FERC Beats Environmental Challenge To La. LNG Terminal

By Elaine Briseño

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Louisiana, saying environmental groups challenging the decision failed to show the project was not in the public's best interest.

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DC Circ. Says ESA Review Wasn't Needed For EPA Air Rule

By Tom Lotshaw

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's determination that retaining existing air quality standards for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter would not affect animals or plants protected under the Endangered Species Act.

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PG&E Investors Get Final OK For $100M Wildfire Suit Deal

By Sydney Price

A California federal judge Tuesday gave final approval to a $100 million deal settling claims California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co., its brass and underwriters misled investors about the company's safety practices ahead of deadly wildfires in the past decade, with lead attorneys securing $21 million in fees.

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NJ Judge Sends Exxon Retail Voting Program Suit To Texas

By Sarah Jarvis

A New Jersey federal judge Tuesday transferred to Texas a police pension fund's proposed class action against Exxon Mobil Corp. over the oil giant's first-of-its-kind retail shareholder voting program, finding the case does not have a strong enough connection to New Jersey.

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Rising Star: Mayer Brown's Chad Richards

By Britain Eakin

Chad Richards of Mayer Brown LLP is helping guide the regulatory approvals for Manulife Investment Management's $1.9 billion utility acquisition in the Pacific Northwest after coming off one of the largest infrastructure deals in recent years, BlackRock's $12.5 billion acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners, earning a spot among the energy law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

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Canada To Hit US With Retaliatory Tariffs, 'Dollar For Dollar'

By Jack McLoone

The Canadian government struck back on Tuesday at the latest round of U.S. tariffs, announcing tariffs of its own of up to 50% on more than 800 categories of products worth CA$27.6 billion ($20 billion) that will come into force on Sept. 8.

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NRDC Says EPA Let Cleveland Polluters Dodge Smog Cuts

By Tom Lotshaw

The Natural Resources Defense Council on Tuesday asked the Sixth Circuit to review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of a plan Ohio submitted for smog pollution in the Cleveland area, and accused the agency of giving a "free pass" to major polluters.

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Commodities Firm Escapes Brazilian Bribery Case

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut federal judge has put an end to a criminal case alleging Freepoint Commodities LLC bribed Brazilian government officials to get an edge over its competitors, dismissing a single felony count shortly after prosecutors said the firm had satisfied its obligations under a deferred prosecution agreement.

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Albania Looks To Toss Judgment Enforcing $13M Award

By Caroline Simson

Albania's state-owned oil company is urging a D.C. federal court to dismiss a default judgment enforcing a roughly $13 million arbitral award now owed to litigation funder Omni Bridgeway, saying the judgment was obtained after the litigation funder "erroneously" stated that service had been completed.

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Investor Seeks Legal Fees In Del. Over Energy Co. Share Suit

By Jarek Rutz

Hudson Bay Longview LLC has sued Mountain State Energy Holdings LLC in the Delaware Chancery Court seeking to force the energy company to pay the legal costs Hudson Bay is racking up while defending a separate New York lawsuit over its purchase of Mountain State shares.

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Why Data Centers Must Focus On Water Stewardship

Reducing overall water use is important for data center developers and operators, but comprehensive water stewardship — including cooling system operation, chemical treatment, wastewater discharge, maintenance activities and interactions with municipal water infrastructure — is rapidly becoming both a regulatory expectation and a business imperative, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

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What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

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Calif. Bill Curbing PE Role In Litigation Heads To Newsom

By Lauren Berg

A California bill to ban corporate investors from influencing litigation strategy is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk after passing with bipartisan support from the state Legislature.

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Pillsbury Settles Ex-Recruiting Director's Pregnancy Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has settled a Black former director's suit claiming the law firm fired her weeks after she shared that she was pregnant and would need accommodations, according to a Tennessee federal court filing.

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DOJ Flags Breach Of Internal Policies In Apple Suit

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Department of Justice told a New Jersey federal judge Tuesday that its staffers breached internal policies when they shared personally identifiable information with an outside discovery vendor that was hired not by the department, but instead by the DOJ's state attorneys general partners, in the monopolization case against Apple.

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Prosecutors Say Goldstein Must Stay Behind Bars

By Jared Foretek

Federal prosecutors told the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday to keep convicted Supreme Court attorney Thomas Goldstein behind bars while he appeals his conviction, arguing that he remains a serious flight risk with wealthy overseas connections and "an ongoing danger" whose tax crimes continued "even after conviction."

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Arizona Atty Reprimanded For Series Of AI Errors

By Matt Perez

An Arizona federal judge has formally reprimanded a lawyer who admitted to filing four briefs that contained errors including false quotes and a faulty case summary generated with artificial intelligence amid an employment discrimination suit, noting the lawyer previously faced sanctions on two separate occasions for violating court rules.

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House Committee Wants DOL IG To Widen Info-Sharing Probe

By Benjamin Morse

Top House Education and Workforce Committee Republicans urged the U.S. Department of Labor's watchdog Wednesday to expand its review of information-sharing arrangements with outside groups, asking whether three additional agencies improperly disclosed confidential investigative material during the Biden administration.

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