FERC Beats Environmental Challenge To La. LNG Terminal

By Elaine Briseño

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Louisiana, saying environmental groups challenging the decision failed to show the project was not in the public's best interest.

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DC Circ. Says ESA Review Wasn't Needed For EPA Air Rule

By Tom Lotshaw

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's determination that retaining existing air quality standards for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter would not affect animals or plants protected under the Endangered Species Act.

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9th Circ. Says Congress Kept NSA Report Outside FOIA

By Courtney Bublé

A Ninth Circuit panel has affirmed the National Security Agency's decision to not grant a Freedom of Information Act request to release a nearly six-decade-old report on the sinking of the USS Liberty.

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Even Dolly Could've Been Barred By Drag Ban, Judge Says

By Lauren Berg

On the same day the world lost Dolly Parton, a Texas federal judge invoked the iconic singer and philanthropist to again block a law widely seen as a ban on drag performances, saying it's so broad that her "big hair, flamboyant clothes and breast exposure" might run afoul of the measure.

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9th Circ. Panel Largely Upholds Block On Feds' Grant Terms

By Rachel Riley

A divided Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday mostly upheld an injunction blocking the Trump administration from imposing new grant restrictions on transportation and housing funding for dozens of local governments, concluding federal agencies likely overstepped their authority by barring the money from being used to promote "gender ideology" or "illegal immigration."

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Calif. Law Requiring Cop ID Can't Apply To Feds, 9th Circ. Told

By Rae Ann Varona

The Trump administration urged the Ninth Circuit during oral arguments Tuesday to find that a section of California law requiring law enforcement officers to visibly display identification can't apply to federal officers, saying "nothing has changed" since the court blocked that section under the Supremacy Clause pending this appeal.

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Canada To Hit US With Retaliatory Tariffs, 'Dollar For Dollar'

By Jack McLoone

The Canadian government struck back on Tuesday at the latest round of U.S. tariffs, announcing tariffs of its own of up to 50% on more than 800 categories of products worth CA$27.6 billion ($20 billion) that will come into force on Sept. 8.

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USPS Violated Block On Mail Ballot Rulemaking, Judge Says

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge who ordered the U.S. Postal Service earlier this month to stop work on a new rule restricting delivery of some mail-in ballots concluded Tuesday that the USPS flouted her pencils-down nationwide injunction by continuing to develop and promulgate the new rule.

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Mich. Panel Keeps Democratic Ballot Bids Alive Despite Error

By Melanie Dorsey

Democratic attorney general candidate Eli Savit and secretary of state candidate Garlin Gilchrist II can remain on track to appear on Michigan's November ballot after a state appellate panel upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit seeking to disqualify them, ruling that a lower court wrongly rejected the challenger's amended complaint but that the error was harmless. 

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DC Circ. Backs Red Snapper Management Plan

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

A D.C. Circuit panel denied a petition from commercial fishers and fish purchasers challenging an annual federal catch limit for South Atlantic red snapper, rejecting their claim that the plan's lack of a limit on dead discards violates federal law and could lead to overfishing.

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NRDC Says EPA Let Cleveland Polluters Dodge Smog Cuts

By Tom Lotshaw

The Natural Resources Defense Council on Tuesday asked the Sixth Circuit to review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of a plan Ohio submitted for smog pollution in the Cleveland area, and accused the agency of giving a "free pass" to major polluters.

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Judge Allows Hospital Groups To Fight AbbVie 340B Suit

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge will allow hospitals and health center groups to intervene on the side of the government as it fights AbbVie's challenge to the definition of "patient" in the 340B drug discount program, ruling that the providers would suffer concrete financial harm if the pharmaceutical company's interpretation prevails.

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Pharmacy Asks Court To Toss Novo Nordisk Semaglutide Suit

By Spencer Brewer

A pharmacy asked a Texas federal judge to toss claims brought by Novo Nordisk Inc. accusing the pharmacy of illicitly compounding a lucrative weight-loss drug called semaglutide, saying Novo Nordisk's complaint amounts to a grievance list against the compounding industry.

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4th Circ. Blocks FCC Campaign Ad Pricing Guidance

By Lauren Berg

While political candidates are entitled to the lowest advertising rate radio and television stations can charge, political parties and joint fundraising committees with noncandidate members are not, a split Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday, wiping out recent Federal Communications Commission guidance.

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'News To Me': Instagram CEO Unaware Its Attys Deleted Data

By Dorothy Atkins

Instagram's CEO appeared to be taken by surprise Tuesday during a California federal jury trial over claims Meta hid social media's harms, after the states revealed that Instagram's in-house counsel removed data from a teen-safety presentation before presenting it to minimize his "litigation exposure risk," saying "this is all news to me."

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CFTC, Kentucky Vie For Early Win In Prediction Market Clash

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Kentucky regulators dueled over whether the state's attempts to tax and limit sports-focused event contracts have harmed the federal agency in competing bids for a quick win in their ongoing dispute over prediction market regulation.

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Md. Judge Trims Baltimore Bridge Wreck Damages Claims

By Linda Chiem

A Maryland federal judge has slashed claims from Baltimore, businesses and dockworkers seeking to recover millions in economic losses from the owner and operator of the container ship that slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, saying the nearly century-old Robins Dry Dock rule bars many of their claims.

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6th Circ. Urged To Affirm Tobacco Fee Suit Toss

By Kellie Mejdrich

A trade group representing large employee benefit plan administrators wrote in support of insurance giant Progressive at the Sixth Circuit, asking the appellate court to back dismissal of a proposed class action alleging the insurer wrongfully charged workers more for healthcare who used tobacco and refused COVID-19 vaccination. 

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Mass. Eatery Workers Sue Chain Over Tip, Wage Violations

By MJ Koo

A former server and bartender at a Massachusetts restaurant chain is accusing the company in a state court suit of improperly paying tipped workers the subminimum service rate for nontipped side work, sending workers home early without their full wages and unlawfully deducting fees from employees' tips.

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NAACP Warns Justices Colo. Pre-K Exemption Risks Bias

By Benjamin Morse

The NAACP and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Colorado's nondiscrimination rules for its universal preschool program, warning that allowing religious schools to receive public funds while excluding students based on sexual orientation or gender identity would undermine civil rights protections.

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Judge Concerned About Misinformation In RealPage Case

By Isaac Monterose

A Tennessee federal judge has instructed a settlement administrator in the rent price-fixing litigation against RealPage and others to send out new notices informing eligible class members they have not been left out of deals worth more than $359 million, finding counsel representing intervenors in the case may have wrongfully told parties they've been excluded.

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Elite Schools Get 7th Circ. Appeal In Aid-Fixing Case

By Matthew Perlman

The Seventh Circuit has agreed to allow several private universities accused of colluding to set financial aid offerings to appeal a ruling certifying a class of students over questions about an economic expert's testimony.

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Ex-Taro Exec Slips Some Generics Price-Fixing Claims

By Carla Baranauckas

A Connecticut federal judge gave a former Taro Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. marketing executive a partial victory in generic drug price-fixing litigation, tossing several claims by state attorneys general but allowing others to proceed after finding that a jury could conclude he joined certain conspiracies.

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Calif. Data Broker Tool Sign-Ups Hit 500K As Deletions Begin

By Allison Grande

Data brokers in California have deleted "tens of millions" of records since their obligation to comply with requests made through a new consumer data deletion tool kicked in earlier this month, the state's privacy regulator said Tuesday, while announcing that registrations for the first-of-its-kind platform had reached the half-million mark.

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Meta Should Keep Research Internal, Data Whiz Tells Jury

By Cara Salvatore

A high-ranking Meta data analyst told a Tennessee jury Tuesday that the social media giant shouldn't release its user research publicly because he saw during a famous leak the danger that such research will be "misinterpreted and misrepresented."

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Asbestos Firm Objects To Connecticut's New Suit Filing Plan

By James Boyle

A Connecticut plaintiffs firm specializing in mesothelioma litigation has asked a Superior Court administrative panel to reconsider a decision to move all asbestos cases to the Complex Litigation Docket in Hartford.

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Ed Dept. Must Turn Over Records In Mental Health Grants Row

By Danielle Ferguson

A Washington federal judge Monday partly granted a group of states' bid for expedited discovery in their suit over the Trump administration's attempt to cut nearly $1 billion in funding for K-12 mental health grants, finding the information could assist the court before a hearing for a preliminary injunction.

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Missouri Drops Bid To Block Minority Contracting Program

By Madeline Lyskawa

Missouri Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway has withdrawn her attempt to block Kansas City's contracting program for minority- and women-owned businesses after the city passed an ordinance repealing the program.

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Brief

Indian Citric Acid Faces Triple-Digit Antidumping Duties

By Jack McLoone

Imports of citric acid and certain citrate salts from India into the U.S. are facing possible large antidumping duties following a U.S. Department of Commerce preliminary determination Monday, with Commerce also finding such imports from Canada aren't being dumped.

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Texas Workers Lose Bid To Halt IRS Wage Withholding Rules

By Asha Glover

Two workers aren't entitled to injunctive relief from IRS regulations that directed employers to overdeduct taxes from their employees' paychecks, a Texas federal court ruled, saying the pair's injury doesn't outweigh the harm that would result from enjoining the agency from enforcing wage withholding.

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Trump Diversity Visa Freeze Lacked Basis, Judge Says

By Britain Eakin

A D.C. federal judge ruled in favor of several diversity visa selectees in consolidated suits challenging the Trump administration's decision to halt the program, saying on Tuesday that the government did not provide a reasoned explanation for its sweeping refusal policy.

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Judge Orders Action On Frozen Immigration Applications

By Britain Eakin

A California federal judge ordered the Trump administration to process immigration applications from natives of countries subject to entry restrictions under President Donald Trump's travel ban, certifying a class of noncitizens whose filings were frozen under a related policy.

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Mich. Judge Tosses DOJ Suit Over County Immigration Policy

By Melanie Dorsey

A Michigan federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging Washtenaw County policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, ruling that the federal government cannot compel local officials to help carry out its immigration enforcement. 

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Feds Say Ohio Court's Arrest Rule Hampers ICE Efforts

By Ganesh Setty

The Trump administration on Tuesday accused an Ohio county's municipal court of impeding its immigration enforcement efforts, contending the court's rule barring civil arrests in its facilities runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution and Immigration and Nationality Act.

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Florida AG Slams Bar Complaint Against DHS Counsel

By Madison Arnold

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote to the executive director of the Florida Bar to criticize a recent complaint made to the bar against James Percival, general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for attacking judges.

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New Birthright Citizenship Order Defies Justices, Court Told

By Ganesh Setty

A group of noncitizens and immigrant services organizations urged a Maryland federal court Monday to block President Donald Trump's new executive order targeting birthright citizenship following his loss at the U.S. Supreme Court, saying he "cannot unilaterally amend the Constitution."

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Calif. Tribe Says County Tanked $12M Airport Land Deal

By Crystal Owens

The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians is accusing Riverside County and its officials of fraudulently inducing it into a $12 million land investment, telling a California district court that the municipality pulled a bait-and-switch when it then banned access to the airport-adjacent property.

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Tribe, Enviros Challenge Ariz. Copper Project Over ESA Risks

By Crystal Owens

Arizona's San Carlos Apache Tribe and two conservation groups are seeking to block an exploratory copper mine drilling project in the Galiuro Mountains and Lower San Pedro Watershed, alleging that the federal government wrongly found there were no Mexican spotted owls in the area despite photographic evidence otherwise.

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DC Circ. Won't Revive Standard General's FCC Bias Suit

By Nadia Dreid

The D.C. Circuit does not believe that the Federal Communications Commission took part in a racist conspiracy to kill Standard General hedge fund manager Soo Kim's $8.6 billion merger with broadcaster Tegna and has affirmed the dismissal of his lawsuit claiming such.

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Bid For FCC Preemption 'Dead On Arrival,' Minn. City Says

By Christopher Cole

A Minneapolis suburb called on the Federal Communications Commission to reject a broadband provider's request for FCC preemption in a local franchise dispute because of court rulings declaring that broadband does not qualify as a telecommunications service.

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City Of Austin Backs Improving Emergency Alert System

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The city of Austin, Texas, has asked the Federal Communications Commission to improve its geolocating requirements for emergency alert systems, saying its systems are facing several challenges and require more precise location information.

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NY Telecom Faces Call Traffic Blocking, FCC Warns

By Christopher Cole

A New York-based telecom has apparently been sending illegal calls from abroad over its network and faces the possibility of downstream providers blocking all of its traffic, the Federal Communications Commission said.

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Marijuana Rescheduling Critics Assail Government's Standard

By Sam Reisman

An attorney with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told an administrative law judge that opponents to cannabis rescheduling could not use agency hearings to challenge federal health regulators' adoption of a new standard for assessing marijuana's medical use.

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Calif. County Drops Pot Fines To End Landowners' Claims

By Nate Beck

Humboldt County, California, has agreed to settle a lawsuit with a group of landowners who complained authorities overstepped their powers in an effort to punish allegedly illegal cannabis grow operations, following a Ninth Circuit ruling in 2025 against the county.

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Pot Shop Seeks Quick Win Against Jushi On Antitrust Claims

By Jonathan Capriel

A Massachusetts dispensary is urging a federal court to rule that cannabis giant Jushi Holdings and others violated antitrust law by using a $10 million merger provision designed to block the dispensary from opening a nearby store, causing it to ultimately crumble.

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Ex-OCC Counsel Joins Clark Hill's Banking Practice

By Jon Hill

Clark Hill PLC has expanded its financial services regulatory roster with the addition of a longtime member of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's law department who advised on bank exam issues, appellate litigation and corporate applications at the national bank regulator.

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Vedder Adds Benefits And Exec Comp Pro From Winston Taylor

By Kellie Mejdrich

Vedder has added a seasoned employee benefits and executive compensation partner from Winston Taylor LLP to join its practice as a new shareholder in Chicago, where she will advise clients on a wide range of retirement, health and welfare benefits issues, the firm announced Tuesday.

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Where DOJ's Fraud Priorities Memo May Actually Matter

The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently released memo outlining priorities for its newly created fraud division will shape how cases are identified, staffed and sequenced, meaning white collar defense work must begin earlier, say David Tarras at Tarras Defense and Trevor Jones at Dynamis.

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Opinion

A Guiding Principle For The SEC On Exempt Capital Markets

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently proposed Regulation Crypto Assets borrows selectively from other capital-raising exemptions while giving crypto issuers materially different terms, and those unexplained differences reveal the need for a regulatory approach of presumptive parity, says Brian Christie at the Crowdfunding Professional Association.

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What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

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Firm Revenue Climbs 12.4% In First Half Of 2026

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Record billing rate gains, strong demand and increased productivity fueled a successful start to the year for the legal industry, according to a report released Tuesday.

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Legal Watchdog Lodges Bar Complaint Against Jeanine Pirro

By Hailey Konnath

The Legal Accountability Center said Tuesday that it filed a bar complaint against U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, claiming that she abused her position to unjustifiably target Democratic lawmakers after they released a video reminding members of the military and intelligence community that it's their duty to refuse unlawful orders.

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6th Circ. Says Judge Can't Escape Teen Mock Arrest Suit

By Susan Smiley

A Sixth Circuit panel on Monday allowed to proceed a Michigan federal lawsuit filed against a Detroit judge who handcuffed a 15-year-old student and subjected her to a mock trial after she fell asleep in his courtroom, ruling that judicial immunity does not protect him.

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Watchdog Wants NY Judge Ousted Over Retaliatory Suit

By Rose Krebs

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has determined a state judge should be removed from office for filing a retaliatory defamation suit against an eye-care worker who had lodged an ethics complaint over the judge refusing to wear a mask in an office in 2021.

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NY Times Says EEOC Dragging Feet On Anti-White Bias Info

By Grace Elletson

The New York Times Company has sued the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming the anti-discrimination watchdog flouted federal law by failing to respond to requests for records of communications with conservative legal groups and agency efforts to investigate claims of bias against white workers.

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Colo. Judge Ships $8.3M Messner Reeves Fraud Suit To Utah

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado federal judge granted a motion Monday from law firm Messner Reeves LLP to move a lawsuit accusing the firm of stealing more than $8 million as part of a fraudulent loan scheme to Utah after finding the venue was the proper forum to litigate the claims.

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Tort Report: Mass. Jury Delivers Record Amazon Crash Verdict

By Y. Peter Kang

A record personal injury verdict against Amazon in a crash case and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler's upcoming sex abuse trial lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

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