Environmental

  • May 08, 2026

    Clarity Sought On Energy Tax Credits And Foreign Debt

    The IRS should issue more guidance on what kind of debt arrangements can limit a development project's access to clean energy tax credits under new prohibited foreign entity requirements as uncertainty over financial liability and ownership becomes a major market concern, practitioners said Friday.

  • May 08, 2026

    Montana PFAS Defendants Seek 'Forum Shopping' Sanctions

    The city of Stamford, Connecticut, and a local fire district spent two years litigating a PFAS suit against 3M Co. and others before suddenly transferring their claims more than 2,000 miles away in a clear effort at forum shopping, the corporate defendants said in seeking sanctions.

  • May 08, 2026

    Don't Miss It: Paul Hastings, V&E Steer Latest Hot Deals

    A lot can happen in the world of mergers and acquisitions and equity fundraising over the course of a couple weeks, and it's difficult to keep up with all the deals.

  • May 08, 2026

    Taxation With Representation: Corrs, Kirkland, Linklaters

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, gold companies Regis Resources and Vault Minerals combine, Long Lake Management acquires American Express Global Business Travel and Vodafone buys out CK Hutchison Holdings to become the sole owner of their telecommunications joint venture.

  • May 08, 2026

    Interior Dept. Transfers 1.4M Acres To Alaska For Development

    The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced it made 1.4 million acres of federal land available to Alaska to make way for more state energy production, as part of its broader land transfer program under the Alaska Statehood Act.

  • May 07, 2026

    Blue States Say Trump Admin Can't Duck Energy Order Suit

    Blue states have urged a federal judge to keep alive their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency, saying every action that's been taken by federal agencies to fast-track nonemergency energy activities flows from that order.

  • May 07, 2026

    Insurer Owes No Coverage For Mall Pollution, Fla. Judge Says

    A Florida federal judge ruled an insurance company doesn't have to provide coverage to the owner of a California shopping center contaminated with dry cleaner chemicals, finding that benefits were properly denied under site development and pollution exclusions in the policy issued by the insurer. 

  • May 07, 2026

    NAACP Urges Miss. Judge To Turn Off XAI Gas Turbines

    The NAACP has asked a Mississippi federal judge to block X.AI Corp. from operating a battery of polluting gas turbines in the community of Southaven, asserting it has continued to add turbines to power a nearby data center rather than address permitting violations.

  • May 07, 2026

    Md. Congress Members Press Air Force For Fuel Leak Details

    Maryland's Democratic congress members asked the U.S. Air Force to explain "a notable delay" in reporting comprehensive information to state officials about a leak of 32,000 gallons of jet fuel earlier this year at Joint Base Andrews.

  • May 07, 2026

    Mich. Judge Won't Let 3M Out Of Landfill Contamination Suit

    A Michigan federal judge on Thursday denied 3M Co.'s motion to dismiss hazardous chemicals contamination claims brought by two landfill companies that say polyfluoroalkyl-laced products 3M sold to a boot maker led to pollution in the landfills' runoff.

  • May 07, 2026

    Judge Won't Pause Hawaii Climate Suit For High Court Review

    A Hawaii state judge refused to pause Honolulu's climate change lawsuit against fossil fuel companies while the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates the future of a similar case lodged by Boulder, Colorado, saying the case is not federally preempted.

  • May 07, 2026

    Child Support Debtors Get Prison Work Pay Class Certified

    Former inmates at the Lackawanna County Prison who worked at a county recycling center for just $5 per day can get their long-running lawsuit certified as a class action, albeit only for inmates who had been incarcerated solely because of missing child support payments, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Wednesday.

  • May 07, 2026

    Carbon Tax Revenues Fall Far Short Of Potential, Report Says

    Carbon taxes worldwide raised less than a third of the revenue they could have recently, weighed down by exemptions, reduced rates, compliance gaps and other carbon pricing systems carving out the tax base, the Tax Foundation said Thursday in a report.

  • May 07, 2026

    IBM Can't Dodge All PFAS Claims In NY Contamination Suit

    A New York federal judge won't let IBM Corp. entirely out of a suit from the village of Endicott alleging that the computer giant's old headquarters contaminated groundwater with forever chemicals and other pollution, only tossing claims related to one of the three wells at issue.

  • May 06, 2026

    Waste Co. Says W.Va. City Lacks Standing In PFAS Suit

    The owner of an Ohio industrial incinerator and a waste transporter hit back at a lawsuit accusing them of improperly discharging forever chemicals, saying the West Virginia city and water utility that sued them failed to allege specific injuries.

  • May 06, 2026

    Judge Questions OMB Justification For Voiding Grants

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday pushed back on arguments by the Trump administration that federal agency grants are subject to termination at any time based solely on a change in priorities — a situation, she suggested, that would essentially render any contracts with the government "illusory."

  • May 06, 2026

    Mich. Judge OK's Experts in EPA Cleanup Suit

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday rejected dueling attempts by NCR Corp. and the operator of a dam on the Kalamazoo River to knock out the other side's expert witnesses from an upcoming environmental trial over the dam operators' alleged interference with NCR's cleanup of the river.

  • May 06, 2026

    Service Members Can't Sue Gov't Over Red Hill Fuel Leak

    A Hawaii federal judge on Tuesday reluctantly dismissed service members' claims against the federal government in litigation over fuel leaks tied to a since-shuttered U.S. Navy storage facility, saying they can't sue the government for injuries connected to their military service.

  • May 06, 2026

    Advocacy Group Fights Trump Bid To End Broadband Grants

    A group advocating for wider broadband access has urged a federal judge to not toss its lawsuits challenging the cancellation of a grant program, arguing it has brought "straightforward constitutional claims."

  • May 06, 2026

    Judge May Curb Exxon Questions In Mass. Greenwash Case

    A judge hinted Wednesday that he could somewhat limit the topics ExxonMobil may broach in an upcoming deposition of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office as the energy giant defends itself from the commonwealth's greenwashing allegations.  

  • May 06, 2026

    Drilling Project Halted, For Now, Near SD Worship Site

    A South Dakota federal judge has temporarily paused a graphite drilling project near a site that tribes consider sacred, finding that Indigenous tribes and conservation nonprofits will likely show the U.S. Forest Service avoided a full environmental review by treating the multi-year project as a short-term one.

  • May 06, 2026

    Chubb Units Must Cover Environmental Contamination Claim

    Two Chubb insurers must defend an upstate New York town against a state environmental department's claim concerning a regional airport's contamination by so-called forever chemicals unless and until they can establish the claim falls outside an exception to a pollution exclusion, the Second Circuit affirmed.

  • May 06, 2026

    Ship Owner, Insurer To Pay $17M For Puerto Rico Reef Harm

    A German shipping company and a marine insurer will pay $17 million to end a dispute alleging they were liable for damage done to 7,000 square meters of coral reef off the coast of Puerto Rico when an oil tanker ran aground in 2006, according to a Puerto Rico federal judge's Tuesday order approving the agreement.

  • May 06, 2026

    Judge Tells FEMA Officials To Preserve Signal Chats

    A California federal judge has ordered Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials to preserve Signal messages tied to FEMA operations in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's restructuring efforts, citing concerns that officials used disappearing-message settings while discussing matters relevant to the case.

  • May 06, 2026

    SEC Makes First Move To Nix Biden-Era Climate Reg

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing to rescind a Biden-era requirement that publicly traded companies disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, with staff informing the Office of Management and Budget this week of the planned rescission.

Expert Analysis

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • How Justices' GEO Ruling Resets Gov't Contractor Litigation

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent GEO Group v. Menocal decision, holding that government contractors cannot immediately exit cases via interlocutory appeals, may increase litigation costs, strengthen plaintiffs' leverage in settlement negotiations and dampen the government's ability to attract bids on high-risk or sensitive projects, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Parsing Rule 12(c) Motion Overuse In Securities Class Actions

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    Defendants in securities class actions have more frequently been filing motions for judgment on the pleadings following the denial of motions to dismiss, but courts have recently demonstrated an increasing willingness to reject these previously rare motions, finding them transparent attempts to relitigate already-decided issues, say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

  • New DOD Framework Offers Key Guidance On PFAS Disposal

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    The U.S. Department of Defense's recently updated guidance on disposal of materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ends its moratorium on incineration of PFAS-containing waste, but contractors must be ready to demonstrate stringent compliance with the department's new permitting system, operational controls and data practices, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

  • Key Takeaways From The 2026 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting

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    Last week's American Bar Association Spring Meeting revealed an antitrust landscape defined by heightened friction and tension — between federal and state enforcers, domestic and international regimes, competing political visions, and traditional enforcement tools and novel challenges, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • In First For DOJ, Action Signals New CFIUS Enforcement Era

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    The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking judicial enforcement of a divestment order, an unprecedented action for the agency that ushers in a new phase for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, one in which judicial proceedings complement administrative oversight and presidential divestment orders may be enforced through litigation, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Clarifies Doc Protection Limits In Gov't Probes

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalbers v. U.S. Department of Justice confirms that Rule 6(e) provides robust protections when documents are in the government's possession only through a grand jury subpoena, emphasizing for companies the importance of careful labeling from the outset of an investigation, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

  • How Cos. Can Prepare For California's Textile Recovery Act

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    Staged implementation of California's Responsible Textile Recovery Act, establishing the state's first extended producer responsibility program for apparel and textile articles, has begun — and companies that review their data readiness, contracts and exposure risks now will be best prepared when the act comes into full effect, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.

  • Opinion

    AI Presents A Make-Or-Break Moment For Outside Counsel

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    The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by corporate legal departments is forcing a long-overdue reset of the relationship between inside and outside counsel, and introducing a significant opportunity to shed frustrating inefficiencies and strengthen collaboration for firms willing to embrace the shift, says Intel Chief Legal Officer April Miller Boise.

  • State Carbon Cost Disparities Are Pivotal In Data Center Siting

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    When choosing U.S. data center locations, developers must carefully consider the patchwork of state and regional carbon emission pricing regimes that are layered on top of the federal permitting framework, creating compliance cost differentials that could add up to billions of dollars, say attorneys at Davis Graham.

  • Series

    Watching Hallmark Movies Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I realize you may be judging me for watching, and actually enjoying, Hallmark Channel movies, but the escapism and storylines actually demonstrate qualities and actions that lead to an efficient, productive and positive legal practice, says Karen Ross at Tucker Ellis.

  • Reel Justice: 'Mercy' And Private Surveillance As Evidence

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    The near-future depicted in the film “Mercy” reminds attorneys that private surveillance networks are becoming central to the evidentiary ecosystem, shaping what prosecutors can obtain, what defendants must explain and what jurors may interpret as objective truth, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University.

  • Keys To Federal Carbon Compliance In Data Center Siting

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    Recent statements from the White House and state governors about making data centers pay for their own power infrastructure have underlined the importance of choosing locations, generation technologies and deal structures to optimize carbon, permitting and compliance costs, say attorneys at Davis Graham.

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