Environmental

  • December 17, 2025

    Philly Agency Sued Over Police Officers' Brain Cancer

    A public development corporation in Philadelphia has been sued by a city police officer and the estates of two deceased officers who developed brain cancer allegedly from toxic chemicals present in a converted Army building used as the police department's narcotics unit headquarters.

  • December 17, 2025

    Biggest Colorado Cases Of 2025

    In 2025, a Colorado federal judge blocked U.S. immigration agents from conducting warrantless arrests in the state without determining probable cause. Elsewhere, Colorado's justices articulated for the first time the burden of proof required for plaintiffs bringing tort cases against public entities. And Xcel Energy agreed to pay $640 million to settle claims that it caused or contributed to the state's 2021 Marshall Fire. Here's a look at some of the biggest decisions and cases that affected the state this year.

  • December 17, 2025

    Zurich Owes $130M For Helene Damage, NC Mining Co. Says

    A quartz mining company has sued a Zurich insurer to recover $130 million for property damage and business interruption losses stemming from Hurricane Helene, saying the insurer has stonewalled for over a year and improperly tried to limit coverage to $28 million.

  • December 17, 2025

    Mich. Tribe Fights Feds' High Court Protest In Fishing Suit

    The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians says four of its fellow Michigan tribes and the federal government are "conjuring vehicle problems" from a dispute over a decades-old Great Lakes fishing compact, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that none of their arguments warrant denying its petition.

  • December 16, 2025

    Insurers Seek Redo After $80.7M Factory Fire Verdict

    Insurers ACE and General Security Indemnity Co. of Arizona asked a South Carolina federal court to wipe an $80.7 million jury verdict against them in a case over business interruption losses suffered by an aluminum supplier after a fire, arguing the verdict is flawed.

  • December 16, 2025

    States Sue Trump Admin To Restart EV Infrastructure Funds

    Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration in Washington federal court on Tuesday in an effort to stop the U.S. government from blocking billions of dollars in congressionally approved funds meant to expand the country's electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

  • December 16, 2025

    Enviro Org.: 'Radioactive Road' Completion Doesn't Moot Suit

    The Mosaic Co.'s completion of a road that contains radioactive phosphogypsum doesn't mean a legal challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval is moot, the Center for Biological Diversity told the Eleventh Circuit on Monday.

  • December 16, 2025

    PVC Pipe Buyers Defend Price-Fix Conspiracy Claims

    Polyvinyl chloride pipe purchasers say they've alleged more than enough to show a Chicago federal judge that certain manufacturers participated in a plausible and illegal price-fixing conspiracy, urging the court to let their consolidated action proceed to discovery.

  • December 16, 2025

    US, Red States Ask Court To Void Vt. Climate Superfund Law

    The U.S. government and a group of red states on Tuesday asked a federal court to void Vermont's climate Superfund law, saying the statute exceeds the state's powers over air pollution.

  • December 16, 2025

    CFTC Drops Spoofing Case Against Texas Energy Trader

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has agreed to drop a lawsuit claiming a Houston-based energy trading firm manipulated the crude oil market, an outcome the firm hailed as "full and definitive vindication" on Monday.

  • December 16, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Tribal Members' Park Access Claims Are Moot

    A Fifth Circuit panel won't block the restoration of a San Antonio park over two Native American church members' objections, saying there is no evidence to support their claims that the Texas city refused to try to accommodate their religious practices.

  • December 16, 2025

    ConocoPhillips Wants Say In Alaskan Oil Project Dispute

    A subsidiary of ConocoPhillips has asked the Alaska federal court for permission to intervene in a lawsuit challenging its exploration of the National Petroleum Reserve, arguing its economic interests would be threatened if the project opponents succeed in getting its permits revoked.

  • December 15, 2025

    Chemical Processing Co. Admits To Polluting Cape Fear

    Chemical processing company American Distillation Inc. pled guilty to knowingly discharging tert-butyl alcohol and other pollutants into the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, according to a Monday press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

  • December 15, 2025

    Groups Challenge FERC's Texas Natural Gas Project Approval

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was hit with a lawsuit on Monday over its approval of a natural gas project in Texas, with the Sierra Club, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network and the city of Port Isabel, Texas, alleging the agency used a flawed analysis to assess the polluting effect of the project.

  • December 15, 2025

    Airplane Hangar Owner Seeks $1.4M From AIG In Hail Dispute

    The owner of several Dallas-area airplane hangars is suing an AIG unit for at least $1.4 million in coverage for hail damage, saying the insurer wrongfully determined the hail caused only cosmetic damage based on a biased engineering report.

  • December 15, 2025

    IRS Finalizes Tribal Welfare, Energy Direct Pay Rules

    The IRS finalized a pair of long-awaited tribal regulations Monday governing a taxable income exclusion for welfare benefits and classifying certain tribe-owned entities as tax-exempt to allow them to directly monetize tax credits for clean energy projects.

  • December 15, 2025

    Beyond Nuclear Pushes Justices To Undo Storage License

    The nonprofit seeking to stop the U.S. Department of Energy from contracting out nuclear waste storage hit back at the contractor's bid to keep the case out of the U.S. Supreme Court, saying the contractor's own brief supports the nonprofit's position.

  • December 15, 2025

    Fishery Says NY, NJ Wind Project 'Obliterated' Fishing Area

    A Garden State fishery has sued the owner of the Empire Offshore Wind project in New Jersey federal court, alleging that it has "completely and permanently obliterated" the ability to harvest shellfish in the project area and caused it more $25 million in damages.

  • December 15, 2025

    Real Estate Biz Seeks $8.6M Coverage For Rockslide Net

    A real estate development firm alleged that its insurer wrongfully denied $8.6 million in coverage for netting to protect its property from a falling-rock wall after repeated incidents, telling a New Jersey federal court the insurer is misconstruing its policy to deny coverage.

  • December 15, 2025

    Midwest Businesses Drop Trash-Fee Collection Scheme Suit

    Michigan, Ohio and Indiana-based businesses agreed Monday to drop their claims that waste disposal companies breached contracts by charging tens of millions of dollars in excess trash collection fees.

  • December 12, 2025

    Lockheed Martin Must Face Parents' Suit Over Birth Defects

    A Florida federal judge said Friday that Lockheed Martin Corp. must face claims from three families that allege chemicals produced at a research and development facility contaminated the surrounding environment and caused birth defects in their children.

  • December 12, 2025

    National Trust Sues To Halt Trump's Ballroom Construction

    The National Trust for Historic Preservation asked a D.C. federal judge to stop construction on a White House ballroom until Trump administration officials complete mandatory review processes that they blew off before unilaterally razing the East Wing to make room for the structure.

  • December 12, 2025

    Mich. Judge Won't Limit Evidence At Dam Collapse Trial

    A Michigan state judge has rejected the state's and residents' attempts to limit what evidence a jury will hear in a January trial on Michigan's liability for the collapse of a privately owned dam that unleashed widespread flooding.

  • December 12, 2025

    Steel Co. Strikes Pollution Deal, Resolving Enforcement Suit

    A Chicago steel forging facility will upgrade its pollution control systems to settle claims it violated its air quality permit and state environmental law, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said Friday.

  • December 12, 2025

    Judge Vacates Montana Logging Plan Over Wildlife Risks

    A Montana federal court judge vacated a U.S. Forest Service plan to log more than 16,500 acres in the Custer Gallatin National Forest, saying its failure to consider future impacts on grizzly bears and Canada lynx was arbitrary and capricious.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being A Professional Wrestler Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pursuing my childhood dream of being a professional wrestler has taught me important legal career lessons about communication, adaptability, oral advocacy and professionalism, says Christopher Freiberg at Midwest Disability.

  • Restored Charging Project Funds Revive Hope For EV Market

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    While 2025 began with a host of government actions that prompted some to predict the demise of the U.S. electric vehicle market, the Trump administration's recent restoration of federal funding for EV charging infrastructure under new terms presents market participants with reason for optimism, says Levi McAllister at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Adapting To The Age Of AI

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    Though law school may not have specifically taught us how to use generative artificial intelligence to help with our daily legal tasks, it did provide us the mental building blocks necessary for adapting to this new technology — and the judgment to discern what shouldn’t be automated, says Pamela Dorian at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Voiding $2M Litigation Funding Sends A Warning

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    A recent Texas bankruptcy court decision that a postconfirmation litigation trust has no obligations to repay a completely drawn down $2 million litigation funding agreement serves as a warning for estate administrators and funders to properly disclose the intended financing, say attorneys at Kleinberg Kaplan.

  • Demystifying The Civil Procedure Rules Amendment Process

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    Every year, an advisory committee receives dozens of proposals to amend the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, most of which are never adopted — but a few pointers can help maximize the likelihood that an amendment will be adopted, says Josh Gardner at DLA Piper.

  • Parenting Skills That Can Help Lawyers Thrive Professionally

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    As kids head back to school, the time is ripe for lawyers who are parents to consider how they can incorporate their parenting skills to build a deep, meaningful and sustainable legal practice, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Teaching Trial Advocacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Teaching trial advocacy skills to other lawyers makes us better litigators because it makes us question our default methods, connect to young attorneys with new perspectives and focus on the needs of the real people at the heart of every trial, say Reuben Guttman, Veronica Finkelstein and Joleen Youngers.

  • Navigating Brazil's Regulations, Incentives For Green Projects

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    Brazil's evolving environmental regulatory framework and ongoing moves to attract international capital for climate-focused projects may appeal to U.S.-based companies and investors interested in sustainable development — but taking advantage of these opportunities requires careful planning and meaningful stakeholder engagement, says Milena Angulo at Guimarães.

  • Federal AI Action Plan Marks A Shift For Health And Bio Fields

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    The Trump administration's recent artificial intelligence action plan significantly expands federal commitments across biomedical agencies, defining a pivotal moment for attorneys and others involved in research collaborations, managing regulatory compliance and AI-related intellectual property, says Mehrin Masud-Elias at Arnold & Porter.

  • Data Center Construction Trends, Challenges In Ill. And Texas

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    Data centers in Illinois and Texas are reshaping the industrial landscape, but this growth brings legal complexity, so developers, contractors and corporate legal departments must have a deep understanding of each state's legal terrain and take a proactive approach to risk management, say attorneys at Hicks Johnson.

  • 5 Key Steps To Prepare For Oral Arguments

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    Whether presenting oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court or a local county judge, effective preparation includes the same essential ingredients, from organizing arguments in blocks to maximizing the potential of mock exercises, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Definitions Of 'Waters Of The United States' Ebb And Flow

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    The issue of defining whether "waters of the United States" include streams and channels that sometimes have water and sometimes do not has been fraught since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2006 Rapanos decision, but a possible new rule may help property owners stay out of court, says Neal McAliley at Carlton Fields.

  • Unpacking A New Era of Compliance For Submarine Cables

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    After decades of operating under its old regulatory framework, the Federal Communications Commission has modernized its oversight of submarine cable infrastructure, which presents a complex array of legal and policy challenges, including heightened national security vulnerabilities, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • How Sustainability Reporting Changed In The 1st Half Of 2025

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    Sustainability reporting is evolving rapidly, with fewer S&P 500 companies publishing reports in the first half of 2025 than in the same period last year, suggesting that companies are becoming more selective and intentional about their reporting, say analysts at Orrick.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Texas AUSA To BigLaw

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    As I learned when I transitioned from an assistant U.S. attorney to a BigLaw partner, the move from government to private practice is not without its hurdles, but it offers immense potential for growth and the opportunity to use highly transferable skills developed in public service, says Jeffery Vaden at Bracewell.

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