Localities Say DHS Can't Tie Grant Funds To Election Process

By Elaine Briseño

Governments in Tennessee, Texas and Ohio have asked a D.C. federal court to grant them a win against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, arguing Congress did not condition receipt of counterterrorism grants on the way localities administer elections.

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Contractor Seeks Redo After Fed. Circ. Vacates $12.7M Award

By Madeline Lyskawa

A software developer has urged the en banc Federal Circuit to rethink a panel's decision vacating a $12.7 million award against the federal government over unauthorized copies of the company's software, saying the panel wrongly endorsed a hypothetical negotiation between the parties to calculate damages.

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Russian Vessel Seized In Norway Over $4.2B Crimea Award

By Caroline Simson

Norwegian authorities have seized a Russian ice-strengthened vessel that is used for commercial expeditions, as part of global efforts by Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company to enforce a $4.2 billion arbitral award against the Kremlin.

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Judge Says Army Corps Didn't Violate Procurement Regs

By Madeline Lyskawa

A Court of Federal Claims judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers didn't violate the Federal Acquisition Regulation when the agency issued a revised solicitation for professional diving services to all bidders, regardless of whether they'd been previously disqualified. 

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Lutnick Says Semiconductor Tariffs Are Coming, With Carveouts

By Jack McLoone

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Wednesday said the U.S. is looking to issue a broad tariff on semiconductors, though he also said it would be structured such that companies that commit to U.S. manufacturing would be exempt.

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DOJ, Kansas Settle Guard Deployment Bias Suit For $35K

By Elaine Briseño

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Kansas health department reached a settlement in a suit that accused the state of discriminating against a service member when it stopped funding her civilian job shortly before her upcoming military deployment.

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Analysis

Boutique Firms Emerge As Trump Admin's 'Achilles' Heel'

By Phillip Bantz

Less fearful of retribution than some of their BigLaw counterparts, small law firms are taking on an outsize role handling cases seen as adversarial to the Trump administration.

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Jenner & Block Adds Crowell Energy Partner To DC Office

By Jack Rodgers

Jenner & Block LLP said Thursday it has hired the former co-leader of Crowell & Moring LLP's appellate practice, who worked on a range of energy matters there and spent over a decade of her career as a senior attorney with the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.

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Sheppard Adds To Corporate Bench In Dallas, London

By Lynn LaRowe

Sheppard announced Thursday it has added a corporate partner in Dallas from McDermott Will & Schulte and a corporate partner in London from Simmons & Simmons LLP.

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Fisher Phillips Adds Partner, 9 Attorneys In Mexico

By Andrea Keckley

Fisher Phillips announced Thursday that it has hired a partner and nine associates from the small, full-service Mexican firm Ibarra del Paso y Gallego SC, making it one of the largest labor and employment firms in Mexico by headcount.

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Ex-IRL App CEO Says Prosecutors Ignored Ethics Breaches

By Courtney Bublé

The co-founder of defunct social app IRL is fighting fraud charges by claiming that the U.S. attorney's office prosecuting him is conflicted because an attorney who formerly defended IRL in an SEC investigation and is now with the office pushed for him to be charged — and he is disputing prosecutors' denial of impropriety. 

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Husch Blackwell Gets Early Win In Ex-Partner's 401(k) Suit

By Andrea Keckley

A Missouri federal court granted Husch Blackwell LLP an early win over a former employee's proposed class action alleging the firm illegally withheld retirement contributions and mismanaged its employee 401(k) plan, finding the ex-partner couldn't prove violations of federal benefits law.

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Fox Rothschild Says Adult Day Care Suit Rehashes Claims

By Rose Krebs

Fox Rothschild LLP is urging a New Jersey state court to toss claims against the firm and one of its attorneys in a complaint related to the firm's prosecution of a fraudulent loan lawsuit that led to a $65,000 sanction against the firm.

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Pirro Urges House Ethics Cmte. To Refer Crime Claims To DOJ

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro has told the House Ethics Committee that as cases involving criminal misconduct come before it, her office should be involved too.

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Interview

Federal Judge Warns Threats Imperil Judicial Independence

By Carolina Bolado

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom of the Southern District of Florida told Law360 that judges and members of the bar need to educate the public on the judiciary's important role in American democracy to combat increasing threats, speaking following the release of two reports this week that warn of safety concerns for judges and that defiance of court orders is undermining the federal judiciary's independence.

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Phil Berger Jr. Won't Seek Reelection To NC High Court

By Corey Rothauser

North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. said Thursday that he will not seek another term in 2028, meaning the Republican justice will leave the state's highest court after completing his current term.

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Dutch Software Co. Asks Justices To Halt TM Trial

By Hayley Fowler

A Dutch software company has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a rapidly approaching trial in a trademark dispute with an American rival while it petitions for review of an injunction and contempt order that it said threaten to taint the entire proceedings.

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