US Pays TotalEnergies $1B To Abandon Offshore Wind Leases

By Keith Goldberg

The Trump administration said Monday that it would pay TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to give up a pair of offshore wind leases in exchange for the French energy giant sinking the cash into U.S. oil and gas development.

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CBP Frees Redesigned Ice Machines From Import Ban

By Elliot Weld

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has lifted an import ban on ice machines made by Korean kitchen appliance company Bluenix after a product redesign that the company said put the machines outside the scope of an industry rival's patents.

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Democratic AGs Demand IEEPA Tariff Refund Legislation

By Jack McLoone

A group of Democratic state attorneys general pushed congressional leaders to enact legislation that would require timely refunds of all duties levied under the now-invalidated International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs, including interest.

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US Pushes WTO Changes Over 'Untenable' State Of Int'l Trade

By Jack McLoone

The World Trade Organization is poorly addressing the "untenable and unsustainable" state of international trade, the U.S. said Monday, suggesting a slate of what it called "member-driven" changes ahead of the WTO's biennial ministerial meeting.

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Brief

Commerce Seeks Inclusion Requests For Auto Part Tariffs

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Monday that it will accept new recommendations on goods to include under the tariff regime for auto part imports.

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Ex-Fla. Rep Paid To Secretly Lobby For Maduro, Jurors Told

By David Minsky

A prosecutor told a Florida federal jury Monday that former congressman David Rivera and a political consultant conspired to secretly lobby for deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in violation of the law, saying they were paid to help influence U.S. official policy toward the South American country without approval.

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3 Policy Lines To Revisit After Justices Nix Emergency Tariffs

The U.S. Supreme Court's invalidation of President Donald Trump's emergency-based tariffs could expose businesses to allegations of misrepresenting tariff effects and raise the prospect of consumer actions seeking refunds — underscoring the need for policyholders to potentially reposition their insurance portfolios, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

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Navigating Venezuelan Oil And Gas Sanctions Rollbacks

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a series of general licenses representing the broadest easing of Venezuela-related sanctions in years, and creating significant new opportunities — but only for entities prepared to meet the rigorous conditions attached to OFAC's phased sanctions relief, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

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DOJ Says Gov't Attys Can't Be Punished Over ICE's Actions

By Ryan Boysen

The Trump administration says a Minnesota federal judge erred by holding a government attorney in contempt after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flouted a court order, claiming the lawyer was "wrongfully held captive to induce ICE's compliance."

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Judicial Conference Backs Latest Judge Newman Suspension

By Jack Karp

The federal judiciary on Tuesday upheld the latest extension of Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's suspension and the decision not to transfer her case to another circuit, finding neither to be unconstitutional.

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Goldstein Seeks New Trial, Citing 'A Series Of Legal Errors'

By Emily Sawicki

SCOTUSblog founder and appellate icon Thomas Goldstein has filed a lengthy motion for a new trial or acquittal after his conviction on a dozen criminal charges related to tax evasion, alleging his trial was marred by improper jury instructions, improper exclusion of evidence and inadequate evidence, among other things.

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Analysis

Fraud Task Force May Boost White Collar Defense Work

By Phillip Bantz

A new federal anti-fraud task force involving at least a dozen federal agencies could soon expose more state and local governments, contractors, companies and others to compliance risks, particularly in healthcare fraud and False Claims Act cases, experts say.

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Fla. Judge Faces Discipline For Remark About Shooting Attys

By David Minsky

A Florida state judge is facing a public reprimand after admitting to becoming frustrated with attorneys in an estate dispute and saying that he "would like to tell the deputy to pull his gun and shoot all three of you," according to records filed Tuesday in the state's high court.

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Senate Confirms Chief Of New DOJ Fraud Division

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate voted 52-47, along party lines, on Tuesday to confirm Colin McDonald to the newly created assistant attorney general for fraud role.

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Reed Smith's Silence On Depo 'Speaks Volumes,' Ex-Atty Says

By Jake Maher

A former Reed Smith LLP attorney suing the firm for underpaying her based on her gender criticized the firm for its "inexcusable delay and attempted meandering" in seeking to resume deposing her years after her last deposition date.

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Beasley Allen Says NJ Justices Review Of Talc DQ 'Essential'

By George Woolston

Beasley Allen urged the New Jersey Supreme Court to hear its appeal of a lower court's decision to disqualify it from representing plaintiffs in multicounty litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder, arguing that the court's immediate review of the interlocutory order is "essential."

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