Analysis

Top 5 Enviro Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2026

By Gautama Mehta

The second half of 2026 could see courts delivering important rulings that will determine whether municipalities can set their own building emissions laws, the extent of California's authority to regulate pollution and citizens' power to enforce the Clean Air Act. Here, Law360 takes a look at five environmental cases that could be resolved before the end of the year.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Admin. Cuts ESA 'Harm' Definition, Groups Vow Fight

By Tom Lotshaw

The Trump administration on Friday said it's scrapping a long-standing definition of "harm" for the Endangered Species Act that included habitat degradation, with environmental groups promising a legal challenge and warning the change will put imperiled species at greater risk of extinction.

Final Rule attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dissolved LLC Can't Revive Trade Secret Suit, 5th Circ. Says

By Adam Lidgett

The Fifth Circuit has refused to revive a defunct Louisiana company's trade secret suit against a business that won a bid for certain onshore drilling assets and the bank that financed the buy, finding it dissolved itself before actually filing the case.

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

Broker Wants Out Of Oil Co.'s Bond Insurance Conspiracy Suit

By Gianna Ferrarin

An insurance broker urged a Texas federal court to dismiss it from litigation alleging a group of insurers conspired to set unreasonable terms for surety bonds, arguing an oil company behind the suit failed to demonstrate the broker had a role in what the company alleged was a scheme.

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

Analysis

US-Canada Stalemate Expected To Hold Amid USMCA Review

By Dylan Moroses

The trade stalemate between the U.S. and Canada is likely to continue through a drawn-out review process for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, though companies will benefit from an underlying level of stability as the deal remains in effect, trade lawyers said.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fed. Circ. Judge Calls Patent Case In-Court Demo 'Misleading'

By Nadia Dreid

A Federal Circuit judge chided a company Friday morning for bringing its own specialized oil drilling tool to court to demonstrate to the panel how a device that allegedly infringes its patent works.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Keystone Pipeline Operator To Pay $30M For Kansas Oil Spill

By Hailey Konnath

The Keystone Pipeline's owner and operator has agreed to pay a $26.8 million civil penalty plus $3 million for natural resource restoration projects in Kansas for a 2022 rupture of the pipeline that spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil, according to a Friday announcement.

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

Colo. Panel Rules Mineral Rights Appeal Premature

By Rachel Konieczny

The Colorado Court of Appeals tossed an estate's appeal of a lower court's decision that threw out its claims of mineral trespass and unjust enrichment in a Colorado property, finding the trial court's order was not final and appealable.

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

How New FERC Orders Are Prepping Grid For Large Loads

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent show-cause orders to grid operators to justify how their rates and regulations account for the interconnection of large and colocated loads like data centers may be just the first step in FERC's efforts to address anticipated reliability and affordability challenges in the coming years, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CFIUS' Mandate Misses Foreign Risk In Project Subcontracts

Recent calls for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review equity transactions like the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. deal miss a consequential oversight gap — CFIUS' inability to review the subcontracting layer of U.S. infrastructure projects, says Thibaut Giret at Alstef Group.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Over 2,600 Attys, Professionals Urge Blocking Blanche As AG

By Emma Cueto

More than 2,600 lawyers and legal professionals on Friday urged lawmakers to oppose the nomination of Todd Blanche for attorney general, saying Blanche's dismissal of the idea that the U.S. Department of Justice should be independent from the White House and his record as interim attorney general make him unfit for the role.

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

HHS' Ex-GC Committed Ethics Violations, Watchdog Says

By Craig Clough

A watchdog organization filed a complaint Thursday with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General seeking an investigation into former HHS general counsel Michael Stuart over alleged federal ethics violations, saying it appears he failed to divest from prohibited financial holdings and made prohibited investment purchases after taking office.

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

Atty's 'Fabricated Quotes,' 'Reliance on AI' Panned By Judge

By Craig Clough

A New York magistrate judge struck a brief Friday filed by an attorney representing a client suing Roc Nation after finding that it included numerous fabrications that may have resulted from artificial intelligence hallucinations, noting that the attorney has been "repeatedly" sanctioned or warned by multiple courts for the same behavior. 

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

11th Circ. Refers Atty For Discipline Over Suspected AI Entries

By Katherine Smith

The Eleventh Circuit on Friday referred an attorney for potential discipline over a brief he filed in a client's retaliation lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections, ruling that the attorney failed to explain how several defective quotes and citations ended up in the brief.

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

Baker Donelson Wins $45K From Tenn. Firm Over AI Misuse

By Lynn LaRowe

Tennessee personal injury firm Reaves Law Firm PLLC must pay more than $45,000 in attorney fees to Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC over Reaves Law's misuse of artificial intelligence in a federal malpractice suit against Baker Donelson.

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

Davis Wright Atty Hit With Sanctions After Winning Sanctions

By Jeff Overley

After defending six-figure sanctions of plaintiffs lawyers for "a reckless course of prolonging litigation," a Davis Wright Tremaine LLP attorney is facing his own six-figure sanctions, with a California magistrate judge finding he "unnecessarily burdened" opposing counsel despite warnings dating back years about "improper litigation tactics."

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

Oura Health Swaps In Sidley For Quinn After Ex-CEO's DQ Bid

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge granted Oura Health's request to swap in Sidley Austin LLP for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in breach-of-contract litigation by the fitness tracker company's former CEO after the ex-executive sought to disqualify Quinn Emanuel for purportedly having access to his confidential data.

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

NY Nonprofits Want ICE Docs On Courthouse Arrest Policies

By Stewart Bishop

Nonprofit groups suing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over courthouse arrest policies pressed a Manhattan federal judge to force the agency to produce documents and testimony concerning arrests it conducts outside immigration courts after the agency's revised policy concerning such arrests in Manhattan was put on hold.

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

Brooklyn Legal Aid Provider's Union Sets Strike Deadline

By Andrea Keckley

The union for the Brooklyn Defender Services has voted to authorize a strike if it doesn't reach an agreement with managers by the morning of July 16.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

11th Circ. Upholds Airline's Win In COVID Discrimination Case

By Irene Spezzamonte

A group of workers for a commercial airline and a related entity failed to support their claims that the companies' COVID-19 pandemic-era policies discriminated against their religious beliefs, the Eleventh Circuit ruled Friday, while sharply criticizing their attorney for his misuse of artificial intelligence.

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

UChicago Law Takes On AI With Phone And Laptop Ban

By Matt Perez

The University of Chicago Law School will prohibit the use of electronic devices such as laptops, tablets and phones in all first-year law school sections and courses as part of new policies dictating the use of artificial intelligence at the school.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

4 Takeaways From Probe Of Feb. 2025 Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco

By Emily Sawicki

Poor implementation of the February 2025 California Bar Exam resulted in millions of dollars in extra costs and negatively affected "a significant portion" of test-takers, according to a new report by the California State Auditor.

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

Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen lawyer Ian Rosenblatt launch legal action against music mogul Simon Cowell, Boohoo face a fresh investor claim after previously facing allegations that it feigned ignorance of labor abuses in its supply chain, and an ex-Tory MP and his chief of staff sued by their former employer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week: The SEC chair said this year's corporate proxy season saw none of the "dire predictions" some had forecast, and in a recent survey, hundreds of law firm leaders said they're increasingly losing clients, citing problems in delivering their legal services.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP and Ludd & Ludd lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a San Diego jury ordered Hyatt to pay $15.5 million over the death of a guest who was left uncontacted for a day after failing to check out.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »