Justices Signal Support For Feds In Pipeline Payout Fight

By Keith Goldberg

U.S. Supreme Court justices Monday appeared inclined to conclude that federal law, and not state law, determines what gas infrastructure project developers should pay landowners in eminent domain proceedings.

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Supreme Court Lets DHS Resume Big Bend Wall Project

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled the U.S. Department of Homeland Security can restart construction of a border wall that runs through Big Bend National Park in Texas, finding a lower court judge who halted the project likely lacked authority to do so.

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Hegseth Faces Renewed House Impeachment Push

By Ganesh Setty

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reintroduced a resolution on Monday to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for allegedly violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973, moving to force a vote this week on the heels of Democrats' historic wins in last week's midterm elections.

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Trump Eyes OLC Chief For Texas Judgeship After Midterms

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump is considering the head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel for a federal judgeship in Texas, a process that started right after the Democrats won big in last week's midterm elections.

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Fla. Judge Says Financial Disclosure Law Is Unconstitutional

By David Minsky

A Florida federal judge ruled in favor of numerous local elected officials in their complaint challenging a state law requiring them to provide detailed financial disclosures, finding Monday the legislation is unconstitutional because it infringes on free speech rights in violation of the First Amendment. 

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Calif. Voters Turn Down One-Time Tax On Billionaires

By Maria Koklanaris

California will not enact a 5% tax to be levied once on the wealth of billionaires in the state, the Associated Press determined Monday.

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Del. Bar Suggests State Scheme For Shareholder Proposals

By Hailey Konnath

The Delaware State Bar on Monday proposed a new framework for when and how stockholders of a Delaware corporation can submit proposals at annual stockholder meetings, changes that could take effect if the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission moves forward with handing oversight back to the states.

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Coinbase Gets Final OCC OK For Custody-Focused Trust

By Aislinn Keely

Crypto exchange Coinbase said Monday that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency finalized its national trust charter, allowing the crypto exchange to launch its federally regulated crypto custody operation.

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CFPB Sends Mortgage Servicing Updates To White House

By Sarah Jarvis

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has submitted to the White House a final rule updating its mortgage servicing rules following a proposal under the previous administration that stemmed from lessons learned in the COVID-19 pandemic, though it wasn't immediately clear how the final rule compares to the proposed version.

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9th Circ. Pauses Some Calif. Climate Disclosure Requirements

By Rae Ann Varona

The Ninth Circuit ruled Monday that California can require companies to report greenhouse gas emissions from their own operations or from purchased energy, but temporarily blocked the state from requiring reporting of indirect emissions and climate-related financial risk.

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Calif. Voters Reject Prop. 45 Fast-Tracking CEQA Reviews

By Dorothy Atkins

Golden State voters have rejected the California Chamber of Commerce-backed Proposition 45, which would have limited reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act and allowed developers to fast-track most housing, water and health projects.

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Permitting Bill Passes First Procedural Senate Vote

By Gautama Mehta

An overhaul of the federal permitting process aimed at reducing red tape in infrastructure and energy projects cleared its first procedural vote in the U.S. Senate by a margin of 73 to 25 on Monday.

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Landowners Ask Justices To Weigh High-Voltage Line Surveys

By Nate Beck

A group of Maryland landowners asked the Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit decision allowing Public Service Energy Group access to survey the route of a proposed 67-mile high-voltage transmission line, based on a trial court finding that the company would likely win eminent domain entry.

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Compass Submits Psilocybin Depression Drug To FDA

By Sam Reisman

Pharmaceutical company Compass Pathways announced Monday that it had submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration a new drug application to treat treatment-resistant depression with psilocybin, the primary compound in psychoactive mushrooms.

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Health Plan Startup Sues CMS Over 2-Star Medicare Rating

By Gianna Ferrarin

A health insurance startup urged a D.C. federal court to set aside a low Medicare Advantage star rating it received from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2027, arguing CMS used improper criteria and is jeopardizing approximately $20 million in revenue.

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TikTok Beats Website Creation IP Suit With Alice Invalidation

By Dani Kass

A California federal judge has dismissed patent litigation against ByteDance and its TikTok unit, saying the website creation patents they were accused of infringing are invalid.

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High Court Passes On Roberto Clemente Plate TM Dispute

By Ivan Moreno

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a dispute between Roberto Clemente's sons and Puerto Rico over commemorative license plates bearing the baseball legend's name and image.

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Seattle Area Residents Aim To Relaunch Airport Pollution Suit

By Rachel Riley

Washington residents are seeking a federal judge's permission to revamp their proposed class action over alleged flight path pollution near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with the goal of bringing federal claims against the airport operator and major airlines after the Ninth Circuit ruled out their previous state law claims.

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Denver, Littleton Seek To Halt Town's Street Gates Project

By Rachel Konieczny

Two Colorado cities urged a state judge to block a Colorado town from moving forward with its planned construction of gates at roadway intersections bordering the town, alleging Monday that the gates would increase traffic and risk of collisions on the cities' residential streets.

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Ohio Seeks Toss Of NCAA Challenge To Eligibility Order

By Ganesh Setty

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine urged an Ohio federal court on Friday to toss the NCAA's lawsuit challenging his executive order allowing universities in the state to bypass new NCAA athlete eligibility rules for the class of 2022, noting that it's the schools that retain discretion.

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Polymarket Adds Missouri Suit To Prediction Market Brawl

By Katryna Perera

Missouri was hit Monday with another lawsuit brought by a prediction market platform, this time with Polymarket filing a preemptive complaint to stave off a threatened gambling enforcement action by the state, as litigation over sports event contract offerings nationwide continues to grow.

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Wash. Judge Faults DOL's Approval Of Farm Wage Survey

By MJ Koo

The U.S. Department of Labor acted unlawfully in approving a state wage survey that split farmworkers' piece-rate pay into separate categories, a Washington federal judge ruled, but he rejected a farmworkers union's other challenges to the agency's wage rules.

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Fla. Judge Finds H-2A Wage Rule Suit Moot After Replacement

By Tom Lotshaw

A Florida federal judge granted the Trump administration's push to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a Biden-era rule that increased wages for foreign farmworkers in light of a new interim rule that has been issued.

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High Court Turns Away Builder's 6th Circ. NLRB Challenge

By Braden Campbell

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to rethink how courts interpret the contours of National Labor Relations Board policies, rejecting a builder's challenge to a Sixth Circuit ruling permitting a union to withdraw from group contract negotiations.

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Trump Allowed To Ban Federal Unions, Administration Argues

By Emily Brill

President Donald Trump was allowed to kick unions out of the federal workforce using the argument that the unions threatened national security, his administration claimed, asking a California federal judge to toss six unions' challenge to the move.

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Wrongly Convicted Man Asks Colo. Court For $2M

By Parker Quinlan

A Colorado man has requested more than $1.92 million in compensation from the state for spending nearly three decades in prison due to a since-overturned conviction for shaking to death a 4-month-old girl, who experts later found had likely died of natural causes.

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National Science Foundation Sued Over Plan To Defund Unit

By Carolyn Muyskens

Researchers on Monday challenged the impending phase-out of an office of the National Science Foundation that funds 64% of U.S. research in the social sciences, calling the move to eliminate funding illegal and devastating for their fields.

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USTR Keeps China Import Relief As Trade Talks Continue

By Dylan Moroses

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative took steps Monday to extend the product exclusions for certain Chinese imports from tariffs installed during President Donald Trump's first term, and to delay another two months port fees and tariffs on cranes associated with China's shipbuilding sector, according to published notices.

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Brief

USTR Extends Vietnam Section 301 IP Investigation

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. Trade Representative is extending its investigation into Vietnam's trading practices for three more months, according to a notice published Monday.

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Brief

Turkey, Taiwan Tin Mill Imports Facing Antidumping Duties

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. Department of Commerce on Monday provisionally concluded that tin mill products imported into the country from Turkey and Taiwan are being sold at less than fair value, setting up possible antidumping duty rates.

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Brief

Commerce Sets Early Duties On Chemicals From 4 Countries

By Jack McLoone

Imports of the chemical polytetramethylene ether glycol from China, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam are facing possible antidumping duties after the U.S. Department of Commerce on Monday preliminarily determined the products are being sold at less than fair value.

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Neb. Tax Board Upholds $2.9M Value Of Trust's Condos

By Michael Nunes

The Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission said that condominiums owned by a trust were correctly assessed at $2.91 million.

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City-Owned Parking Ramp Tax-Exempt, Minn. Justices Told

By Sanjay Talwani

Portions of a parking ramp owned by the city of Duluth, Minnesota, and leased to a for-profit hotel should not be subject to property taxation, the city told the state Supreme Court, seeking reversal of a state tax court ruling.

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Justices Turn Down 'Antifa' Activist's Bid For Pretrial Release

By Parker Quinlan

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a self-described "antifa" member's argument that he should be released from jail while he awaits trial on charges that he cyberstalked and threatened a social media supporter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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Guatemalan Man Says Feds Ignored Torture Protection

By Tom Lotshaw

A Guatemalan man protected from deportation to Guatemala because of credible fears of torture found himself in hiding in that country within days after the Trump administration removed him to Mexico, according to a complaint filed in D.C. federal court.

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Lifeline Providers Call On FCC To Withdraw Floated $10M Fine

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

AirVoice Wireless and TAG Mobile called on the Federal Communications Commission to withdraw the allegations that the companies defrauded a federal program and the "grossly disproportionate" fines against them.

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State Agencies Fight Co.'s Bid For Phone Number Resources

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Public service agencies in Arizona, Maine and the District of Columbia have asked the Federal Communications Commission to deny NumberBarn's bid for access to phone number resources, which would give the company the right to directly assign phone numbers, saying several issues concerning its fitness remain unresolved.

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Wireless Growth Leads To Call For Rethink Of FCC Rural Aid

By Christopher Cole

A trade group for major mobile carriers told the Federal Communications Commission that explosive private-sector growth in fixed wireless access calls for the agency to reorient its approach to subsidizing network deployment in hard-to-reach areas.

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Network Group Calls For 'Clear' Permit Timelines, Fee Cuts

By Christopher Cole

A trade group for advanced networks and data centers urged the Federal Communications Commission to press ahead with rules that could effectively hasten local permits and reduce paperwork fees stemming from broadband projects.

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Brief

FCC Atty Shifts To Chair Carr's Office As Legal Adviser

By Christopher Cole

A legal adviser for a Federal Communications Commission member has moved over to a similar role in FCC Chair Brendan Carr's office.

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Justices Decline Review In Real Estate Row Over Pot Biz

By Sam Reisman

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a real estate developer's case against the city of Pontiac, Michigan, alleging municipal officials violated constitutional rights by delaying approvals of a proposed cannabis operation until it was no longer viable.

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DOJ's Civil Division Head Joins Agency Exits After Midterms

By Jack Karp

The leader of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Division, Brett A. Shumate, on Monday became at least the fifth top DOJ official to step down following Republicans' defeat in last week's midterm elections.

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Former Prosecutor Named NJ Lt. Governor In Historic Pick

By Lynn LaRowe

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Monday named acting Secretary of State Shirley Emehelu as the state's new lieutenant governor, selecting a former prosecutor to fill the position left vacant when former Lt. Gov. Dale G. Caldwell resigned amid misconduct allegations.

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How NYC Consumer Bill Could Expand Private Claims

New York City's proposed Power Act could expose companies to sweeping private claims under its prohibition on unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts and practices, making regulatory compliance reviews and litigation-risk planning essential for businesses serving city residents, says Brian Turetsky at Hinshaw.

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Meta, TikTok Cases Show How AGs May Redefine Governance

The Meta Platforms settlement and TikTok lawsuit addressing social media harms to minors highlight that state attorneys general are not merely extracting payments, but are also using litigation and settlements to impose durable product, institutional and policy change, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

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High Court's H-2A Case Could Reshape Agency Adjudication

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that concerns whether the U.S. Department of Labor may fine an employer for violating employment conditions in the H-2A visa program, but its eventual decision could chart the course for in-house adjudication across a broad swath of the federal government, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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How Power Grid Delays Are Reshaping Data Center Deals

Texas' pause on permits while it studies data centers' effect on its electrical grid highlights the nationwide problem of yearslong interconnection delays, where the ways developers, investors and customers bridge that gap — and decide who bears the risk when it widens — increasingly determine whether a deal works, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

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High Court Disbars Judicial Watch Founder Larry Klayman

By David Minsky

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday disbarred Judicial Watch founder and Florida conservative activist attorney Larry Klayman following his 18-month suspension issued last year by the D.C. Court of Appeals. 

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Firms Must Face RICO Claims In Asbestos Fraud Suit

By Emily Field

An Illinois federal judge on Friday held that Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP and Sokolove Law must face racketeering claims brought by a Los Angeles industrial pipe manufacturer alleging that the firms brought baseless asbestos claims, finding that an antitrust doctrine shielding those who petition the courts does not apply.

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Goldstein Says Gov't Conceded Key Trial Errors

By Jared Foretek

SCOTUSblog co-founder Thomas Goldstein told the Fourth Circuit that the federal prosecutors who netted 12 tax and mortgage fraud convictions effectively conceded they hid evidence by steering a key witness to new testimony mid-trial and had reversed their stance on jury instructions, two key issues in Goldstein's appeal.

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AAA Says Consumers' Monopoly Claims Lack Factual Support

By Caroline Simson

The American Arbitration Association is lashing out against consumers who accuse the institution of monopolizing the consumer arbitration services market, telling a federal judge on Monday that they should be sanctioned for including "false, misleading, and unsupported allegations" in an amended complaint.

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Wash. Panel Nixes $10K Sanctions On Monsanto PCB Attys

By Rachel Riley

A Washington Court of Appeals panel has overturned a combined $10,000 in sanctions against four attorneys who defended Monsanto from chemical poisoning claims, concluding Monday that the trial court overstepped its authority by personally punishing the lawyers for late disclosure of expert witnesses.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court last week cleared the way for Cloudflare Inc. to seek immediate review of an injunction blocking a stock restructuring designed to preserve its founders' control, while setting a January hearing in a similar dispute over Meta Platforms Inc.'s plan to create nonvoting shares.

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