The Congressional Budget Office said in a report that the ongoing armed conflict between the United States and Iran has cost the U.S. Department of Defense an estimated $38 billion and contributed to inflation in the first half of 2026.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

War In Iran Has Cost Pentagon $38B, CBO Report Says

By Madeline Lyskawa

The Congressional Budget Office said in a report that the ongoing armed conflict between the United States and Iran has cost the U.S. Department of Defense an estimated $38 billion and contributed to inflation in the first half of 2026.

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Contractor, Defense Agency Reach Ch. 11 Claim Setoff Deal

By Vince Sullivan

Bankrupt government defense contractor Noble Supply & Logistics LLC reached a short-term deal with the Defense Logistics Agency on Wednesday in Delaware court that will allow for the agency to make contractual payments to the debtor as it pursues a Chapter 11 asset sale.

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4th Circ. Doubts Standing In $9B Lockheed Pension Fight

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Fourth Circuit appeared open Wednesday to shutting down retirees' challenge to a $9 billion Lockheed Martin pension risk transfer, with judges voicing doubt about a Maryland judge's holding that ex-Lockheed workers had the standing needed to keep their case in court.

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NATIONAL SECURITY

EU Eyes Canada As First Associate Member Amid Rift With US

By Dylan Moroses

The European Union may take steps to include Canada as its first associate member in the wake of growing U.S. trade uncertainty, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Senate Committee OKs Free Speech Bill Despite AI Worries

By Nadia Dreid

A bipartisan bill aimed at preventing the government from leaning on media companies to suppress the speech of third parties made it through committee Wednesday morning, but not until the leadership of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee went head-to-head with each other on the matter.

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House Clears Russia Sanctions Bill With New Tariff Powers

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday that would enhance President Donald Trump's economic tools to pressure Russia and Iran, including new tariff authorities to impose duties on imports from countries found to economically support Russia, sending the bill to his desk.

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LITIGATION

Tesla, SpaceX Say Terafab Plant Doesn't Infringe Startup's TM

By Gina Kim

Tesla and SpaceX asked a Texas federal judge to find their planned "Terafab" semiconductor manufacturing facility doesn't infringe nanotechnology startup TERA-print's marks, arguing in a declaratory judgment action Tuesday the likelihood of confusion is "vanishingly small" as the parties' products, clients and commercial contexts are completely different. 

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Dow Pans 'Repackaged' Claims In Retooled NJ Pollution Suit

By George Woolston

Dow Chemical Co. and other manufacturers of a product containing a potentially cancer-causing compound urged a state court on Wednesday to toss for good a portion of New Jersey's lawsuit alleging widespread groundwater pollution, arguing that the state failed to cure deficiencies the court previously identified.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Cultivating Good Judgment

Law schools generally overlook the role that solid judgment skills play in real-world practice, but attorneys can bridge the gap by strengthening their abilities to assess a case’s strengths and weaknesses, develop and execute effective strategies, and provide clear recommendations to clients, says Manny Caixeiro at Venable.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Senate Confirms Kirkland Partner To Texas Federal Bench

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 49-45 on Thursday to confirm Kasdin Miller Mitchell, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, to serve as a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Texas.

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Analysis

Sue To Stop AI Armageddon? Not So Fast, Attys Say

By Y. Peter Kang

As executives at leading artificial intelligence companies increasingly assert that their own technology could one day pose an existential threat to humanity, a natural question follows: If the risk is real, can anyone sue to stop it before disaster strikes?

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Clancy Atty Denies Malpractice Claim By Man Serving Life

By Julie Manganis

A prominent Massachusetts criminal defense attorney best known for representing Lindsay Clancy has been accused in a separate case of "abandoning" a client who is serving life sentences for second-degree murder and home invasion, allegations the lawyer denies.

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AI Flubs, More Secure PACER Get Judiciary Forum Spotlight

By Jeff Overley

Misuse of artificial intelligence tools and a "state-of-the-art" revamp of electronic dockets in federal cases were among the hottest topics Thursday at a major meeting of judiciary leaders, who also heard a lawmaker warn of eroding trust in the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Analysis

For Single-Party FTC, Easier Suits May Come With A Cost

By Bryan Koenig

The Federal Trade Commission has ditched its historical multimember, multiparty ethos for a one-party regime in which fewer dissents might make it easier for Chairman Andrew Ferguson to pursue his agenda, but it also forecloses the potential "moderating influence" that comes with winning broad buy-in from commissioners of two parties.

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Immigration Attorney Wants SEC Sanctioned In EB-5 Case

By Tom Lotshaw

An immigration attorney and her firm asked a New York federal judge to sanction the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to reasonably investigate an allegedly bogus unregistered securities claim it brought against them in an EB-5 immigrant investor case.

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Weaponization Fund Plaintiffs Say Discovery Ruling Was Right

By Jared Foretek

Plaintiffs suing over the Trump administration's once-proposed "anti-weaponization fund" are telling a Virginia federal judge to reject the U.S. Department of Justice's objections to a magistrate judge's discovery order, accusing the administration of stonewalling their requests and urging prompt discovery production.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Anthropic PBC

Democracy Forward Foundation

Dow Inc.

George Washington University

Lockheed Martin Corp.

Med-Trans Corp.

National Rifle Association of America

National Treasury Employees Union

NuRide Transportation Group LLC

OpenAI OpCo LLC

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Tesla Inc.

The Associated Press

U.S. Bancorp

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Archer & Greiner

Cole Schotz

Cozen O'Connor

Debevoise & Plimpton

Hughes Hubbard

Kirkland & Ellis

Latham & Watkins

Mayer Brown

McGuireWoods

Mona Shah & Associates

Morgan Lewis

Morrison Cohen

Pirkey Barber

Ratzan Weissman

Schlichter Bogard

Sher Edling

Sullivan & Cromwell

Venable LLP

Wiley Rein

Wilson Sonsini

Zuckerman Spaeder

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Congressional Budget Office

Defense Logistics Agency

European Commission

European Parliament

European Union

Executive Office of the President

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Judicial Conference of the United States

Superior Court of Massachusetts

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court