Trump, DOJ Sued For Firing Court-Appointed Seattle US Atty

By Bonnie Eslinger

Roger Rogoff, a former Washington state judge who was sworn in as Seattle's new U.S. attorney last week and then swiftly fired by the Trump administration, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice, saying their "attempt to fire him cannot stand."

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Told To Keep Judge's MAGA Firing Fight In Fed. Court

By Celeste Bott

A retired judge looking to hold the Illinois Supreme Court liable for canceling his temporary reinstatement over a pro-MAGA opinion column told the Seventh Circuit Monday that his case belongs in federal court, saying he has no unbiased state court forum because his claims "would inevitably reach defendants themselves."

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Affirms HHS Authority Over 340B Rebate Plans

By Hailey Konnath

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's finding that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has the authority to block or approve drugmakers' efforts to implement rebates instead of discounts under the 340B drug-pricing program.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

10th Circ. Backs Kan. Library's Ban On Protest Signs Inside

By Rachel Konieczny

A Kansas public library can prohibit protesting and the display of signs inside its property, the Tenth Circuit held Tuesday in finding the library's policies prohibiting disruptive behavior did not violate the First Amendment.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Backs UChicago, TIAA In Spousal Pension Fight

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Seventh Circuit backed a Wisconsin federal court's decision to hand the University of Chicago and its pension plan manager TIAA an early win in a dispute over a deceased worker's spousal pension benefits, and declined to certify a question about power of attorney authority to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court To Hear Alaskan Pilot Plane Forfeiture Case

By Mike Curley

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a case in which the Alaska Supreme Court held that a pilot must forfeit his $95,000 plane to the state for transporting a six-pack of beer in a dry village.

Petition attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

6th Circ. Tests Retroactive Michigan Sex Offender Rules

By Susan Smiley

Michigan Assistant Attorney General Eric Jamison told a Sixth Circuit panel Tuesday that if it finds the Michigan Sex Offender Registration Act, or SORA, unconstitutional, it must also find its federal counterpart, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, or SORNA, unconstitutional.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Blanche Denies Conflict With Family's Firearms Company

By Courtney Bublé

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has close ties through his wife's family to a gun manufacturer that does federal contracting, but he told senators in questions following his confirmation hearing there is no conflict of interest, despite his service on a Justice Department task force aimed at rolling back gun control initiatives around the country.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Peter Navarro Loses DC Circ. Appeal Of Contempt Conviction

By Rae Ann Varona

The D.C. Circuit Tuesday upheld Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro's contempt of Congress conviction, saying President Donald Trump never invoked executive privilege to allow Navarro to flout congressional subpoenas concerning the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dems Press Skadden On Trump Pro Bono Pact, Intel Deal Work

By Lauren Berg

A group of Democrats demanded Tuesday that Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP disclose details of its pro bono arrangement with the Trump administration in light of allegations the firm advised both Intel Corp. and the U.S. Department of Commerce when the administration received a 10% company stake.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Orders SEC To Rethink FINRA Arbitration Challenge

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's "largely boilerplate" letter rejecting financial service company Thrivent's bid to challenge the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's arbitration authority didn't offer enough explanation to secure it judicial deference, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Tuesday.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Backs Nuclear Plant Enviro Review Rules

By Keith Goldberg

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's updated rules for renewing nuclear power plant licenses, rejecting arguments from antinuclear groups that the rules don't adequately account for climate change risks.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Revives Challenge To EPA's $3B Grant Cut

By Gautama Mehta

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday revived a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's termination of nearly $3 billion in environmental justice grants, saying a district court had neglected a key jurisdictional question when it dismissed the suit.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Ruling Doesn't Impact Pipeline Fight, 9th Circ. Told

By Keith Goldberg

California and environmental groups have told the Ninth Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying federal arbitration jurisdictional lines has no bearing on their lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's assertion of jurisdiction over an in-state oil pipeline system.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wash. Tribe, Enviro Org. Say FERC Hydro Delay Imperils Sites

By Crystal Owens

A Washington tribe and an environmental group are asking the Ninth Circuit to deny a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission bid to hold a challenge against the agency's issuance of a hydroelectric license in abeyance, arguing that it won't stop the project from moving toward construction that will destroy resources.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

18 State AGs Sue EPA Over Hydrofluorocarbons Rollback

By Craig Clough

Eighteen Democratic attorneys general and the city of New York filed a petition with the D.C. Circuit Tuesday over a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule they argue will weaken federal limits on hydrofluorocarbons, which are refrigerants used in air conditioning and cooling systems.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CMS Withholds $1B In Medicaid From Calif., Minn., Citing Fraud

By Mark Payne

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is withholding more than $1 billion in Medicaid dollars from California and Minnesota because the agency suspects healthcare fraud in those states, officials announced Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Economist Concedes Opioid Stats' Limits In Albertsons Trial

By Rachel Riley

Despite testifying that Albertsons pharmacy records suggest some opioids dispensed in Washington state had "red flags" for potential diversion from legitimate use, an economist for the Evergreen State conceded Tuesday that he can't point to "even a single pill dispensed by Albertsons" that was actually improperly diverted. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

USPTO Calls For More Info In Anonymous Reexam Requests

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday called for ending the practice of allowing those requesting patent reexamination to remain completely anonymous, instead proposing a rule that would require them to identify themselves and interested parties to the office, but not the public.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Squires Pressed On 'Board Of Peace' TM Apps He Withdrew

By Elliot Weld

A Maryland congressman has asked U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires for more information about what he said was his "baffling and legally dubious" push to secure trademark protections for President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace."

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Media Co. To Seek High Court's Ear In Atlanta Signage Battle

By Kelcey Caulder

A federal judge hit pause on a Georgia company's challenge to an Atlanta ordinance that regulates billboards, after the company said it would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review an Eleventh Circuit decision that the ordinance passed constitutional muster.   

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Backs FAA In Conn. Airport Fight After Seven County

By Linda Chiem

The D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration sufficiently analyzed the environmental impacts of a regional Connecticut airport expansion project, saying the U.S. Supreme Court's Seven County ruling made clear that courts cannot override agencies' reasonable National Environmental Policy Act judgments or explanations.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Panel Backs Big Box Denial Over Traffic Study Gaps

By Isaac Monterose

A New Jersey appellate panel on Tuesday reversed a lower court ruling that vacated a planning board's rejection of a proposed one-story, 161,000-square-foot big box retail project.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Tribes, Groups Back Iowa In Kalshi Sports Market Challenge

By Crystal Owens

Forty-one Indigenous groups, nations and the American Gaming Association are backing Iowa regulators in a challenge to stop the state from taking enforcement action against Kalshi's sports-events contracts, arguing that the prediction market "masks its wagers as derivatives contracts governed by the Commodity Exchange Act and Commodity Futures Trading Commission."

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pa. Justices Deny Insurance Exclusion In Sex Trafficking Law

By Matthew Santoni

Pennsylvania's laws against human trafficking don't translate into a "public policy" that justifies insurers denying coverage to a Philadelphia hotel accused of turning a blind eye to trafficking, the state's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Tosses Another Suit Challenging Seattle Housing Law

By Nate Beck

A Washington federal judge leaned on a prior ruling to reject a constitutional challenge to Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability program, which requires developers to pay the city a fee in lieu of adding affordable units to project plans.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Panel Rules Town Board Can Redo Warehouse Review

By Nate Beck

A New Jersey appeals court rejected a developer's request for automatic approval of its development plan in a local warehouse district, siding with a trial judge in finding a local planning board correctly sought to scrutinize its own jurisdiction over the project.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Court Revives Challenge To Prom Season Motel Rental Limits

By Kia Fatahi

A New Jersey appeals court on Monday revived a constitutional challenge to a municipal ordinance banning anyone under 21 from booking a hotel or motel room during prom and graduation season, giving Jersey Shore motel owners another chance to argue that the ordinance violates would-be hotel customers' constitutional rights, at least under the state constitution.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pa. Justices Reject Prior Case, End 'Open Fields Doctrine'

By Parker Quinlan

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday issued stronger protections for private property owners, holding that the state's charter protects against an "open fields doctrine" that allows state game authorities to search a property without a warrant for game violations.

5 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EEOC Takes Key Step Toward Scrapping Workforce Data Reports

By Anne Cullen

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted Tuesday to publish a proposal to abandon decades-old requirements that employers report their workplace demographics, moving a step closer to rescinding the disclosure mandates. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chamber Asks 2nd Circ. To Back Toss Of Pepsi Smoking Suit

By Emily Brill

A New York federal judge rightly tossed allegations that Pepsi violated federal benefits law by making employees who smoke pay more for health insurance, the nation's largest business lobby argued in an amicus brief, urging the Second Circuit to affirm dismissal of the suit.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Nominates FCC's Top Atty For DOJ Antitrust Chief

By Hailey Konnath

President Donald Trump on Tuesday officially nominated the Federal Communications Commission's general counsel to serve as the top antitrust official in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Sen. Warner Unveils 4-Part AI Guardrail Package

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., proposed legislation Tuesday that would create guardrails on artificial intelligence and impose disclosure requirements on data centers' demands on power and water infrastructure and effects on the environment.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Launches 1st Foreign Drone Enforcement Action

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday that it has launched the first action to revoke authorizations from a company for allegedly trying to get around a blanket ban on foreign-made drones.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Affirms NYT, Getty Photogs Not Targeted By Cops

By Craig Clough

A Seventh Circuit panel Tuesday affirmed a lower court's ruling that photojournalists for The New York Times and Getty who say they were struck by foam baton rounds while documenting civil unrest at the Kenosha County courthouse in 2020 were not intentionally targeted or singled out by officers.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mother Of Musk's Child Asks Texas Court To Toss XAI Suit

By Spencer Brewer

The mother of one of Elon Musk's children has asked a Texas federal court to toss a suit brought by Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, that alleges breach of contract, telling the court that xAI's actions constituted "a race to the courthouse dressed up as a lawsuit."

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Says Enforcing Colo. Magazine Ban Violates Civil Rights

By Zach Dupont

The federal government pushed back on Colorado's claim that the statute it cited to challenge the constitutionality of a 2013 Colorado law banning large-capacity magazines is too narrow, arguing Congress intentionally created the statute to be broad and that the law applies to the challenge, according to a response brief filed Tuesday.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Top Gov't Contracting Policies Of 2026: Midyear Report

By Madeline Lyskawa

The Trump administration made several policy moves affecting contractors this year, including throwing out long-standing regulations for determining small businesses' eligibility for a business development program and directing agencies to bar contractors from engaging in DEI activities. Here, Law360 examines significant policy changes from the first half of 2026 affecting government contractors.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Guam Group Says Air Force Can't Skip Review Of Detonations

By Tom Lotshaw

A nonprofit in Guam asked the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a ruling that the U.S. Air Force shirked environmental review duties when it applied to renew a permit to detonate expired munitions, as well as reject the agency's attempts to avoid them.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Confirms Trade Court Pick Despite Past GOP Posts

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate voted 50-48 Tuesday evening to confirm Kara Westercamp, associate counsel to the president, to the U.S. Court of International Trade, who said during her confirmation in March she regretted her past social media posts critical of Republicans, including Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the late Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

New Head Of US International Trade Commission Selected

By Jack McLoone

President Donald Trump has tapped the newest member of the U.S. International Trade Commission to serve as its chair, the ITC announced Tuesday.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Nintendo Seeks Game Over For Tariff Refund Class Suit

By Jack McLoone

A proposed class action looking to force Nintendo to reimburse customers for increased costs that were explicitly tied to President Donald Trump's now struck-down tariff regime should be handled in arbitration or tossed entirely, the company told a Seattle federal court.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Jordan Secures 10% Forced Labor Tariff Rate With US Deal

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. and Jordan signed a trade agreement Tuesday that would lower non-tariff trade barriers on U.S. exports in exchange for a U.S. commitment to impose a 10% tariff rate on imports from the kingdom when new duties to address goods produced with forced labor take effect.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Commerce Tees Up Plywood Duties On 3 Asian Countries

By Jack McLoone

Hardwood and decorative plywood imports from China, Indonesia and Vietnam are facing possible steep duties after the U.S. Department of Commerce finalized determinations that the goods are being sold at unfair prices.

6 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

AI Could Raise US Tax Take $216B By 2030, Report Says

By Kevin Pinner

Rapid adoption of artificial intelligence could grow U.S. federal tax revenues by up to $216 billion in 2030, yet that figure would be twice as large if income gains weren't skewed toward capital instead of labor, the Yale Budget Lab said.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Minn. County Urges State Justices Review School Tax Break

By Sanjay Talwani

A Minnesota childcare center that missed a filing deadline related to a property tax exemption for educational institutions should not have been allowed to appeal the matter to the state tax court, a county told the state Supreme Court, urging it to review the case.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Temporarily Blocks TPS Holder Work Permit Cutoff

