The Trump administration's claim that a lawsuit against the Department of Government Efficiency is moot is a strategy to avoid litigation, not a legitimate argument, a group of unions told a New York federal judge, saying their challenge to DOGE's data access can proceed because DOGE remains operating.
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Unions Argue Challenge To DOGE's Data Access Is Still Valid

By Emily Brill

The Trump administration's claim that a lawsuit against the Department of Government Efficiency is moot is a strategy to avoid litigation, not a legitimate argument, a group of unions told a New York federal judge, saying their challenge to DOGE's data access can proceed because DOGE remains operating.

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DOJ Says NY Court Can't Handle Maurene Comey Firing Suit

By Adrian Cruz

The U.S. Department of Justice has said former prosecutor Maurene Comey's suit challenging the circumstances of her firing should be dismissed, arguing that it is an attempt to sidestep the Civil Service Reform Act.

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White Atlanta Worker Says EEOC Race Charge Got Him Fired

By Grace Elletson

A white worker in his 60s claimed in a Georgia federal court suit that the city of Atlanta fired him out of age and race discrimination after he complained to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that his Black and younger colleagues received preferential treatment.

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Texas Healthcare Co. Asks Court To Shred 4 SEIU Arb. Awards

By Emily Brill

A D.C. federal judge should vacate four of the Service Employees International Union's wins in arbitration proceedings against Tenet Healthcare Corp., the Dallas-based company argued, claiming the arbitrator lacked the authority to preside over the dispute because the union had bypassed the normal grievance procedure.

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DOD Contractor Says Engineer Stole 2K Files On Last Day

By Bonnie Eslinger

Defense contractor Competitive Range Solutions LLC is suing a field engineer in Virginia federal court, accusing him of violating the Defend Trade Secrets Act by downloading thousands of confidential documents at the end of his last day of work and after accepting a job with a competitor.

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DISCRIMINATION

SHRM Flouted ADA By Denying Service Dog, Applicant Says

By Vin Gurrieri

The Society for Human Resource Management was sued in Virginia federal court Tuesday by an applicant who alleged she had a job offer pulled after she sought permission to have a trained service dog accompany her to work.

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DOD To Reevaluate Discharges Over COVID Vax Refusal

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Department of Defense said on Tuesday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a reevaluation of the discharge status of service members who were involuntarily removed from the military after they refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. 

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Brief

Ex-Worker Drops Bias Suit Against Ga. Housing Authority

By Kelcey Caulder

A woman who alleged she was denied a senior position with a local housing authority after its leaders found out she'd sued her prior employer has agreed to dismiss her suit, according to a filing in Georgia federal court. 

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WAGE & HOUR

Merck Sued Over Time Rounding, OT Averaging At NC Plant

By Benjamin Morse

A Merck manufacturing facility in North Carolina rounded workers' time to short them on pay, averaged out overtime across two weeks and fired an operator technician because of his sleep apnea, the worker told a federal court in a proposed class and collective action against the pharmaceutical giant.

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Brief

Denver, Cos. End Fight Over Wage Ordinance

By Benjamin Morse

A worker-finding platform, a staffing company and Denver agreed to end the companies' lawsuit alleging the city went beyond its authority by auditing them for wage violations, according to a federal judge's order Tuesday dismissing the case.

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LABOR

Full 9th Circ. To Review Union Work Dispute Precedent

By Braden Campbell

The full Ninth Circuit is set to rethink precedent on the National Labor Relations Board's power to vet competing claims for work after taking up two challenges Tuesday to a June decision that revived a rival union's pursuit of jobs held by International Association of Machinists members.

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TRADE SECRETS

NC Cardboard Box Salesman Freed From Trade Secrets Suit

By Abigail Harrison

A corrugated packing manufacturer can't hold on to its lawsuit alleging a former star salesman defected to a close competitor with its trade secrets after a North Carolina Business Court judge ruled the complaint is too vague.

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WHISTLEBLOWER

Ex-NIAID Director Claims Retaliation in Trump Admin Suit

By Craig Clough

The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases filed suit in Maryland federal court on Tuesday alleging Trump administration appointees violated her constitutional rights by illegally terminating her employment and that she cannot expect her claims to be fairly heard by the "undermined" U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

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$1.7M Verdict Tainted By Confusion, NJ Housing Agency Says

By George Woolston

Camden, New Jersey's housing authority asked a Garden State federal court for a new trial after a jury awarded $1.7 million to former and current employees who claimed they were terminated for raising concerns about corruption, arguing that the jury improperly decided questions of law and that the jury charges and verdict sheet contradicted each other.

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PEOPLE

Willkie Adds Another Kirkland Restructuring Pro In New York

By Christine DeRosa

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has added another restructuring attorney from Kirkland & Ellis LLP after recently welcoming a Kirkland attorney as chair of its restructuring group.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

How Workforce, Tech Will Affect 2026 Construction Landscape

As the construction industry's center of gravity shifts from traditional commercial work to infrastructure, energy, industrial and data-hosting facilities, the effects of evolving technology and persistent labor shortages are reshaping real estate dealmaking, immigration policy debates and government contracting risk, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

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Opinion

A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Surveys, Awards & More: Law360's 2026 Editorial Calendar

Law360 publishes several award series throughout the year, including ones that highlight top-performing attorneys and practice groups. Here, find all you need to know about our awards and surveys, including due dates, FAQs, and the questions we'll ask so you can prepare ahead of time.

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Bonus Spotlight

Bonus News: Glenn Agre, Bursor & Fisher Reveal 2025 Levels

By Andrea Keckley

Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes LLP told its associates in a memo last week that it would be issuing year-end bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $115,000 and special bonuses ranging from $6,000 to $25,000 based on seniority, with the chance to receive premiums above the year-end bonuses based on "​​extraordinary dedication and/or performance."

