Judges Clash On Whether Kelly Urged Order Disobedience

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. Circuit panel appeared to be headed for a split decision on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's appeal of a district court order stopping him from dropping Sen. Mark Kelly's U.S. Navy rank, with judges clashing over whether Kelly ever told service members to disobey lawful orders.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

4th Circ. Questions Class Cert. Ruling In Boeing Investor Case

By Jessica Corso

The Fourth Circuit indicated on Thursday it may send an investor lawsuit against Boeing back to a lower court for a second look at class certification, with one judge saying the district court "told us nothing" about what liability theory was being relied on to certify the class.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pentagon Defends Anthropic Security Risk Label At DC Circ.

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Department of Defense told the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acted well within his statutory discretion when he labeled Anthropic PBC a supply-chain risk to U.S. national security, rejecting Anthropic's claims of retaliation.

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

Kaman's Boeing Supply Suit Isn't Getting Fast-Tracked

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday refused to fast-track Kaman Aerospace Corp.'s lawsuit against Falcon Jacksonville LLC or issue a temporary restraining order requiring Falcon to keep supplying Boeing, finding that the dispute is better suited for a damages case than emergency court intervention.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Why Compliance Is Getting Complicated In Latin America

By Phillip Bantz

White collar compliance is getting trickier for companies that do business in Latin America, according to experts, who say they are seeing big shifts in the region connected to cartel crackdowns and efforts to strengthen corporate regulations, including relatively recent pushes for voluntary self-disclosure.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump's Temporary Global Tariffs Illegal, Trade Court Rules

By Dylan Moroses

President Donald Trump's temporary global 10% tariffs are unlawful because the narrow set of economic conditions required for the measure to be imposed were not met, the U.S. Court of International Trade said Thursday in a divided opinion.

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

Md. Congress Members Press Air Force For Fuel Leak Details

By Gautama Mehta

Maryland's Democratic congress members asked the U.S. Air Force to explain "a notable delay" in reporting comprehensive information to state officials about a leak of 32,000 gallons of jet fuel earlier this year at Joint Base Andrews.

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

GAO Finds Issues With VA's Equipment Maintenance Process

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should do more to ensure that its facilities are getting the best price for the maintenance of its high-tech medical equipment, finding "ineffective" department guidance.

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

Jackson Hewitt Tax Loans Flout Military Credit Law, Suit Says

By Ben Adlin

A U.S. Navy service member has accused tax preparer Jackson Hewitt Inc. of overcharging military clients for short-term loans tied to tax refunds, claiming in a proposed class action the company's effective interest rates for "refund anticipation loans" exceed what is allowed under the federal Military Lending Act.

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

DOL Can Argue With Honeywell, Siemens In 401(k) Appeals

By George Woolston

The Third Circuit on Thursday granted the U.S. Department of Labor time to argue in two cases where workers are seeking to revive proposed class actions alleging their employers violated federal benefits law by misallocating forfeitures from an employee 401(k) plan.

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

GAO Backs $33M Army Deal For La. Facility Upgrades

By Tom Lotshaw

The U.S. Army reasonably downgraded a Maryland business's proposal to update a Louisiana maintenance facility based on small business participation and scheduling concerns and justifiably awarded a higher-cost, $33.7 million contract to a Texas business, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said.

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

Cooley Leads Space Analytics Firm HawkEye 360's $416M IPO

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Space-based radio signals company HawkEye 360 began trading publicly on Thursday after raising $416 million in its initial public offering led by Cooley LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Rule Changes Could Accelerate The Space Economy

A series of recently proposed Federal Communications Commission rulemakings that would expand opportunities for commercial space and satellite operations signal a regulatory shift toward greater flexibility, faster processing and more deliberate spectrum planning for space-adjacent and emergent space activities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Surveying The CFTC Campaign To Control Prediction Markets

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is simultaneously asserting exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets and signaling aggressive enforcement within them, a combination that will reshape the regulatory landscape for event contract platforms — pending the outcome of several court cases throughout the country and a likely circuit split, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Womble Bond Atty's 'Draconian' Penalty Gives 4th Circ. Pause

By Hayley Fowler

A Fourth Circuit panel seemed to struggle Thursday with what one judge described as a "draconian" contempt order against a Womble Bond Dickinson partner, with the panel nudging counsel for both sides toward a simpler solution that wouldn't force the court's involvement.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Jackson Walker Atty Seeks Breakup With Romance Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A former Jackson Walker LLP partner said Thursday that she should be dropped from a suit accusing her, a former Texas bankruptcy judge she had a secret relationship with and multiple law firms of fomenting "mass corruption" in Houston's bankruptcy court.

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

SEC Fines Ex-BigLaw Atty For Insider Trades On Apollo Deal

By Hailey Konnath

A former Buchalter PC shareholder has agreed to pay $71,625 to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's allegations he purchased stock ahead of Apollo Global Management's $1.5 billion acquisition of Bridge Investment, which the commission said he was representing in an unrelated matter at the time.

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

Comey Retains NC Criminal Defense Pro For 2nd Indictment

By Rachel Rippetoe

Former FBI Director James Comey has added a North Carolina white collar defense pro to his legal team fighting an indictment by the Trump administration over a social media post last year that prosecutors characterized as a threat of violence against the president, according to a court filing on Thursday.

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

Judiciary Panel Punts AI Rules, Mulls Judges' Survey Results

By Jeff Overley

Buckle up: Efforts to modernize evidentiary rules amid artificial intelligence fears are getting bumpy, as judiciary advisers Thursday agreed to dramatically delay action while digesting an AI survey of nearly 1,000 judges and organizing a symposium of litigators and tech pros.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Toss Of Ex-Shkreli Atty's Deal May Be Error, 2nd Circ. Hints

By Pete Brush

A Second Circuit judge hinted Thursday that a trial judge may have erred in rejecting a retirement-fund garnishment deal that would have protected Martin Shkreli's convicted former lawyer from a potential $1 million "punitive tax event."

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

Analysis

How Litigation Funding Disclosure Could Affect ITC Cases

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. International Trade Commission's proposed rule to require disclosure of litigation funding in intellectual property cases could bring more transparency to disputes and promote settlements, but it could also discourage some suits if it's not carefully tailored, attorneys say.

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

NC Judge Tosses Atty's Suit Against State Bar Panel Member

By Andrea Keckley

A North Carolina federal judge dismissed a suspended attorney's lawsuit against a State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Commission member he accused of bias and due process violations, finding Thursday that the defendant is entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity.

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