DC Circ. Says Military Trans Ban Flouts Constitutional Rights

By Bonnie Eslinger

A divided D.C. Circuit panel Monday said the Trump administration illegally banned transgender individuals from military service, then narrowed a preliminary injunction to prevent the government's exclusion of transgender people presently serving in the military but not those desiring to enlist.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SpaceX Nabs $4.16B Space Force Deal

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $4.16 billion Other Transaction Authority agreement for the agency's space-based airborne moving target indicator program, which aims to track and target airborne military threats from space. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Moderna Tells Fed. Circ. US Must Face COVID Vax Patent Case

By Ryan Davis

Moderna has urged the Federal Circuit to rule that Arbutus Biopharma must pursue its patent infringement claims over Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine against the U.S. government, saying a lower court ruling that Moderna must face the multibillion-dollar suit was "deeply flawed."

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Motorola Solutions Buying Drone Tech Firm D-Fend For $1.5B

By Al Barbarino

Motorola Solutions said Monday it has agreed to buy counter-drone technology company D-Fend Solutions for $1.5 billion, expanding its push into airspace security as governments and enterprises respond to rising drone-related threats.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SES Wants Feds To Scrap Rule Restricting 12.75 GHz Uses

By Christopher Cole

Satellite company SES has asked the Federal Communications Commission to toss a restriction on high-speed uplinks in a prime swath of airwaves that the company argues has unnecessarily hindered the growth of domestic fixed satellite service.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2nd Circ. Backs Yacht Forfeiture Absent Proof Of Ownership

By Elaine Briseño

A Second Circuit panel on Monday affirmed a district court decision that authorized the United States to sell a seized superyacht, finding the businessman contesting its sale could not prove he was the yacht's true owner.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

States Back Air Force In High Court Munitions Disposal Fight

By Ganesh Setty

Several states urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit ruling finding the U.S. Air Force had to conduct environmental review over its application to renew a munitions disposal permit, arguing it imposed needless procedural hurdles.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Boeing, Rolls-Royce Say Claims Still Fail In Osprey Suit

By Mike Curley

The Boeing Co., Bell Textron Inc. and Rolls-Royce Corp. are again asking a California federal court to throw out breach of contract and fraudulent concealment claims in a suit over the deaths of five Marines in the June 2022 crash of a V-22 Osprey aircraft, saying the latest amended complaint does not save the claims.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

30-Year Foreign Service Leader Joins Squire Patton In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Squire Patton Boggs LLP has hired the State Department's former acting assistant secretary for Near East Affairs, who was also the first U.S. special envoy for Yemen and throughout his more-than-30-year career with the agency held posts in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq and other countries.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Holland & Knight Taps Real Estate Partner To Lead Portland

By Tracey Read

Holland & Knight LLP has elevated a real estate and business attorney who helped launch the firm's Seattle location to executive partner of its Portland, Oregon, office.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Milbank Raises Associate Pay Scale, Topping Out At $455K

By Kevin Penton

Milbank LLP is increasing associate pay by $10,000 to $20,000 annually, with new salary floors of $235,000 and pay reaching as high as $455,000 for more experienced attorneys, according to the firm.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dentons Brings On K&L Gates Litigation Duo In Miami

By Madison Arnold

Dentons US LLP has expanded its commercial litigation capabilities in Miami with a duo from K&L Gates LLP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Arias Sanguinetti's Mike Arias

By Joyce Hanson

When she was team captain with a track and field scholarship at the University of Southern California in the 1990s, Nicole Haynes was in good health and rarely had to see a doctor. So when she got a bad stomachache and her friends encouraged her to visit the USC health center, Haynes said she didn't have the right words to explain why her experience with Dr. George Tyndall had felt so invasive and wrong.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bipartisan Bill Would Modernize Court Records Systems

By Matt Perez

U.S. Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Tuesday jointly introduced the Open Courts Act, which they said would modernize the court records systems PACER and CM/ECF.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

BigLaw Could Tap PE Money For Advantage In Talent Wars

By Ryan Boysen

BigLaw firms may soon partner with private equity to gain an edge in the talent wars, potentially reshaping the U.S. legal industry despite fears that the shift could corrode firms' cultures.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Confirms Montana, Kansas Judges

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate confirmed judges Tuesday for Montana and Kansas, one of whom was the first judicial nominee of the second Trump administration to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dem AGs Slam Climate Science Removal From Judicial Guide

By Jack Karp

The federal judiciary's decision to strike a chapter on climate change from its guide to scientific evidence is misguided, partisan and "will impede the judiciary's ability to pursue truth," according to a Tuesday letter from nearly two dozen Democratic state attorneys general.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Exclusive

Cooley Launches Global Hearings Practice As Scrutiny Rises

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Cooley LLP has established a global hearings and inquiries practice to help companies prepare comprehensive strategies as they face increased regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions, the firm exclusively told Law360 on Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Won't Move Forward With $1.8B Fund, Blanche Confirms

By Courtney Bublé

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday, "we're not moving forward" with the controversial $1.8 billion settlement fund.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Attys Worried Where ICE Will Draw Line In Asylum Crackdown

By Britain Eakin

Immigration attorneys are bracing for heightened scrutiny after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it would crack down on attorneys filing fraudulent asylum claims, expressing fears that the agency could blur the line between fraud and legitimate advocacy.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »