Anthropic Blocks Pentagon's 'Orwellian' Security Risk Label

By Hailey Konnath

A California federal judge Thursday issued a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from labeling Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security, calling the move a "classic illegal First Amendment retaliation" and "Orwellian."

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Maduro Judge Hints US Should Reconsider Legal Fee Refusal

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge suggested Thursday that the Trump administration should revisit its refusal to allow former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to access his country's funds to pay for his defense against narco-terrorism and trafficking charges.

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Flawed Navy Evaluation Not Enough To Halt Networks Contract

By Madeline Lyskawa

A defense contractor can continue performing under a $100 million networks contract even though the U.S. Navy improperly evaluated its proposal, a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge has said, finding that the protester failed to support its request for a permanent injunction.

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'I Don't Know': 9th Circ. Presses Verrilli On Boeing Venue Issue

By Rachel Riley

A Ninth Circuit judge rehearing an appeal involving a $72 million trade secret verdict against Boeing on Thursday pressed the company's counsel Donald B. Verrilli Jr. of Munger Tolles & Olson LLP to explain why the aerospace giant never previously argued the case belongs in the Federal Circuit, and Verrilli conceded he didn't know the reason.

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Shield AI Hits $12.7B Valuation, Buys Defense Biz Aechelon

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Defense technology company Shield AI on Thursday revealed that its valuation soared to $12.7 billion after closing a $1.5 billion Series G funding round, which will help finance the company's planned acquisition of private equity-backed defense company Aechelon Technology Inc.

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Analysis

4 Key Questions On Tariff Investigations

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. announced a bevy of new trade investigations this month to underpin a tariff regime intended to replace duties struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, but questions remain about the fate of deals struck with trading partners and whether importers will face higher tariffs. Here, Law360 examines four questions on the implications of those investigations.

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Venezuelan Leader Says Ex-Fla. Rep Couldn't Get US Meetings

By Carolina Bolado

A Venezuelan political opposition leader told jurors Thursday that he connected with former Florida congressman David Rivera to try to secure meetings with high-level U.S. officials in the first Trump administration, but Rivera — who is on trial for allegedly failing to register as a foreign agent — failed to deliver.

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House Panels Advance Aviation Safety Bill After DCA Collision

By Linda Chiem

Two House committees advanced legislation Thursday that would mandate aircraft-tracking and collision-avoidance technology in some aircraft, and reinforce Federal Aviation Administration and military training and operational procedures, in response to last year's deadly midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet near Washington, D.C.

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Brief

GAO Denies Protest Over Army Corps Renovation Contract

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reasonably deemed a contractor's proposal to renovate a tactical equipment maintenance facility unacceptable, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said, rejecting the contractor's argument that its proposal's deficiencies were merely "administrative and documentation-based."

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Advent Commits $1B To Defense Tech Companies

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Private equity investor Advent International unveiled plans Thursday to invest up to $1 billion in "next-generation" defense technology companies, a move that comes as defense technology investments ramp up.

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Satellite Biz Xona Wraps $170M Series C Funding Round

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Commercial space company Xona, led by Covington & Burling LLP, on Thursday announced that it closed an oversubscribed Series C funding round after securing $170 million, which will be used in part to help build the company's new Bay Area factory.

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Deals Rumor Mill

Musk's SpaceX Eyes $75B IPO Raise, Among Other Rumors

By Al Barbarino

The market is anticipating what could be one of the largest initial public offerings ever, after reports this past week indicated that Elon Musk's SpaceX is looking to imminently raise as much as $75 billion.

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Nippon Case Illustrates Challenges Of Proving Antitrust Injury

A recent California federal court decision dismissing challenges to Nippon Steel's purchase of U.S. Steel underscores the longtime antitrust precedent that while the limitations of injury are critical for defendants sued under U.S. antitrust laws, showing that the harm is real is the key, says Cameron Regnery at Freeman Mathis.

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White & Case Staffer Sues Firm Over Nude Photo Ridicule

By Dorothy Atkins

A White & Case LLP staffer sued the law firm in New York state court Wednesday, alleging the firm's purported "hostile work environment" shielded his colleagues after they allegedly shared nude photos of him, which he claims were taken by his supervisor while he was unconscious at a firm-sponsored party.

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Akin Must Explain Client's 'Self-Indulgent' 9th Circ. Appeal

By Lauren Berg

Upholding a foreign arbitration award against a wine importer, the Ninth Circuit on Thursday ordered its attorneys at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to explain why they and their client shouldn't pay their opponent's attorney fees for bringing a "frivolous" and "self-indulgent" appeal.

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Troutman, Former Associate Fight Over Scope Of Bias Trial

By Emily Sawicki

Weeks ahead of an anticipated May trial over discrimination and retaliation claims brought by a former Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP associate, the firm and its onetime employee are sparring over the scope of evidence that may be presented at trial.

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Antitrust Leaders Say Lobbyists Don't Impact Outcomes

By Matthew Perlman

The leaders of the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division said Thursday that companies can lobby the agencies all they want, but enforcers will still make merger and conduct decisions based on the facts and the law.

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Bill To Give Admin More Control Over US Attys Advances

By Courtney Bublé

A Republican-led bill that would give the executive branch more authority over the installation of U.S. attorneys was advanced out of a House committee Thursday.

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