Analysis

Senate Permitting Bill May Sink Beneath Blue Wave

By Keith Goldberg

The chances of Congress passing legislation aimed at speeding permits for infrastructure projects plummeted as Democrats seized control of Capitol Hill in Tuesday's elections, and any related bill introduced in 2027 could look a lot different than the current version.

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Analysis

Attys Consider Corporate Implications Of Blue Texas

By Spencer Brewer

Texas attorneys have already started weighing new strategies in the wake of Texas' historic blue shift, led by a new attorney general and a new governor who have pledged to bring more industry regulation and consumer protections to the Lone Star State.

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Ex-Utility Regulator's $2,500 Fine Suit Meets Skeptical Judge

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut judge appeared skeptical Wednesday of former Public Utilities Regulatory Authority chair Marissa P. Gillett's bid to keep alive a lawsuit challenging a $2,500 open records commission fine, pushing Gillett's lawyer to concede that because the authority tendered payment, the ex-chairperson was no longer personally on the hook.

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Ex-Avangrid Atty Who Raised Bribery Concerns Fights Firing

By Brian Steele

The chief compliance officer of an Avangrid unit lost his job because he cooperated with a federal regulator's audit and refused to downplay a bribery matter involving a Maine-based offshoot, according to a whistleblower lawsuit in Connecticut state court.

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States Ask DC Circ. To Revisit DOE Coal Plant Order Ruling

By Tom Lotshaw

A West Virginia-led coalition urged the full D.C. Circuit to revisit a panel ruling scrapping a U.S. Department of Energy order directing a retiring coal-fired power plant to remain open, arguing it improperly limited the department's powers "at a hard moment for the grid."

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Brief

Judge OKs $353M Bid For Power Plant In Ch. 11

By Rick Archer

A Delaware bankruptcy judge has given West Virginia coal plant operator Omnis Pleasants the go-ahead to accept an approximately $353 million baseline bid for its assets in an auction to be held next week.

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DOD Says It Has Resumed Wind Project Reviews

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Department of Defense urged an Oregon federal judge to reject renewable energy backers' claim that the Pentagon has continued its unlawful freeze on reviewing proposed wind energy projects, saying reviews have resumed at every stage.

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Ford, EV Battery Co. Must Face Workers' Unpaid Wage Suit

By Melanie Dorsey

Ford Motor Co. and its electric vehicle battery joint venture must face a proposed class and collective action alleging unpaid wages after a Michigan federal judge ruled Wednesday that workers sufficiently alleged the automaker was their joint employer and that Michigan courts have jurisdiction over the venture.

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Opinion

The Invisible AI Danger That May Undermine Legal Profession

A public database tracking cases involving hallucinations generated by artificial intelligence recently surpassed 2,200 entries, but the bigger risk underlying attorneys’ use of such tools is that they will slowly surrender their judgment to AI and lose analytical skills, says Massachusetts District Court Associate Justice Brian Palmucci.

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Faegre Drinker Hires Morgan Lewis Tax Specialist In Philly

By Jack Rodgers

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP has hired a Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP tax associate to join its Philadelphia office as a partner working on federal income tax and other tax matters, according to a Wednesday announcement.

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Controversial DOJ Civil Rights Division Leader Steps Down

By Alison Knezevich

Harmeet K. Dhillon, a U.S. Department of Justice official who instituted dramatic changes as leader of the Civil Rights Division, has stepped down from her role.

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Analysis

Racing Against Whistleblowers Could Cost Companies

By Phillip Bantz

The U.S. Department of Justice's new cash rewards program for tips on criminal fraud threatens to ramp up the pressure on companies to hurry internal investigations and quickly report suspected misconduct to the government before whistleblowers do, which could backfire in some cases, according to experts.

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Which GCs Sold Stock In Oct.? Chevron, Micron & More

By Sue Reisinger

If Halloween threw a scare into legal chiefs, it didn't keep them from selling company stock in October. Chevron's R. Hewitt Pate and United Therapeutics' Paul Mahon each sold nearly $10 million worth, while Michael Ray of Micron was a distant third with $5.88 million in sales last month.

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Maynard Nexsen Adds 9 Constangy Attys Across 3 States

By Christine DeRosa

Maynard Nexsen PC said Thursday the firm has added nine labor and employment attorneys from Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP, expanding its presence in New York, New Jersey and Missouri.

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Sullivan & Cromwell Brings On Weil Capital Markets Leader

By Isaac Monterose

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has hired the co-leader of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP's capital markets team for a capital markets partner role in its New York City office, the firm announced Thursday.

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Toshiba, DTE Are Worlds Apart On Bond For $394M Judgment

By Melanie Dorsey

Toshiba Corp. urged a Michigan federal judge Thursday to limit its appeal bond to $37 million rather than the $549 million sought by two Michigan utilities, arguing that a state law capping appeal bonds should apply as the company challenges a $394 million judgment over a botched power plant overhaul.

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Trump's Hush Money Conviction Examined By Wary NY Panel

By Frank G. Runyeon

A New York State appellate court Thursday quizzed attorneys for President Donald Trump and state prosecutors over his hush-money conviction, exploring defense counsel's claims that the district attorney trespassed into federal jurisdiction by charging election violations and trampled on presidential immunity in a case "infected with multiple fatal errors."

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