The U.S. Supreme Court's decision limiting judicial review of environmental analyses of infrastructure projects, combined with the Trump administration's drive to ease approval processes, may boost developers' optimism — but the extent to which reviews can be narrowed remains unknown.
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TOP NEWS

Analysis

Projects Get Some NEPA Relief, But How Much Is Unknown

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision limiting judicial review of environmental analyses of infrastructure projects, combined with the Trump administration's drive to ease approval processes, may boost developers' optimism — but the extent to which reviews can be narrowed remains unknown.

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High Court Restores Federal Approval Of Utah Oil Railway

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the federal government's approval of a rail project intended to haul crude oil out of Utah's Uinta Basin.

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Monsanto Won't Get Damages Offset In $100M PCB Tort Loss

By Rachel Riley

A Washington state judge has denied Monsanto's bid to reduce the latest $100 million verdict in a chemical poisoning tort series that's yielded more than $1 billion in punitive damages, concluding that the agro-chemical giant hid the health dangers of PCBs for decades in pursuit of profit.

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Big Oil Caused Woman's Heat Wave Death, Novel Suit Says

By Hailey Konnath

The daughter of a Seattle woman who died during a 2021 heat wave filed a first-of-its kind wrongful death suit in Washington state court Thursday against oil and gas giants — including BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Shell — alleging the companies knew for decades their fossil fuel products would one day "claim lives."

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POLICY & REGULATION

Interior OKs Utah Mine In First Fast-Tracked Energy Review

By MJ Koo

The U.S. Department of the Interior has greenlit a uranium and vanadium mine in southeastern Utah, the first to be approved under a new, expedited 14-day environmental review process.

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Texas Bars Some Property Tax Hikes Above Voter-OK'd Rates

By Zak Kostro

Texas will prohibit school districts from adopting property tax rates above voter-approved thresholds in response to a natural disaster if voters previously rejected a similar proposed rate increase, under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

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LITIGATION

Fla. Appeals Order To Monitor Indian River Manatees

By Carolina Bolado

Florida's Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday it is appealing an injunction requiring the agency to implement new manatee monitoring programs after a federal judge found it violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing wastewater pollution into the North Indian River Lagoon watershed.

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Judge Sees No Harm In BLM Drill Permits Near Colo. Grassland

By Tom Lotshaw

A Colorado federal judge said an environmental group failed to show standing for a suit challenging the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's refusal to mitigate surface pollution from oil and gas wells on state and private lands on and around the Pawnee National Grassland.

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Shell Told To Disclose Climate Risk Docs In RI Terminal Case

By Lauren Berg

A Rhode Island federal judge Thursday ordered Shell Oil Co. to answer the Conservation Law Foundation's inquiries concerning its knowledge behind the construction and operation of a bulk storage terminal in Providence that the conservation group claims is unprepared for flooding and other weather events expected in a changing climate.

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DOT Calls States' EV Charging Funding Suit Premature

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Department of Transportation urged a Washington federal judge to reject an attempt by 16 states to block the Trump administration from cutting off funding for electric vehicle charging projects, saying their claims aren't yet ripe for review.

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Insurer Waived Arbitration For Many Reasons, NJ Panel Rules

By Elizabeth Daley

An insurer waived its right to arbitration for many reasons, a New Jersey appellate panel affirmed, finding a pier owner's coverage dispute concerning underlying litigation brought against it by public utilities blaming it for a fluid leak in the Hudson River must head to trial.

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Texas Justices Keep Court Orders On $3.4B Water Pipeline

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas appeals court mostly kept intact court orders barring a groundwater company from interfering with several leases as a part of a $3.4 billion pipeline venture to supply water to San Antonio, finding in a Thursday opinion the company was undercutting its lessee.

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PRODUCT LIABILITY

Kids Launch New Climate Case Over Trump Energy Orders

By Keith Goldberg

The U.S. government on Thursday was hit with a fresh lawsuit from youths alleging that federal energy policies harm their future by exacerbating climate change, specifically targeting President Donald Trump's executive orders aimed at boosting fossil fuels.

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RJ Reynolds Lied About Carbon Offset Of Vapes, Suit Says

By Mike Curley

A group of California vape users is suing R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. and its U.S. and British affiliates in federal court, alleging that its claims that the Vuse vape is the first carbon-neutral electronic cigarette are misleading.

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Monsanto-Funded Researcher Influenced Panel, Jury Hears

By Cara Salvatore

A Missouri jury hearing the latest trial over cancer claims related to Monsanto's glyphosate pesticides heard Thursday that a Monsanto-funded researcher was able to change the course of a prestigious international panel weighing the chemical's carcinogenicity.

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PEOPLE

Crowell & Moring Hires Ex-EPA Deputy Assistant Admin In SF

By Matt Perez

Crowell & Moring LLP announced on Thursday the hiring of a former deputy assistant administrator from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as senior counsel in the firm's environmental and regulatory enforcement groups in its San Francisco office.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

What Gene Findings Mean For Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims

Recent advances in genetic research have provided substantial evidence that significant numbers of malignant mesothelioma cases may be caused by inherited mutations rather than asbestos exposure — a finding that could fundamentally change how defendants approach personal injury litigation over mesothelioma, say David Schwartz at Lumanity and Kirk Hartley at LSP Group.

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Series

Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Analysis

3 Takeaways From The Judgments On Trump's Law Firm EOs

By Aebra Coe

Three federal judges have now weighed in on President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms, with each ruling in favor of the firms and deeming the orders unconstitutional. Here are three takeaways from the combined 227 pages of those judges’ conclusions.

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DOJ Sidelines ABA From Vetting Trump's Judicial Picks

By Kevin Penton

The Justice Department plans to direct judicial nominees away from a long-standing vetting process by the American Bar Association, labeling it an "activist organization," according to a Thursday letter by Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

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Harvard Taps Paul Weiss High Court Litigator For Board

By Hailey Konnath

Kannon Shanmugam, a Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP partner and veteran U.S. Supreme Court litigator, has been selected to join the Harvard Corp. governing board, according to an announcement made Thursday.

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Analysis

Tariff Rulings Undercut Trump's Trade Authority, Dealmaking

By Dylan Moroses

U.S. trading partners have inadvertently found new leverage in tariff negotiations with the Trump administration after federal courts found several of the president's duties were improperly imposed, raising larger questions about future tariff authorization in the midst of a global trade spat.

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Influencer Hits Akin With Malpractice Suit Over Boxing Deal

By Lynn LaRowe

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and one of its Texas-based partners allegedly failed to understand California law in handling a financial dispute between a social media influencer and the company that hired him to participate in an amateur boxing competition, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in a Lone Star State federal court.

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For-Profit School Sued Over Thompson Coburn Leak Notices

By Emily Sawicki

A for-profit college operator is facing a proposed class action in Alabama federal court, alleging it failed to properly secure its data and notify students in a timely manner that its law firm, Thompson Coburn LLP, had been hit with a cyberattack causing a data breach of sensitive records.

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Fed. Circ. Revives Trump Tariffs As It Weighs Appeal

By Natalie Olivo

The Federal Circuit temporarily reinstated President Donald Trump's global tariffs Thursday, a day after the U.S. Court of International Trade held that an emergency law did not give the president "unbounded authority" to impose the measures.

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Trump Pardons Twice-Convicted Former Conn. Governor

By Brian Steele

President Donald Trump has pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, a one-time chairman of the Republican Governors Association, who resigned from office in 2004 and served two stints in prison for corruption and lying to federal election officials.

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Investors Allege Manhattan Firm Aided $43M Ponzi Scheme

By Emma Cueto

A pair of investors filed suit against New York-based Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP and two of its former attorneys on Thursday, alleging that the midsize firm and the attorneys, who have since departed for Saul Ewing LLP, lied on behalf of a client who has since been charged with running a $43 million Ponzi scheme.

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Ex-Atty's Death In Colo. Jail Sparks Suit Over Medical Neglect

By Craig Clough

The family of a disbarred attorney imprisoned for felony theft sued three members of the medical staff at the prison where he died, alleging in Colorado federal court Wednesday their neglect resulted in Steven Bachar dying from cardiac arrest after he asked for days for proper medical attention.

