Government Contracts

June 24, 2025
GAO Denies Challenge To $11.4M NOAA Website Support Deal

The U.S. Government Accountability Office affirmed an $11.4 million task order the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded for website support, holding it was not obligated to engage in exchanges with another company that challenged its decision.
June 24, 2025
Trump Admin Must Release NIH Funds Amid Appeal

A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday denied the Trump administration's request to stay a recent order that it resume processing National Institutes of Health grant applications and releasing funds, warning that even one more day of delay would lead to irreparable harm.
June 24, 2025
GSA Chooses Site For New Conn. Federal Courthouse

The U.S. General Services Administration selected a 2.19-acre parking lot in Hartford, Connecticut, as the home for a new federal courthouse, which it says will be operational by 2030.
June 24, 2025
Job Search Site Monster Hits Ch. 11 With 3 Initial Bidders

The company behind job search website Monster.com filed for bankruptcy Tuesday, listing over $100 million in liabilities and saying in a news release that it has three stalking horse bidders for various assets lined up.
June 23, 2025
Florida Judge Denies Bid To DQ Boies Schiller In Fee Suit

A Florida state court judge on Monday denied a bid to disqualify Boies Schiller Flexner LLP in a lawsuit brought by pharmaceutical mass tort companies to block their former counsel from collecting fees after he was dismissed for alleged insufficient representation.
June 23, 2025
Palantir Reaches Deal With Ex-Employees In AI Secrets Case

Palantir Technologies Inc. has reached a settlement with former employees it accused of stealing trade secrets to launch a competing artificial intelligence business, according to a notice asking a New York federal judge to let Palantir permanently dismiss its claims.
June 23, 2025
Guatemala Fights $38M Award Enforcement In US Court

Guatemala has asked a D.C. federal court to toss litigation seeking to enforce a nearly $38 million arbitral award issued to a construction and engineering firm in the parties' dispute over highway construction contracts, saying the case has no connection to the United States.
June 23, 2025
DC Judge Wants More Details On Voice Of America Cuts

A D.C. federal judge on Monday signaled doubt that the Trump administration was obeying his order to keep Voice of America up and running while a coalition of journalists, unions and a reporter advocacy group sue to keep the news agency intact.
June 23, 2025
Lima Can't Get $200M Award Enforcement Paused

A D.C. federal judge refused the Peruvian city of Lima's bid to pause enforcement of some $200 million in arbitral awards issued to a highway contractor during an ongoing appeal, saying Friday that the city's mayor has stated publicly that he has no intention of ever paying up.
June 23, 2025
9th Circ. Backs $26M Fraud Penalty Against Importer

The Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld a $26 million tripled fraud verdict against a pipe importer over allegations it made false statements on customs forms to avoid paying tariffs on some imports from China, rejecting the company's argument that the Tariff Act leaves no room to invoke the False Claims Act.
June 23, 2025
GAO Says Army Should Revisit Conflicts Under $225M IT Deal

The U.S. Army failed to reasonably evaluate the potential for an impaired objectivity conflict before opting to award a $225 million task order for cybersecurity support services for its Global Cyber Center, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
June 23, 2025
Michigan Must Face Christian Refugee Aid Provider's Bias Suit

A federal judge said a Christian refugee resettlement agency may move ahead with claims that Michigan sought to force the agency to agree to hire non-Christians to be eligible for contracts.
June 23, 2025
Paxton, Airline Co. Ask To Take Biz Doc Case Out Of 5th Circ.

The Texas attorney general's office and an airline parts manufacturer have agreed to remove a dispute over a state law allowing the office to examine business records from the Fifth Circuit back to district court.
June 23, 2025
Fed. Circ. Revives Helium Refiner's Contract Dispute With Feds

A Federal Circuit panel on Monday revived a helium refiner's suit alleging the U.S. Bureau of Land Management supplied it with out-of-specification helium gas mixtures, ruling the Court of Federal Claims botched a breach of contract analysis when it dismissed the case.
June 23, 2025
Texas Authorizes Tax Break For Border Safety Infrastructure

Texas authorized a property tax exemption for real property used to install border security infrastructure in counties that border Mexico, pending voter approval of a proposed amendment to the state constitution, under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
June 23, 2025
High Court Won't Revisit 'Right-To-Control' Fraud Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take a second look at the landmark case that disposed of the "right-to-control" theory of fraud, rejecting a petition that argued the Second Circuit had wrongly remanded the action for retrial before resolving the appeal at hand.
June 20, 2025
Science Research Funding Cuts Blocked By Mass. Judge

A Massachusetts federal judge Friday prohibited the Trump administration from cutting certain National Science Foundation research funding associated with facilities and administrative costs, ruling that the policy runs afoul of multiple laws and the government hasn't adequately explained its reasoning.
June 20, 2025
Space Force Award Isn't For New Tech, Contractor Claims

Colorado-based York Space Systems LLC asked a Federal Claims judge to halt performance on a $46 million U.S. Space Force award, claiming the agency sidestepped competitive contracting requirements in a push to develop satellite tech already available from it and others.
June 20, 2025
Ga. County Seeks Extension Of Feds' Sewer Update Deadline

Georgia's DeKalb County has again asked a federal judge for more time to come into compliance with a federal consent decree requiring it to upgrade its sewer systems, arguing that recent assessments of the project have made the decree's timeline "substantially more onerous."
June 20, 2025
Texas Judge Clears Lockheed Of Worker's Retaliation Claims

Lockheed Martin escaped retaliation and discrimination allegations from a fired mechanical inspector, a Texas federal judge ruled Friday, concluding the worker had not proved that race bias or whistleblowing led to his termination two years ago.
June 20, 2025
NJ Tech Co. Brass Face Suit Over NASA Partnership Claims

Executives and directors of Quantum Computing Inc. have been hit with a shareholder's derivative lawsuit accusing them of misleading investors on the company's dealings with NASA, its revenues and its progress on building a chip foundry.
June 20, 2025
Texas Panel Blocks San Antonio's Abortion Travel Funding

A Texas appellate court blocked the city of San Antonio from going forward with a program that included funding for out-of-state travel for abortions, finding that the state has the right to challenge the program even though the funding has not yet been spent.
June 20, 2025
Judge Denies Challenges To Army Fort Campbell Procurement

A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge dismissed an Oklahoma company's challenges to a procurement for logistics support services at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, ruling that the Army reasonably amended its solicitation and engaged in discussions.
June 20, 2025
Boies Schiller Fights DQ Bid In Law Firms' Fee Dispute

Boies Schiller Flexner LLP pushed back on a bid to disqualify the firm in a Florida state court case between pharmaceutical mass tort firms and their former counsel, in which Boies Schiller is both representing itself as a defendant and its co-defendants, arguing there is no conflict because all their defenses are the same.
June 18, 2025
Feds Want Nuke Trust Earnings To Offset DOE Breach Awards

The U.S. government asked the Federal Circuit to toss a ruling holding that trust fund earnings that reimbursed closed nuclear plant owners' spent fuel storage costs should not offset the damages awarded for the Energy Department's ongoing failure to accept fuels for disposal.

Expert Analysis

Politicized OIGs Could Target Federal Employees, Contractors

After President Donald Trump fired nearly 20 inspectors general last week, it’s worth exploring how the administration could use Offices of Inspectors General to target federal employees and contractors, why it would be difficult to fight this effort, and one possible bulwark against the politicization of these watchdogs, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates

In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.
Takeaways From DOJ Fraud Section's 2024 Year In Review

Attorneys at Paul Weiss highlight notable developments in the U.S. Department of Justice Fraud Section’s recently released annual report, and discuss what the second Trump administration could mean for enforcement in the year to come.
4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.
The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.
'Key Personnel' Defense Is Trending In GAO Bid Protests

A trio of recent cases before the U.S. Government Accountability Office demonstrate that both the government and intervenors are increasingly defending bid protests by arguing that a protester's key personnel became unavailable after a proposal submission, but prior to an award, says Joshua Duvall at Maynard Nexsen.
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.
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.
3 Noteworthy Effects Of The 2025 NDAA

The 2025 defense budget includes further restrictions on semiconductor sales to Huawei, requiring companies to rethink customer-base oversight, but other provisions are likely to broaden procurement contract opportunities, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.
FTC Privacy Enforcement Takeaways From 2024

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission distinguished three prominent trends in its privacy-related enforcement actions: geolocation data protections, data minimization practices, and artificial intelligence use and marketing, say Cobun Zweifel-Keegan at IAPP and James Smith at Dechert.
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.
Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.
Anticipating How GAO Pleading Standards May Shift

The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act's mandate to create an enhanced pleading standard at the U.S. Government Accountability Office may change the calculus for where to file when challenging a U.S. Department of Defense procurement, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.
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.