interest on the remaining balance.

  • September 25, 2026

    V&E Guides Energy Sector Water Solutions Biz On $700M Buy

    Vinson & Elkins LLP is representing Select Water Solutions on its agreement to acquire private water infrastructure company Pilot Water Solutions for $700 million in cash and stock.

  • September 24, 2026

    Bid For Conn. High Court Help Turned Down By PFAS Judge

    A Connecticut federal judge has, for now, declined a request seeking to ask the state's high court to determine whether state law allows for a medical monitoring remedy for firefighters who suffered forever-chemicals exposure from their protective gear that was manufactured with chemicals provided by 3M, DuPont and others.

  • September 24, 2026

    PE Funds Use AI To Tailor Strategies Amid Heavy Competition

    Almost all U.S. private equity firms expect artificial intelligence to fundamentally change their investment strategies, according to a new BDO survey, as funds apply the technology across every stage of the deal cycle, from deal sourcing to diligence.

  • September 24, 2026

    Texas Utility Commission Looks To Quash Coal Subpoena

    The Public Utility Commission of Texas is pushing back against a subpoena issued by BlackRock in a suit from Republican state attorneys general accusing asset managers of driving up coal prices by pressuring producers to lower their output to meet emission reduction goals.

  • September 24, 2026

    EPA Cuts Deal To Partially Settle U. Of Calif. Grant Fight

    University of California researchers urged a California federal judge Wednesday to preliminarily sign off on their proposed deal to resolve claims against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in broader litigation challenging the Trump administration's termination of thousands of UC grants.

  • September 24, 2026

    Pipeline Groups Say Enbridge Ruling Weakens Tribal Deals

    Two oil and gas industry groups have urged the Seventh Circuit to reconsider part of its ruling that Enbridge Energy is trespassing on Wisconsin tribal lands, arguing that the decision could make long-term pipeline agreements with tribes less reliable.

  • September 23, 2026

    Nestle Asks Justices To Review 'Sustainable' Cocoa Classes

    Nestle asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a divided Ninth Circuit decision upholding class certification of millions of consumers who bought chocolate labeled "sustainably sourced" in a lawsuit claiming the chocolate is produced through child labor and deforestation.

  • September 23, 2026

    NY's Landmark Climate Change Superfund Blocked Again

    Another New York federal judge on Wednesday agreed with the federal government that the Empire State overstepped its authority with its Climate Change Superfund Act, the second such ruling on the state's landmark attempt to collect payments from fossil fuel companies to fund climate change mitigation efforts.

  • September 23, 2026

    Bio-Lab Hit With Another Proposed Class Suit Over 2024 Fire

    Chlorine products company Bio-Lab and a private equity firm are facing another proposed class action in Atlanta federal court over injuries and property damage the suit said were caused by a September 2024 chemical explosion and fire at a Bio-Lab plant.

  • September 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Grounds Suit Over Wash. Airport Flight Path Pollution

    A Ninth Circuit panel said Wednesday that a provision of the Clean Air Act limiting state regulation of aircraft emissions is enough to extinguish a group of Washington residents' proposed class action against Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's operator over alleged flight path pollution.

  • September 23, 2026

    Judge Won't Block Feds' Land Exchange With SpaceX

    SpaceX and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can proceed with their planned land swap after a Texas federal judge determined that the groups challenging the deal failed to show that their members would suffer irreparable injury as a result of the exchange.

  • September 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Rehear Klamath Project ESA Ruling

    The Ninth Circuit said Wednesday it won't disturb a divided three-judge panel's ruling affirming that a federal regulator must abide by the Endangered Species Act's interagency consultation requirements as it operates a water management project in northern California and southern Oregon.

  • September 23, 2026

    Data Center Co. Says It Was Misled By Texas Land Seller

    A developer accused a property seller in Texas federal court of obscuring how much of its land was dedicated to oil and gas development, claiming the energy operations are impeding a multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence data center project.

  • September 23, 2026

    Fla. Panel Won't Hear City's Immunity Bid In Partnership Suit

    A Florida state appellate panel issued a split decision on Wednesday dismissing a bid by a city to overturn an order striking its motion to argue for immunity in a lawsuit over a public-private partnership to build a green waste facility near protected wetlands, saying it lacks jurisdiction. 

  • September 23, 2026

    NY Judge Dismisses States' DOGE Treasury Data Access Suit

    A New York federal judge Wednesday tossed several states' lawsuit that challenged Department of Government Efficiency staff access to U.S. Department of the Treasury data, saying DOGE's dissolution rendered the states' access claims moot and that they failed to allege that any federal funding due to them was ultimately canceled.

  • September 23, 2026

    Talen Energy Plant's Pa. Deal Doesn't End Pollution Suit

    A Talen Energy coal and gas power plant in York County, Pennsylvania, can't dodge an environmental group's lawsuit over contamination leaking from a coal ash impoundment near the Susquehanna River, after a federal judge rejected arguments that a state consent decree for the same impoundment barred the suit.

  • September 23, 2026

    Judge Rejects $2.5M Fees For Opt-Out Attys In Chevy Case

    A Michigan federal judge has rejected a motion from LG Chem and its affiliates for $2.5 million in fees for attorneys who had urged their clients to opt out of a $150 million settlement resolving allegations that Chevrolet Bolt batteries were defective, then to opt back in, saying the attorneys did nothing to materially improve or work toward the deal.

  • September 23, 2026

    DC Judge Rules EPA Wrongly Nixed $7B Solar Program

    A D.C. federal judge ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lacked authority to terminate a $7 billion Solar for All program and 60 grants awarded to recipients including Harris County, Texas, which challenged the termination.

  • September 23, 2026

    Matrix Chambers Adds 3 International Law Team Members

    Matrix Chambers has welcomed three members to its international law team, saying the newcomers bring expertise in the public and private spheres and in practices that include representation of senior government officials and cases involving crime, extradition and human rights.

  • September 22, 2026

    Spray Foam-Maker Says Calif. Is Forcing It To Fund Research

    Texas-based spray foam insulation manufacturer Quadrant Performance Materials has sued the California Department of Toxic Substances Control in federal court over an order the manufacturer alleges unconstitutionally conditions its ability to sell in the Golden State on subsidizing research and advocacy it does not agree with.

  • September 22, 2026

    Feds' Latest Permit For Calif. Pipeline Challenged At 9th Circ.

    Environmental groups are urging the Ninth Circuit to review Trump administration's recent decision approving operations of two coastal California oil pipeline segments, including one that was shut down for years following a 2015 oil spill, saying on Tuesday that the new permit waives key safety requirements.

  • September 22, 2026

    Hydropower Plant Needs More Monitoring, Wash. Panel Says

    A Washington appeals panel broadly upheld the state's certification of a hydroelectric power project near the Columbia River on Monday, although the court said officials need to impose additional monitoring and reporting requirements to address potential leakage into the surrounding watershed.

  • September 22, 2026

    NJ Fines Data Center $1M For 62 Unpermitted Generators

    New Jersey on Tuesday fined a data center more than $1 million after discovering dozens of large natural gas-powered generators operating without permits, the largest enforcement action ever taken against a data center in the Garden State, according to an announcement.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Regulatory Gaps May Fuel FCA Enforcement Action

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    The intersection of artificial intelligence and False Claims Act enforcement presents legal risk for government contractors across several industries, particularly in the absence of a federal regulatory framework explicitly governing its development and use, say attorneys at O’Melveny.

  • AI Agents Will Test The Bounds Of Expert Witness Rules

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    Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence does not address whether a testifying expert must be human, but as the rule’s amended admissibility framework intersects with the accelerating capabilities of agentic AI, courts may be forced to confront whether AI-generated expertise fits within existing evidentiary doctrine, says Steven Cordero at Akerman.

  • What New PFAS Rule Means For Tracking And Disclosure

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    In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's publication of its rule adding PFHxS-Na to the Toxics Release Inventory, companies should identify this substance in their facilities and supply chains, and prepare for disclosures to both regulators and the public, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

  • Reel Justice: 'Project Hail Mary' Can Aid Cross-Examination

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    In the new science fiction film, "Project Hail Mary," a character understood that survival depended on eliminating ambiguity — a useful lesson that trial lawyers can implement by asking statements that are delivered in the form of a question during cross-examination, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University.

  • AI-Proofing Class Action Notices From Pro Se Objection Surge

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    Class action practitioners should prepare for a likely surge in artificial intelligence-enabled pro se objections by implementing several practical strategies to navigate this shift, says Britany Wessan at Almeida Law Group.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • 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.

  • EPA Listing Signals New Scrutiny Of Drugs In Drinking Water

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    The recent publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest draft drinking water contaminant list highlights pharmaceuticals as a category of concern, marking the start of a process that could shape future research priorities, monitoring requirements, and federal and state actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 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.

  • Md. Justices' State Climate Tort Ban May Shape National Path

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    The Maryland Supreme Court’s recent ruling that federal law preempted state-level deceptive marketing tort claims brought by several municipalities could offer the U.S. Supreme Court a road map to use in the pending Suncor Energy v. Boulder County case to exclude states from the business of regulating global emissions, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 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.

  • 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​​​​​​​.

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