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Jackson Walker Wants Settlements Heard Before Romance Trial

By Adrian Cruz

Following a Texas federal judge's decision to hold off on reviewing malpractice settlements with former bankruptcy clients, Jackson Walker LLP asked the court to reconsider, as the pending motions could save parties time and money.

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Analysis

Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To 2025's Most Memorable Moments

By Jeff Overley

Federal circuit courts in 2025 strained under a crush of Trump administration lawsuits, as judges directed animated language at litigants and even their fellow judges. And while the president only added a handful of appellate jurists, they had outsize impacts on circuit benches as they joined the cadre of conservatives seated in his first term.

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CFTC's Pham Will Head To Crypto Co. MoonPay After Exit

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's acting Chair Caroline Pham is set to join cryptocurrency payments firm MoonPay as its top lawyer following her impending departure from the commission, MoonPay announced Wednesday.

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Sterne Kessler Draws Scolding, But No Sanctions Midtrial

By Elliot Weld

A Delaware federal judge said Wednesday she wasn't happy with the tone used by attorneys defending a radiopharmaceutical company from patent infringement claims and that she does not condone the attorneys' conduct in improperly contacting three inventors named in a patent at issue, but she declined to issue the severe sanction of kicking them off the case.

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Analysis

The Top Trademark Decisions Of 2025

By Theresa Schliep

The U.S. Supreme Court vacated a trademark infringement award that reached nearly $47 million and found nonparties couldn't be on the hook for the amount, while the Federal Circuit reproached a trademark tribunal for its handling of a man's attempt to register the F-word. Here are Law360's picks for the biggest trademark decisions of 2025.

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After Questioning Judge Nominee, Sen. Kennedy Wants More

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Wednesday pressed a judicial nominee for Indiana on statements he's made as an ordained elder on sexuality and marriage.

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Judge's Contact With 'Tiger King' Ex-Atty Won't Disqualify Him

By Ivan Moreno

A Tenth Circuit judge on a panel reviewing a copyright infringement claim against Netflix over a video clip included in its "Tiger King" docuseries can stay on the case after inadvertently contacting a former attorney for the plaintiffs, the parties told the appellate court in separate letters.

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Pentagon Must Justify JAG Firings Under New NDAA

By Courtney Bublé

Under the annual defense policy bill that was sent to the president's desk on Wednesday, the Pentagon will have to explain its firings of military lawyers — a provision that comes after the Trump administration controversially dismissed its top military lawyers at the beginning of the year.

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Feature

The Spiciest Quotes From Massachusetts Courts In 2025

By Chris Villani

Massachusetts courts were replete with high-stakes cases throughout the year, with memorable lines from lawyers and judges alike, including jabs, thoughtful reflections and one defendant "blinded by love."

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

ArentFox Schiff

Arnold & Porter

Boies Schiller

Brooks Pierce

Brown & Connery

Bursor & Fisher

Bush Gottlieb

Caldwell Law Office

Chandra Law Firm

Clarick Gueron

Cordatis LLP

Covington & Burling

Cozen O'Connor

Crowell & Moring

Debevoise & Plimpton

Finnegan

FordHarrison

Gibson Dunn

Glenn Agre

Goldberg Miller

Greenberg Traurig

Guzzardo & Associates

HKM Employment Attorneys

HSF Kramer

Irell & Manella

Jackson Walker LLP

James & Hoffman

Jones Day

Kalijarvi Chuzi

Katz Banks

Kirkland & Ellis

Knobbe Martens

Koskoff Koskoff

Kroger Gardis

Law Offices of Matthew K. Rogers

Libby Hoopes

Lowell & Associates

McCarter & English

McDonald Carano

Mitchell Silberberg

Morrison & Foerster

Norton Rose

Paul Weiss

Rusty Hardin

Shook Hardy

Sterne Kessler

Stranch Jennings

Troutman

Weinberg Roger

Willkie Farr

Zimmer Citron

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AT&T Inc.

Above the Law

Advanced Accelerator Applications SA

American Bar Association

American Federation of Government Employees

American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees

American Petroleum Institute Inc.

Anthropic PBC

Apple Inc.

BP PLC

Citigroup Inc.

Cloudflare Inc.

Eicher Motors Ltd.

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Exxon Mobil Corp.

Google LLC

Honeywell International Inc.

Housing Authority of the City of Camden

Instagram Inc.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters

International Business Machines Corp.

International Longshore & Warehouse Union

Jack Daniel's Properties Inc.

Johnson & Johnson

Kinder Morgan Inc.

Lantheus Holdings Inc.

LinkedIn Corp.

Major League Baseball Inc.

Merck & Co. Inc.

Meta Platforms Inc.

Mid America Apartment Communities Inc.

Motorola Mobility LLC

NBCUniversal Media LLC

NFL Enterprises LLC

Netflix Inc.

New York University

Pacific Maritime Association

Reddit Inc.

SAP AG

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Service Employees International Union

Shell PLC

Southwest Airlines Co.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

Tenet Healthcare Corp.

Tesla Inc.

The New York Times Co.

TikTok Inc.

Verizon Communications Inc.

Yellow Corp.

YouTube Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Defense Information Systems Agency

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Executive Office of the President

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Judicial Conference of the United States

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

National Institutes of Health

National Labor Relations Board

New York Department of Financial Services

Port of Seattle

U.S. Army

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

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

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

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

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

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

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

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

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

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

U.S. Office Of Special Counsel

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama

United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia

United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana