Michael Jordan Tells Jury He'd 'Never Jeopardize' NASCAR

By Hayley Fowler

From North Carolina, at 6'6", Michael Jordan took the stand Friday in his race team's antitrust trial against NASCAR, telling a jury that he would never jeopardize the sport but that the teams and their drivers deserve more credit from their sanctioning body.

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Ex-Derailment Deal Admin Faces Irked Judge In Contempt Bid

By Matthew Santoni

The ex-administrator of Norfolk Southern's $600 million settlement over the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment met skepticism as it admitted to a federal judge Friday that it had made some mistakes in distributing funds, but denied class counsel's key contention that $120 million for personal injury claims had to be divided evenly among all the claimants.

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6th Circ. Partially Overturns EPA's Detroit Ozone Ruling

By Carolyn Muyskens

The Sixth Circuit reversed a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determination that the Detroit area meets federal air quality standards, ruling Friday that the state of Michigan failed to implement federally required air pollution controls.

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11th Circ. Backs Temp Co. On Work Travel Deductions

By Irene Spezzamonte

A temporary labor provider could deduct from workers' pay the transportation costs to and from worksites, the Eleventh Circuit ruled on Friday, also concluding that the travel time, waiting for transportation and picking up of tools was not compensable.

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Colo. DOT Sues Trucking, Escort Cos. For 2023 I-70 Crash

By Rachel Konieczny

The Colorado Department of Transportation has filed a lawsuit in Colorado state court against a trucking company and an escort vehicle service company on allegations they used an unauthorized route that the department said caused "extensive" damage to a bridge on I-70 in December 2023.

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Berry Grower Sues Norfolk Southern Over Drifting Weed Killer

By Kelcey Caulder

Toxic herbicides sprayed along sections of Norfolk Southern Railroad Co. track in Georgia are drifting into a commercial blueberry grower's adjacent property and damaging its crops, the grower said in a new federal suit. 

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Energy Dept. Defends $7.5B Grant Cuts In Political Bias Case

By Keith Goldberg

The U.S. Department of Energy has urged a federal judge in Washington not to block its termination of energy project grants worth more than $7.5 billion, arguing there is no merit to claims alleging the federal government unconstitutionally targeted funds for Democratic-leaning states.

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Fed. Circ. Questions Whether Ingevity Can Duck $85M Verdict

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Circuit spent Friday morning debating whether Ingevity Corp.'s argument that it should be immune from an $85 million antitrust verdict holds water because the chemical and carbon product maker thought it was enforcing its patent rights, even though the jury said it was illegal tying.

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Categorical Exclusions Bring New NEPA Litigation Risks

With recent court rulings and executive actions shifting regulatory frameworks around the National Environmental Protection Act — especially regarding the establishment, adoption and use of categorical exclusions to expedite projects — developers must carefully evaluate the risks presented by this altered and uncertain legal landscape, says Stacey Bosshardt at Greenberg Traurig.

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Key Takeaways From Armed Services Board's FY 2025 Report

The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals’ annual report reveals an increase in new cases filed, but a decrease in cases resolved, and fewer parties choosing alternative dispute resolution, despite the likely reduction in time and expenses incurred during a prolonged appeal process, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

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How Fed. Circ. Shaped Subject Matter Eligibility In 2025

The Federal Circuit's most impactful patent eligibility decisions this year, touching on questions about obviousness and abstractness, provide a toolbox of takeaways that can be utilized during patent preparation and prosecution to guard against potential challenges, says Reilley Keane at Banner Witcoff.

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10 Commandments For Agentic AI Tools In The Legal Industry

Though agentic artificial intelligence has demonstrated significant promise for optimizing legal work, it presents numerous risks, so specific ethical obligations should be built into the knowledge base of every agentic AI tool used in the legal industry, says Steven Cordero at Akerman LLP.

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US Lawyer Numbers Surge With Hefty 2024 Graduating Class

By Tracey Read

The number of U.S. lawyers showed marked growth for the first time since 2020, due to a 2024 graduating class that was nearly 12% larger than any other class since 2012, a study from the American Bar Association released Monday showed.

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Habba Resigns As Acting US Atty After DQ Ruling At 3rd Circ.

By Jake Maher

Alina Habba stepped down Monday as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey following a Third Circuit ruling that she was unlawfully appointed to the position, with the U.S. Department of Justice unveiling that a trio of officials will take on her responsibilities.

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Conservative Justices Probe 'Husk' Of FTC Firing Protections

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority pushed back Monday against the 90-year-old precedent permitting the removal only for cause of Federal Trade Commission members, and perhaps those serving other independent agencies, calling those safeguards a "dried husk" and wondering where to draw the line for protected agencies.

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Ex-Josh Cellars President Fights Gibson Dunn Withdrawal Bid

By Elliot Weld

The former president of the company behind the Josh Cellars wine brand disputed Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's version of events around his allegedly unpaid legal bills, saying he has questions about the reasonableness of the firm's charges, which must be arbitrated per his contract with the firm.

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Carlton Fields Steps Aside In 'Irreconcilable' Miss America Case

By Emily Johnson

A Florida federal judge allowed Carlton Fields and its attorneys on Monday to withdraw from representing the plaintiffs in a dispute over the ownership of the Miss America pageant, after the firm said "irreconcilable differences" drew it to ask to step down.

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Jury Expert Sues Atty For 'Pirating' Her Jan. 6 Venue Report

By Matt Perez

A New Hampshire defense attorney representing a defendant charged for crimes related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been sued in D.C. federal court for allegedly stealing a copyrighted study analyzing attitudes in the jury pool of the District of Columbia.

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Litigation Funder Says Attys Hid Deal To Evade $1.5M Payout

By Christine DeRosa

A Florida-based litigation funder has sued two California attorneys and a law firm, alleging they secretly settled a client's civil dispute and steered the money so they wouldn't have to repay over $1.5 million.

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Analysis

What To Do When Jurors Don't 'Trust The Science'

By Chris Villani

The pandemic and initiatives from the second administration of President Donald Trump challenging decades of established scientific norms have made science more politicized, and attorneys say picking a jury and presenting scientific evidence is increasingly challenging.

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Brief

Senators Kelly, Slotkin Set Up Legal Defense Funds

By Courtney Bublé

After appearing in a video encouraging members of the military and intelligence community to not follow illegal orders, Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., have established legal defense funds.

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Defense Bill Includes Protections For Retired Justices

By Courtney Bublé

The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 released Sunday night extends U.S. Supreme Court police protection for retired and former justices and their immediate family members.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court delivered a busy first week of December, featuring commercial disputes, post-closing merger and acquisition battles and renewed scrutiny of fiduciary conduct ranging from oil and gas investments to healthcare acquisitions. 

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