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Trump Names 4 Jurists, State AG Official For Fla. Judgeships

By Lynn LaRowe

President Donald Trump this week announced his nominations of four judges and a top official in the Florida Attorney General's Office to fill district judgeships in the Sunshine State's Middle and Southern Districts.

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Calif. Justices Propose Tweaking Rules For Bar Examiners

By Emily Sawicki

The California Supreme Court has proposed changes to the administration of the state's troubled bar exam, circulating a slate of amendments designed to clarify the role of the Committee of Bar Examiners, including spelling out its duty to review and approve all questions used in the exam.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Grant & Eisenhofer's Beth Graham

By Tracey Read

Elizabeth "Beth" Graham, a San Francisco-based principal at Grant & Eisenhofer PA and a member of its executive committee, played a key part in negotiating a $600 million settlement in April 2024 for plaintiffs in litigation arising from the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment, earning her a spot among Law360's 2025 Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

A&O Shearman

Advocates for the West

Akin Gump

Almanza Blackburn

Arnold & Itkin

Baker & Hostetler

Barnes & Thornburg

Beveridge & Diamond

Blank Rome

Bracewell LLP

Bradley Arant

Bryan Cave

Burg Simpson

Bush Ross

Cadwalader Wickersham

Chace Ruttenberg

Clark Hill

Clement & Murphy

Corr Cronin

Crowell & Moring

Don Bivens PLLC

Friedman Rubin

Galen & Davis

Gibson Dunn

Goodwin Procter

Grant & Eisenhofer

Greenfire Law

Henderson Franklin

Hodgson Russ

Holland & Knight

Holland Holland Edwards

Husch Blackwell

Jenner & Block

K&L Gates

Kanner & Whiteley

Kaplan Kirsch

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis

Kline & Specter

Kopelowitz Ostrow

L'Abbate Balkan

Latham & Watkins

Lieff Cabraser

McCarter & English

McDermott Will & Emery

Meritz Reddy

Milbank LLP

Milberg Coleman

Moritt Hock

Motley Rice

Paul Weiss

Perkins Coie

Pfau Cochran

Pillsbury Winthrop

Pittman Dutton

Proskauer Rose

Quarles & Brady

Saiber LLC

Saul Ewing

Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP

Schubert Jonckheer

Seila Law

Sidley Austin

Sills Cummis

Simmons Hanly

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Skadden Arps

Snell & Wilmer

Steptoe LLP

Strauss Borrelli

Susman Godfrey

Terrill Firm PC

Thompson Coburn

Trammell PC

Upchurch & Yates

Venable LLP

Williams & Connolly

Willkie Farr

WilmerHale

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.

Aisin Seiki Co.

Amalgamated Sugar Co. LLC

American Association for Justice

American Bar Association

American Civil Liberties Union

American International Group Inc.

Anschutz Exploration Corp.

AutoZone Inc.

Bayer AG

Center for Biological Diversity Inc.

Chevron Corp.

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

ConocoPhillips Co.

Conservation Law Foundation Inc.

Consolidated Edison Inc.

Cornell University

DuPont de Nemours Inc.

Earthjustice

Education Corporation of America

Exxon Mobil Corp.

FaZe Clan Inc.

First Liberty Institute

Genuine Parts Co.

Gilead Sciences Inc.

Learning Resources Inc.

Monsanto Co.

Natural Resources Defense Council

Norfolk Southern Corp.

Our Children's Trust

PG&E Corp.

Public Citizen Inc.

Public Service Enterprise Group Inc.

Shell PLC

Sierra Club

Southeastern University

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

The Sherwin-Williams Co.

University of Virginia

Valero Energy Corp.

Verdad Resources LLC

Walmart Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Land Management

California Supreme Court

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Council on Environmental Quality

Executive Office of the President

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Election Commission

Federal Highway Administration

Florida Attorney General's Office

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Hopi Tribe

Navajo Nation

New Jersey Court

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Pueblo of Zuni

South Florida Water Management District

Surface Transportation Board

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Transportation

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island

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 Illinois

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

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

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

United States District Court for the District of Montana

United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Ute Mountain Ute Tribe

Washington Attorney General's Office

World Health Organization