Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Environmental
-
May 19, 2025
DC Circ. Ponders Letting Gov't Claw Back $20B In Green Funds
The D.C. Circuit didn't seem convinced Monday morning that the Trump administration can't claw back $20 billion in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants that it's trying to cancel and divert elsewhere, hearing arguments over a preliminary injunction blocking the government from doing just that.
-
May 19, 2025
Carrier's Kidde-Fenwal Ch. 11 Deal Barred By Purdue, AGs Say
Connecticut and other states Monday objected to Carrier Global Corp.'s proposed $540 million deal releasing it from "forever chemicals" litigation liability through its ownership of bankrupt firefighting foam manufacturer Kidde-Fenwal Inc., saying the U.S. Supreme Court shot down a similar deal in drugmaker Purdue Pharma LP's bankruptcy case.
-
May 19, 2025
Interior Dept. Lifts Freeze On Empire Wind Project
The U.S. Department of the Interior has lifted its stop-work order, allowing construction to resume on the Empire Wind offshore wind energy project south of New York's Long Island, according to an announcement made Monday.
-
May 19, 2025
Chicago's Climate Deception Suit Heads Back To State Court
An Illinois federal judge has found that the city of Chicago's lawsuit looking to hold the nation's largest oil producers liable for allegedly deceiving the public about fossil fuel consumption should be litigated in state court.
-
May 19, 2025
DuPont And Garden State Clash In PFAS Trial Opener
New Jersey and E.I. du Pont de Nemours were at odds on Monday in federal court over the risks and cleanup of "forever chemical" contamination at a Salem County manufacturing facility, with the state claiming it was intentionally misled and DuPont arguing the state is changing the rules.
-
May 19, 2025
5th Circ. Says EPA Flubbed Texas Air Finding, Must Redo
A Fifth Circuit panel on Friday said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency erred in determining that two Texas counties had failed to meet air quality standards for sulfur dioxide, handing a victory to the state and Vistra Corp.
-
May 19, 2025
NC Gov. Tacks On $891M To Hurricane Recovery Plan
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Monday recommended adding $891 million to the funds earmarked for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in the western region of the state, the largest chunk of which would go toward rebuilding the economy with small business loans and tourism promotion.
-
May 19, 2025
Energy Cos. Escape Pa. County's Climate Change Suit
A Pennsylvania state judge threw out Bucks County's Big-Tobacco style lawsuit against 14 oil companies, concluding that neither Pennsylvania law nor any state law can address the greenhouse gas emissions-related claims raised in the county's complaint.
-
May 19, 2025
Squire Patton Adds Miami Litigator With In-House Experience
A former in-house attorney at NextEra Energy Resources who was most recently with Heise Suarez Melville PA moved his practice to Squire Patton Boggs LLP in Miami, the firm announced Monday.
-
May 16, 2025
9th Circ. Mulls DOJ Shield Of Jones Day VW Documents
A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday questioned whether it could force the U.S. Department of Justice to hand over confidential Volkswagen documents it obtained through a grand jury subpoena that were part of Jones Day's internal investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal.
-
May 16, 2025
Wash. Tribe Can't Ax Wildlife Refuge Protection Suit
The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington state is not a necessary party to an environmental lawsuit aimed at ensuring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service complies with rules governing the tribe's proposed aquaculture operation along the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge boundary, a federal judge has ruled.
-
May 16, 2025
Tesla Tells Justices Challenge To La. Sale Ban Should Stand
Tesla Inc. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a petition from Louisiana regulators seeking review of its case targeting the state's ban on direct sales by automakers, saying the regulators are in fact competitors who view Tesla's business model as an existential threat.
-
May 16, 2025
Green Group Says Trump Admin Stalling On Logging Records
Federal agencies are dragging their feet in response to requests for information related to how they are implementing President Donald Trump's executive order to expand logging projects in the U.S., a lawsuit filed Friday in D.C. federal court says.
-
May 16, 2025
Trump Calls On Justices To Stay Block Of Gov't Restructuring
President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to pause a California federal judge's order temporarily halting agencies from implementing an executive order to plan reorganizations and reductions in force, claiming the lower court's decision has caused confusion and wasted taxpayer dollars.
-
May 16, 2025
Pot Farm Can't Challenge Colo. Regulators' Alleged Inaction
A Colorado state judge has dismissed a cannabis farm's suit alleging that state regulators haven't sufficiently cracked down on illegal operators, saying the farm isn't challenging a final agency action that is subject to judicial review.
-
May 16, 2025
Disaster Relief Biz Partner Won't Split Duke Payout, Suit Says
A North Carolina man who runs a company that provides support services for disaster relief has accused his business partner of pilfering his payout from a contract to provide meals for Duke Energy workers assisting in recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene.
-
May 16, 2025
NJ, DuPont To Face Off In Landmark PFAS Trial Series
New Jersey and chemical manufacturing giant E.I. DuPont de Nemours will square off Monday over the contamination at a former Salem County manufacturing facility in a first-of-a-kind series of trials that environmental attorneys expect will impact "forever chemicals" litigation across the country.
-
May 16, 2025
Holland & Hart Hires DOJ Environmental Appellate Chief In DC
Holland & Hart LLP has added the former chief of the U.S. Department of Justice's Environmental and Natural Resources Division, who joins the firm's Washington, D.C., office alongside her longtime DOJ colleague.
-
May 16, 2025
DC Circ. Says Vt. Didn't Waive Hydro Dam Review Authority
The D.C. Circuit on Friday nixed a Vermont village's lawsuit claiming the state waived its role in the federal relicensing of the village's hydroelectric project, saying it was the village's own actions that caused the state to miss a statutory deadline to act.
-
May 16, 2025
5th Circ. Reverses Intervention Denial For Border Wall Cos.
A Texas federal judge erred when he refused to let several government contractors and the Sierra Club intervene in a lawsuit that blocked the use of border wall funding for anything other than new barrier construction, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday.
-
May 16, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Blakes, Davies, Goodmans
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Charter Communications Inc. merges with Cox Communications, Hub International Ltd. boosts its valuation after securing an investment, Pan American Silver Corp. acquires Mag Silver Corp. and Robinhood buys WonderFi.
-
May 15, 2025
$666M Pipeline Verdict 'Poster Child' For Reduction, Judge Told
Lawyers for Greenpeace urged a North Dakota state judge Thursday to significantly reduce a $666 million verdict over claims that it falsely disparaged the Dakota Access pipeline amid environmental protests, with the jury having awarded ten times more on certain claims than even the pipeline's builder wanted.
-
May 15, 2025
Wis. Tribe Urges Army Corps To Reject Enbridge Line 5 Permit
Members of a Wisconsin tribe are urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny Enbridge Energy Inc. a permit that will allow it to reroute its Line 5 pipeline around and upstream its reservation, arguing that, if allowed, hundreds of downstream wetlands and streams would be polluted by the project.
-
May 15, 2025
Ore. Tribe Looks To Redefine Columbia Basin Fishing Rights
An Oregon tribe is asking a federal court to open up a decades-old case that reserved fishing rights for the state's Indigenous nations, arguing that it must redefine the nature and scope of its off-reservation rights in order to obtain a fair share of the Columbia Basin's resources.
-
May 15, 2025
Unions, Groups Seek Injunction To Block Gov't Restructuring
A California federal judge must greenlight a nationwide injunction to stop multiple federal agencies from moving ahead with implementing reorganization and mass termination plans linked to an executive order, a coalition of unions and groups argued, making their request on the heels of a temporary restraining order.
Expert Analysis
-
Opinion
Legal Personhood Can Give Natural Entities Their Day In Court
Granting legal personhood to natural entities like the River Thames, or vulnerable species like the Pacific bearded seal and Arctic ringed seal, could protect them from ecological threats and the vagaries of politics, and help us transform our relationship with nature, says Sachin Nandha at the International Centre for Sustainability.
-
Artfully Conceding Liability Can Offer Defendants 3 Benefits
In the rare case that a company makes the strategic decision to admit liability, it’s important to do so clearly and consistently in order to benefit from the various forms of armor that come from an honest acknowledgment, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
-
Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year
Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.
-
Trump's Energy Plans For Generation, Transmission And More
The executive orders and presidential memoranda issued by President Donald Trump on the day of his inauguration, unwinding the Biden administration's energy policies and encouraging development of fossil fuels, may have significant impacts on the generation mix, electric transmission construction and the state regulatory environment, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
-
Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2025
The critical policy milestones for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances expected in 2025 will not only shape the trajectory of PFAS regulation, but also set key precedents for environmental accountability, potentially reshaping the corporate approach to these "forever chemicals" for decades to come, say attorneys at MG+M.
-
Series
Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
-
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025
Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
-
Managing Litigation Side-Switching During 2nd Trump Admin
Now that the new presidential administration is in place, the government will likely switch positions in a number of pending cases, and stakeholders should employ strategies to protect their interests, say attorneys at Covington.
-
Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win
Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.
-
Nixing NRC Oversight Of Small Reactors Could Cut Both Ways
A lawsuit in a Texas federal court aims to abolish the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's authority over small modular reactors, which the plaintiffs contend will unleash new and innovative technology — but the resulting patchwork of state regulations could increase costs for the nuclear industry, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
-
How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark
All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
-
New York Climate Superfund Law May Face Preemption Fight
New York state's new climate superfund law highlights a growing trend of states supplementing their climate litigation efforts with legislative initiatives — but it will likely encounter the same federal preemption questions raised about state and local lawsuits seeking redress for climate harms, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
-
Series
Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.
-
Looking Back At 2024's Noteworthy State AG Litigation
State attorneys general across the U.S. took bold steps in 2024 to address unlawful activities by corporations in several areas, including privacy and data security, financial transparency, children's internet safety, and other overall consumer protection claims, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
-
Updated FWS Regs Will Streamline Right-Of-Way Permitting
Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's final rule covering rights-of-way across lands administered by the service will bring increased up-front fees and stricter permit terms and conditions, it also provides a clearer application process and should reduce permitting delays and total costs, say attorneys at Holland & Hart.