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a retroactive cap on work authorization for temporary protected status recipients and asylum-seekers that would have forced thousands of immigrant workers out of their jobs starting on Wednesday.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Gov. Says Software Glitch Let 400 Noncitizens Vote

By Britain Eakin

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday that a software glitch in the state's motor vehicle system between 2023 and 2024 accidentally registered about 6,600 individuals to vote and that roughly 400 of them voted.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2nd Circ. Bars Student's Habeas Case In Removal Fight

By Britain Eakin

A Second Circuit panel ruled Tuesday that a Vermont federal judge should not have ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release Palestinian green-card holder Mohsen Mahdawi because his claims should have been funneled through the immigration court process.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Khalil Sues Feds For Damages Over Legal Process 'Abuse'

By Lauren Berg

Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil is seeking damages from the federal government over its efforts to "weaponize immigration laws" to falsely imprison him in retaliation for his pro-Palestinian activism on campus, according to a new lawsuit filed in New York federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Says Diocese Objections Can't Block Border Land Taking

By Tom Lotshaw

The Trump administration told a New Mexico federal judge that free speech and religious exercise objections are no basis to stop it from seizing 14 acres of land from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces for a border security project.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Refers Ex-Cop For Perjury, Witness Tampering Probe

By Brandon Lowrey

A Connecticut federal judge has referred a former New Haven police detective to federal prosecutors for investigation of witness tampering and perjury during a civil trial, in which jurors awarded a murder exoneree $38 million and determined the detective fabricated evidence of his guilt.

4 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Sides With FCC In Spectrum Revamp Row

By Jared Foretek

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday rejected challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's overhaul of the 4.9 gigahertz public safety band, ruling that the Spectrum Act gave AT&T partner FirstNet broad authority to build its network without confining it to just one band.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Aims For Changes To Rural Healthcare Program

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission will consider a plan next month to let rural healthcare providers use previously approved rates in a telehealth program without needing to file new paperwork to justify costs.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mass. Panel Clears Pot Repeal Question For November Ballot

By Sam Reisman

Massachusetts state officials Tuesday tossed out a legal objection to the integrity of signatures gathered in favor of putting a petition to repeal retail marijuana legalization on the ballot, effectively ensuring that the issue will appear before voters this fall.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ohio Can't Pause Halt Of Hemp Law During Appeal, Judge Says

By Jonathan Capriel

Ohio lost its bid Monday in federal court to be allowed to enforce a new law that reclassifies hemp products as marijuana, as a judge rejected the state's arguments that the hemp product manufacturers and sellers waited too long to file their lawsuit.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How CME Suit May Reshape CFTC's Crypto Derivatives Rules

CME Group's recent lawsuit over the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's approval of a Kalshi application to offer a bitcoin perpetual contract as a futures product could have cascading consequences for crypto derivatives regulation, highlighting why policy ambitions do not override statutory text or substitute for reasoned decision-making, says attorney Tamara de Silva.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Rulings Could Alter Agency Strategy For Cos.

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook mark major turning points in the law of independent agencies and in how regulated companies should think about federal enforcement, rulemaking and agency-facing strategy, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trade Secret Practice Tips From The 1st Half Of 2026

Intellectual property attorneys should consider what several significant developments in 2026 thus far mean for how they protect, litigate and value trade secrets, focusing on new state noncompete bans, cases scrutinizing how plaintiffs identify trade secrets and federal rulings on damages doctrines, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How Competitive Is Your Pay? Last Call To Take Our Survey

Is your compensation keeping pace with the rate of inflation? Do you know what your colleagues made last year? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's Law Firm Compensation Survey.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Simpson Thacher Caused 'Chaos' With Deal, Jury Hears

By Cara Salvatore

The former chief financial officer of Patriot National Inc. testified to a Florida jury on Tuesday that "chaos" broke loose as funds that Simpson Thacher helped steward for the insurance services company hit public markets and executives found out that its terms differed from their understanding of them.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Reagan-Appointed NC Federal Judge To Take Senior Status

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Terrence William Boyle of the Eastern District of North Carolina plans to take senior status — a form of semi-retirement that gives federal judges a reduced caseload — at a date yet to be determined, according to a recent update from the federal judiciary.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bronx Public Defenders Set Strike Deadline

By Emily Sawicki

More than 300 unionized workers at legal aid organization The Bronx Defenders are set to walk out on July 27 if they cannot agree on a contract with the legal nonprofit's management, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »