1-Year Biofuel Exemptions Eligibility Upheld For 2 Refineries

By Gautama Mehta

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violated its own regulations by denying exemptions from biofuel blending requirements to two oil refineries in Louisiana and Wyoming, the D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday.

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

3rd Circ. Rules No Infringement In Posting Of Building Codes

By P.J. D'Annunzio

In a precedential opinion Tuesday, the Third Circuit ruled that a company's posting of the American Society for Testing and Materials' copyrighted technical standards online was a fair use of the information that did not infringe ASTM's copyright.

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

DC Circ. Affirms Venezuela Can't Escape $1B Exxon Award

By Craig Clough

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday summarily affirmed a ruling enforcing a $1 billion arbitral award against Venezuela in a dispute with three Exxon Mobil affiliates, saying a lower court judge correctly rejected the interim government's argument that the illegitimate government of President Nicolás Maduro was wrongly allowed to argue the case.

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

Feds Say Iranian Hackers Are Targeting 'Critical' Infrastructure

By Hailey Konnath

A handful of federal agencies issued a joint cybersecurity advisory Tuesday warning that Iranian-affiliated hackers are taking aim at "critical infrastructure," including drinking water and wastewater systems, leading to multiple disruptions across various sectors.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Rules That Russia Can't Stall $242M Award Suits

By Joyce Hanson

The D.C. Circuit has opted not to pause litigation aimed at making Russia pay more than $242 million in arbitral awards owed to Ukrainian power and gas companies while the Kremlin appeals the circuit's foreign sovereign immunity ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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

Rivera Kept $50M Venezuela Deal Quiet, Ex-Partner Says

By Carolina Bolado

The government's star witness took the stand Tuesday in the criminal case against former U.S. Rep. David Rivera of Florida, telling jurors that Rivera and others kept a $50 million consulting contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company quiet because of concerns about how it would be perceived in Miami.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wis. Tribe Tries To Block Pipeline Around Reservation

By Jared Foretek

A Wisconsin tribe is challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' permit allowing an energy company to reroute 41 miles of a crude oil pipeline around the tribe's reservation, claiming the Corps approved it without sufficiently assessing the risk of oil spills and other problems.

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

Fishermen, Seafood Sellers Sue LOOP Over La. Oil Spill

By Mike Curley

A group of fishermen and seafood companies is suing the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, or LOOP LLC, over a February oil spill that saw 31,500 gallons of heavy Venezuelan crude oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico, saying LOOP's slow-walking of cleanup puts their livelihoods and the local ecosystem in danger.

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

10th Circ. Says Enviro Groups Skipped Steps In Mine Dispute

By Elaine Briseño

A unanimous Tenth Circuit panel on Tuesday denied two environmental groups judicial review of their efforts to block the expansion of a Colorado coal mine, citing incongruous arguments and a failure to submit a formal objection during the permit-review process.

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

What Voluntary Calif. Carbon Reports Show About Compliance

While the enforcement of California's S.B. 261 is currently paused due to a Ninth Circuit injunction, more than 130 companies have nonetheless chosen to voluntarily publish climate-related financial risk disclosures, providing a useful snapshot of how the market is interpreting the law's requirements in practice, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2 Rulings Poke Holes In Mandatory Restitution Framework

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ellingburg v. U.S., as well as the Third Circuit’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Abrams, provide criminal defense practitioners with new tools to challenge Mandatory Victims Restitution Act orders, and highlight several restitution-related issues that converged in the recent prosecution of former Frank CEO Charlie Javice, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

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

Axed Trade Secret Award Cautions Against Bundling Damages

The Fifth Circuit's recent ruling in Trinseo v. Harper, vacating a $75 million jury verdict for trade secret misappropriation due to a bundled damages model, offers a strong reminder to apportion damages so a jury can award a nonspeculative figure when it credits only some alleged secrets, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

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

DLA Piper Offered Pregnant Atty 'Dignified' Exit, Jury Told

By Pete Brush

A former DLA Piper associate who claims she was unlawfully fired after announcing her pregnancy was offered a chance to transition out of the firm "without anyone knowing that her work was subpar," a partner told a Manhattan federal jury Wednesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Spencer Fane Adds 75 Attys Through Tie-Up With Okla. Firm

By Tracey Read

Missouri-headquartered Spencer Fane LLP announced Wednesday that it plans to combine with Southwest firm Conner & Winters LLP on July 1 in its largest tie-up to date and its third already in 2026.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

AEG, BigLaw Atty In Hot Seat As Live Nation Trial Nears End

By Stewart Bishop

Live Nation on Wednesday concluded its defense case with glowing testimony about it from the manager for rap star Drake, while the Manhattan federal judge overseeing the case said rival company AEG Worldwide and a Hogan Lovells lawyer may face sanctions for revealing confidential information about a witness.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ's Lead Google Attys Both Leave Agency Same Day

By Bryan Koenig

The lead attorneys on both of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's monopolization cases against Google left the agency Wednesday or said they would be doing so.

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

Mich. Federal Judge Pleads No Contest In Drunk-Driving Case

By Gina Kim

A Michigan federal judge pled no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge in Emmet County court in connection with an incident where he crashed his Cadillac and registered a 0.27% blood alcohol level, apologizing and saying he "looks forward" to continuing his judicial service.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ABA, State Bars Blast DOJ Proposal To Block Bar Probes

By Emily Sawicki

The American Bar Association and a chorus of state and local bar groups have come out against a proposed rule that would allow the U.S. Department of Justice to pause and review state-level ethics complaints against its attorneys, calling the proposal "unlawful and unconstitutional."

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ABA Rates Montana Judicial Pick 'Not Qualified'

By Courtney Bublé

Katie Lane, senior legal counsel at the Republican National Committee who has been tapped for a federal judgeship in Montana, is the first nominee to receive a majority "not qualified" rating by the American Bar Association in the second Trump administration.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NY Panel Backs DLA Piper's $482K Fee Win In Malpractice Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

A New York appellate court affirmed Tuesday the dismissal of a Chinese software company's legal malpractice suit against DLA Piper, along with a $482,000 sanctions order against the company and its counsel, noting that the company's frivolous claims also drew a $635,000 sanctions ruling in "mirror" federal court litigation.

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

Bondi To Skip Epstein Deposition After DOJ Cites AG Exit

By Courtney Bublé

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not sit for her scheduled deposition next week on the Epstein files now that she has left the role, and the Justice Department has asked the House Oversight Committee to withdraw its subpoena.

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

Trump Asks NY's Top Court To Toss AG's 'Flawed' Fraud Case

By Lauren Berg

President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked New York's highest court to throw out New York Attorney General Letitia James' "deeply flawed" civil fraud judgment entirely after a lower appellate court tossed what it called an "excessive" $489 million penalty against the president, his sons and his real estate companies.

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