Environmental

  • September 30, 2026

    Water Co. Escapes Consumer Protection Claim In PFAS Case

    A proposed class of Connecticut Water Co. customers who allege their drinking water was contaminated with toxic forever chemicals cannot bring a claim for unfair trade practices because they are already suing under an exclusive product liability law, a state court judge has ruled.

  • September 29, 2026

    Monsanto Starts First Roundup Trial Since High Court Ruling

    A Missouri jury heard opening arguments Tuesday in the first Roundup cancer trial since the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on the matter, with a lawyer for three plaintiffs saying Monsanto minimized decades of ominous testing, ghostwrote scientific papers and engineered a dubious EPA approval.

  • September 29, 2026

    Groups Say Calif. Biogas Credits Incentivize More Methane

    Four environmental groups accused California regulators of violating state law by allowing factory farm biogas producers to receive carbon credits — a practice they said is notionally aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions but in reality incentivizes more methane production.

  • September 29, 2026

    NHTSA Fuel Economy Regs Overhaul Crushes EV Ambitions

    The elimination of strict federal mandates for higher fuel efficiency in new cars crushes momentum for the U.S. auto industry to pivot toward alternative-powered vehicles, ensuring that manufacturers will again be caught in litigation limbo as environmental groups prepare challenges to seemingly inconsequential standards with no penalties, experts say.

  • September 29, 2026

    FCC Looking To Duck Mandamus In 2021 RF Exposure Order

    Five years after the D.C. Circuit told the FCC it needed to provide more in-depth reasoning for why it believes cellphones and other wireless devices don't pose a risk to humans, the agency is arguing it needs more time to sort out a response.

  • September 29, 2026

    Suit Accuses USDA Of Unlawfully Gutting Aid For Rural Solar

    A coalition including farm and renewable energy trade groups has accused the Trump administration of abruptly and unlawfully making most solar projects ineligible for a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and loan program created to advance renewable energy in rural areas.

  • September 29, 2026

    Ford Hybrid Engine Fire Defect Suit Gets Trimmed

    A proposed class action against Ford Motor Co. was trimmed from 11 to two plaintiffs Tuesday after a Michigan federal judge concluded that merely owning a recalled vehicle without an actual defect manifestation is insufficient to establish an injury.

  • September 29, 2026

    LA Seeks Groundwater Cleanup Costs From Manufacturers

    Los Angeles sued several manufacturers over alleged groundwater contamination from three industrial sites, saying its water department has been saddled with millions of dollars in cleanup costs in the San Fernando Basin.

  • September 29, 2026

    Colo. Says DHS, ICE Flouted Notice Laws For Detention Site

    Colorado urged a federal judge to nullify a government contract for the renovation and operation of a federal immigrant detention facility northeast of Denver, alleging Tuesday that federal agencies flouted their legal obligations to conduct an environmental analysis and to notify the public about the planned facility's environmental impact.

  • September 28, 2026

    Alito Makes Last-Minute Recusal From Colo. Climate Case

    Justice Samuel Alito on Monday recused himself from the city and county of Boulder, Colorado's climate change tort lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp. and Suncor Energy, just a week before the case is set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 28, 2026

    Wash. Can Pursue Gold Mine Pollution Claims, 9th Circ. Says

    A Ninth Circuit panel revived Washington state's Clean Water Act lawsuit against the operator of the Buckhorn Mountain gold mine Monday, reversing a district court's ruling that the state's claims were barred because of another plaintiff's settlement in the consolidated case.

  • September 28, 2026

    Lucid Investors Get Class Cert. In Production Forecast Suit

    Investors in electric-vehicle maker Lucid Group Inc. were granted class certification in their suit alleging they suffered damages when the company disclosed it was not on track to meet its 2022 vehicle output projections.

  • September 28, 2026

    Newsom Signs Calif. Pesticide PFAS Tracking Bill Into Law

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law new regulations requiring state officials to track and publicly disclose when pesticides that are used on state produce contain "forever chemicals."

  • September 28, 2026

    Insurer Gets Hotel Co.'s $12.5M Storm Loss Suit Trimmed

    A North Carolina federal court on Monday tossed a hotel group's claim that a Liberty Mutual unit committed unfair and deceptive trade practices in violation of state law after it denied the group's $12.5 million business interruption loss claim stemming from Hurricane Helene.

  • September 28, 2026

    DOT Finalizes Rollback Of Biden-Era Fuel Economy Rules

    The Trump administration on Monday finalized its rollback of Biden-era fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks, easing mandates for manufacturers to improve the miles-per-gallon efficiency of their fleets and decelerating U.S. adoption of electric vehicles.

  • September 28, 2026

    Boston Sues Over DOT Grant Cut Tied To EV Chargers

    The city of Boston brought a lawsuit in federal court Monday alleging the Trump administration canceled a $20 million road improvement grant because of electric vehicle infrastructure that was only "a fraction of 1%" of the project.

  • September 28, 2026

    FTC Touts 'Dismantling' Of Corteva's Pesticide Rebates

    The Federal Trade Commission on Monday touted its new settlement with Corteva Inc. for severely constricting the pesticide company's ability to pay distributors a loyalty rebate in exchange for limiting sales of cheaper generics, the latest in a string of agreements Trump-era antitrust enforcers have struck ending existing claims.

  • September 28, 2026

    US Pitches $2.1M Settlement For Hess Permit Violations

    The Trump administration has asked a Louisiana federal judge to approve a $2.1 million settlement agreement with Hess Corp. for hundreds of alleged permit violations at oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico over a five-year span.

  • September 28, 2026

    Nebraska Utility Seeks To Lift Block On Power Line Permit

    The Nebraska Public Power District is asking a Colorado district court to dissolve an order that partially blocked the federal government's approval of a 226-mile, 345-kilovolt electricity transmission line in the Nebraska Sandhills, saying a supplemental memo now explains why the project is an essential response to an energy emergency.

  • September 25, 2026

    Corteva Will Pay $35M To Resolve FTC Pesticide Rebate Case

    Corteva Inc. has agreed to pay $35 million to put to rest allegations from the Federal Trade Commission and a slew of states that the pesticide-maker blocked competition from generic rivals through the use of loyalty rebates, according to a motion filed in North Carolina federal court Friday.

  • September 25, 2026

    X.AI Sued Over Memphis-Area Data Center Noise

    Elon Musk's Colossus data centers and other xAI-operated facilities are "wreaking havoc" on Memphis-area communities, according to a federal lawsuit filed by homeowners who claim they are "plagued by excessive and offensive noise" at all hours.

  • September 25, 2026

    Okla. Meat Processor Stinks, Neighbors Say

    Residents of a small town in Oklahoma say they are being "physically invaded by noxious odors" wafting from a meat processing plant owned by ESRO Food Group, according to a proposed federal class action lawsuit that claims the smell has harmed more than 1,300 nearby homes.

  • September 25, 2026

    Tribes Say Gold Mine Spill Study 'Still Falls Very Short'

    A court-ordered federal study says a hypothetical major waste spill at a proposed Alaska gold mine could leave parts of a nearby village uninhabitable and cause lasting harm to fish habitat, but tribal opponents say the analysis still does not show the full extent of the danger.

  • September 25, 2026

    US To Appeal Calif. Wind Farm's $49.4M In Cash Grants

    The federal government will appeal the U.S. Court of Federal Claims' July approval of $49.4 million in additional renewable energy cash grants to the country's second-largest wind farm, which has been embroiled in a decade-old dispute over the funds, according to a filing Friday.

  • September 25, 2026

    Driscoll's Hit With NY Suit Over Alleged PFAS On Berries

    A consumer on Thursday hit California-based Driscoll's Inc. with a proposed class action in New York federal court, alleging the berry-producing giant failed to disclose the presence of PFAS residue from pesticides on its strawberries.

Expert Analysis

  • 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​​​​​​​.

  • The Growing Importance Of Nature-Related Disclosures

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    The International Sustainability Standards Board's recent vote to develop nonmandatory nature‑related disclosure guidance reduces immediate compliance pressure, but it does not eliminate the practical relevance of such risks for companies that already prepare sustainability reports or operate across jurisdictions with differing expectations, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year included reminders about the statute of limitations as a key defense for claims relating to allegedly deficient forms, the importance of focus on the specific contract at issue and further guidance on the contours of Rule 23, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • Series

    Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

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