Counsel for members of the Blackfeet Nation tribe told the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday their suit challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs should stay in federal district courts, where constitutional and congressional claims over tribal commerce must be heard.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Tribal Members Tell 9th Circ. Tariff Suit Belongs In Fed. Court

By Dylan Moroses

Counsel for members of the Blackfeet Nation tribe told the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday their suit challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs should stay in federal district courts, where constitutional and congressional claims over tribal commerce must be heard.

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2nd Circ. Won't Block Eletson Doc Transfer In Shipping Row

By Emily Sawicki

The Second Circuit on Wednesday declined Reed Smith LLP's emergency request to block the turnover of client files created amid its representation of Greece-based shipping company Eletson Holdings prior to an October 2024 reorganization, but agreed to refer the stay motion to a three-judge panel for consideration.

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Venezuelan Bondholder Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Suit

By Carolina Bolado

The holder of a $43.2 million judgment against Venezuela over defaulted bonds asked the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to revive its suit seeking to gain control of various Miami properties controlled by a wealthy businessman accused of bribing Venezuelan officials.

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EXIM Bank Wants Suit Over $20B Mozambique LNG Project Axed

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The Export-Import Bank of the United States is asking a D.C. federal judge to toss green groups' effort to block $4.7 billion in financing for a liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique led by TotalEnergies SE.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Brief

USTR Seeks Feedback On USMCA In Advance Of Joint Review

By Dylan Moroses

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking comments on the effectiveness of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in advance of next year's joint review of the regional trade agreement, it has announced.

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LITIGATION

PTAB Told Variations From Prior Rulings Require Explanation

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has told Patent Trial and Appeal Board judges that they must now explain any decisions that have a different outcome from an earlier ruling on the same patent or similar patent claims, either by the patent office or in litigation.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Steps To Take As States Expand Foreign-Influence Bans

As efforts to curb foreign-influenced corporate political spending continue, companies should be aware of the nuances of related laws and layer an additional analysis when assessing legality of foreign engagement, say attorneys at Steptoe.

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Series

Adapting To Private Practice: From Va. AUSA To Mid-Law

Returning to the firm where I began my career after seven years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia has been complex, nuanced and rewarding, and I’ve learned that the pursuit of justice remains the constant, even as the mindset and client change, says Kristin Johnson at Woods Rogers.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Litigation Spending To Keep Growing As Biz Risks Run High

By Jack Karp

Companies are likely to increase their spending on litigation next year, some by over 10%, as legal disputes become more complex, more contentious and more high-stakes, according to a new report out Thursday.

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Ex-Calif. Judge Gets 35 Years For Shooting Wife To Death

By Gina Kim

Former California state court judge Jeffrey M. Ferguson lost his bid for a new trial Wednesday and was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for shooting his wife to death at home in a drunken rage, with the presiding judge expressing sympathy for his "extraordinary" son who tried to save his mother's life.

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Feds Want 3 Years For Girardi Son-In-Law's Chicago Contempt

By Lauraann Wood

Tom Girardi's son-in-law should receive a three-year prison sentence for his admitted role in helping the once-celebrated plaintiffs' lawyer steal millions from Lion Air crash victims, federal prosecutors in Chicago argued Wednesday.

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Winston & Strawn Blamed For 'Anti-Woke' Fintech $1.7B Crash

By Lauren Berg

The trustee of bankrupt "anti-woke" financial technology startup GloriFi on Wednesday launched malpractice litigation against Winston & Strawn LLP in Texas bankruptcy court, accusing the firm and one of its managing partners of putting the interests of the company's founder first and costing the business $1.7 billion in valuation.

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7th Circ. Pick Shrugs Off Conservative Group's Opposition

By Courtney Bublé

During her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Rebecca Taibleson, a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin tapped for the Seventh Circuit, fended off opposition to her nomination from conservative groups, antipathy that the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee called a "new low" for the committee.

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House Votes To End DC Judicial Nominations Commission

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-211 along party lines on Wednesday to eliminate the commission that vets and picks potential judicial nominees for Washington, D.C.'s local courts.

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Retired Judges Speak Out On 'Threats' To Constitution

By Courtney Bublé

More than 40 retired federal judges appointed by presidents of both parties released an open letter Wednesday, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, saying they sought to underscore the importance of the rule of law at a time when the nation's ideals "are under historic strain."

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Del. Judge's US Atty Application Plan Draws Blanche's Ire

By Lauren Berg

Delaware's chief district judge, a Trump appointee, is seeking applications for the state's U.S. attorney position to prepare for an upcoming vacancy in the interim position, a move that drew the ire of Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday.

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Giuliani Must Pay Attys $1.4M After Missing Bills Claim Fails

By Adrian Cruz

A New York state judge has awarded nearly $1.4 million to Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP in its lawsuit accusing former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani of racking up unpaid legal bills for the firm's work in various criminal, civil and administrative matters.

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Criminal Restitution Fails Defendants, Victims, Report Says

By Brandon Lowrey

Federal criminal restitution often fails to benefit victims of crime and throws defendants into a "Sisyphean struggle" with debt, with $100 billion in outstanding restitution deemed uncollectable, according to a report released this week by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

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SEC Policy Shift Could Foreclose Some Investor Class Actions

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a policy statement Wednesday that allows the use of mandatory arbitration by new publicly traded companies as its chief seeks to "make IPOs great again," but Democrats warned the move could shut the door to shareholder class actions.

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Ex-Law Student's Bias Suit In Wrong Forum, 4th Circ. Told

By Patrick Hoff

A Black former student at Washington University School of Law shouldn't be able to revive claims that she was suspended from campus and lost her scholarship after complaining about a professor's race bias because she filed the suit in the wrong state, the law school told the Fourth Circuit.

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Trump Could Swing Fed With This 1 Weird Trick: Ex-Fed Gov.

By Jon Hill

A former top Federal Reserve official told Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday that if President Donald Trump succeeds in quickly ousting Fed Gov. Lisa Cook, it could unlock an obscure mechanism for his allies at the Fed to sway future interest-rate decisions.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Black Srebnick

Cahill Gordon

Chapman & Cutler

Cheronis & Parente

Davidoff Hutcher

Edelson PC

Freedman Normand

Fuerst Ittleman

Gibson Dunn

Girardi & Keese

Goulston & Storrs

HSF Kramer

Kirkland & Ellis

Lankford & Reed

Lewis Rice

Proskauer Rose

Quinn Emanuel

Reed Smith

Saul Ewing

Skadden Arps

Steptoe LLP

Troutman

Winston & Strawn

Woods Rogers

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

American Family Association

BTI Consulting Group Inc.

CME Group Inc.

Central Maine Power Co.

Families Against Mandatory Minimums

Georgia State University

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

The District of Columbia Bar

The PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

TotalEnergies SE

Twitter Inc.

United Services Automobile Association

Wells Fargo & Co.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Blackfeet Nation

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Executive Office of the President

Export-Import Bank of the United States

Federal Election Commission

Federal Reserve System

International Trade Commission

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. District Court for the District of Maine

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

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 Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

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

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Kansas