Transportation

  • May 14, 2026

    Squires Walks Back 5 More IPR Grants Over Inconsistent Args

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has reversed earlier decisions granting five petitions for patent review, citing what he called the challengers' inconsistent positions in parallel proceedings and explaining that four petitions he denied in previous bulk orders were also rejected for the same reasons. 

  • May 14, 2026

    Squires Ends IPR After Railway Co. Surrenders Patent Claim

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has de-instituted a Patent Trial and Appeal Board review after National Steel Car Ltd. disclaimed the only parts of its patent the board thought could be invalid, saying they should "be treated as though they never existed."

  • May 14, 2026

    United Airlines' $27.5M ERISA Suit Deal Gets Initial OK

    United Airlines on Thursday secured initial approval from an Illinois federal court for a $27.5 million settlement agreement that would resolve claims that it locked retired employees out of a generous COVID-19-era benefits package.

  • May 14, 2026

    House Passes Bill To Narrow Biofuel Blending Exemption

    The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would lift summertime restrictions on the sale of higher-ethanol fuel and tighten requirements for a biofuel blending exemption for small refineries.

  • May 14, 2026

    Black Ex-Transit Cop Commander Accuses Agency Of Bias

    Denver's Regional Transportation District racially discriminated against its former transit police department commander because he is Black and employs a practice of discriminating against other Black officers, the former commander alleged in Colorado federal court.

  • May 14, 2026

    EPA Proposes Delaying Biden-Era Vehicle Emissions Regs

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a two-year extension on Thursday for the compliance deadline for Biden-era vehicle emissions standards, saying the policy was based on an overestimation of electric vehicle demand.

  • May 14, 2026

    Alaska Flew Into Violent Turbulence, Injured Passenger Says

    An Alaska Airlines Inc. passenger who claims she was injured when her plane encountered turbulence and suddenly plummeted 200 feet sued the carrier in Washington state court Wednesday, accusing dispatchers and pilots of negligently steering the plane into danger despite repeated weather warnings.

  • May 14, 2026

    Honda Buyers Say 440K Odysseys Have Faulty Side Airbags

    Honda hid safety defects for years in its 2018-2022 Odyssey minivans where side airbag systems would suddenly deploy when traveling on flat roads, slowing down to a stop or going over a speed bump, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.

  • May 14, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Upholds Mercedes, VW Headlight Patent Wins

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday rejected an Israeli inventor's attempts to revive claims in a trio of patents covering adaptive headlights, handing wins to German automakers Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Porsche.

  • May 14, 2026

    High Court Must End Colo. Climate Suit, Oil Cos. Say

    Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil urged the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday to reverse a Colorado Supreme Court ruling allowing local communities to pursue state law tort claims for climate change damages, arguing their claims are "avowedly interstate and international in scope."

  • May 14, 2026

    FDIC Signs Off On Stellantis Industrial Bank Bid

    Stellantis, the company behind Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge cars, has received Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. clearance to open a U.S. industrial bank, a move that will put all of Detroit's "Big Three" automakers on track to own federally insured lenders.

  • May 14, 2026

    7th Circ. Presses Trans CTA Driver On Bias Evidence

    A Seventh Circuit panel Thursday pressed counsel for a former Chicago Transit Authority bus driver on whether the record showed he was fired because he is transgender, rather than because he failed to follow procedures for taking leave, as he seeks to revive discrimination claims against the agency and union.

  • May 14, 2026

    First Brands Can't Pay Administrative Costs, Watchdog Says

    The U.S. Trustee's Office is asking a Texas bankruptcy judge to convert First Brand's Chapter 11 case to a Chapter 7 liquidation, saying the auto-parts maker admitted in its proposed restructuring plan it cannot pay the expenses it has incurred during the case on time.

  • May 14, 2026

    Railroads Say Taxing Train But Not Truck Fuel Violates Law

    Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation told a Georgia federal court in a lawsuit against the state Department of Revenue and its commissioner that the state's suspension of an excise tax on highway diesel fuel without extending the suspension to locomotive diesel fuel is "discriminatory taxation" that must be enjoined.

  • May 14, 2026

    Brookfield To Acquire World Freight In $1.2B Deal

    Brookfield has agreed to acquire global air freight services provider World Freight Co. from PAI Partners and EQT's BPEA Private Equity Fund VI, the companies announced Thursday. 

  • May 14, 2026

    3 Firms Steer Iridium, Aireon On $367M Aviation Satellite Deal

    Iridium Communications Inc. said Thursday it has agreed to acquire the remaining stake in Aireon LLC for nearly $367 million, consolidating full ownership of the space-based aircraft surveillance provider in a deal steered by three law firms.

  • May 14, 2026

    Volkswagen Hit With Class Claims Over EV Battery Fire Risk

    Volkswagen has been hit with a proposed class action in New Jersey federal court alleging that tens of thousands of its ID.4 electric vehicles contain defective high-voltage batteries that can spontaneously catch fire because of misaligned electrodes.

  • May 14, 2026

    Guidelines For Tariff Offsets Treat Truck Parts Like Auto Parts

    Imported parts used in manufacturing various trucks are treated like automobile parts in guidelines that the U.S. International Trade Administration issued Thursday for U.S. manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles looking to qualify for a program that allows a discount on duties paid for such parts.

  • May 14, 2026

    Gov't Asks 6th Circ. To Reverse FedEx's $89M Tax Credit Win

    The U.S. government urged the Sixth Circuit to reverse a Tennessee federal court's decision that invalidated foreign tax credit regulations and allowed FedEx an $89 million refund, arguing that the rules reflect Congress' intent to prevent windfalls under the 2017 tax overhaul.

  • May 14, 2026

    Judge Recommends Cert. In United Airlines Unit OT Suit

    Current and former employees of a United Airlines subsidiary providing cleaning services on planes can proceed as a class in their lawsuit alleging overtime pay violations tied to shift trades, a Colorado federal magistrate judge has recommended, finding the claims stem from a uniform pay policy.

  • May 14, 2026

    Blank Rome Adds Husch Blackwell's Dallas Leader

    Blank Rome LLP has added a former Husch Blackwell LLP lawyer to its finance, restructuring and bankruptcy practice in Dallas as the firm continues to strengthen its investment in the north Texas market.

  • May 14, 2026

    FCA Can't Shut Down EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    A Michigan federal judge declined to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sex harassment suit against automaker FCA, finding enough details supported the agency's claims that male workers inappropriately touched and sexualized female colleagues at a Detroit plant.

  • May 14, 2026

    Justices Say Freight Brokers Can Face Negligence Suits

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday that freight brokers might also be liable under state law for selecting unsafe motor carriers that then get into highway crashes that kill or injure people, offering long-sought clarity on liability standards in a commercial trucking industry unnerved by supersized verdicts against carriers and drivers.

  • May 13, 2026

    Toyota Foundation Accused Of 'Ugly Injustice' In IP Theft Suit

    A Toyota mobility systems foundation stole trade secrets from a small Zimbabwean social enterprise by inducing the enterprise to share its proprietary mobility solutions through a joint venture agreement before excluding the enterprise from a "Smart Village" program they collaborated on, the enterprise has alleged in California federal court.

  • May 13, 2026

    Business Exec Says NBA Cut Him Out Of Airline Partnership

    A California businessman claims the NBA should have to cough up millions of dollars in damages for cutting him out of a lucrative sponsorship deal it struck with Emirates airline.

Expert Analysis

  • Takeaways From 1st DOJ Antitrust Whistleblower Payout

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    The U.S. Justice Department's recent $1 million antitrust whistleblower reward accelerates the race to report by signaling that the Antitrust Division's program can result in substantial financial awards and reinforcing the need for corporate compliance programs that reach beyond core components, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Series

    Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

  • What NY's GHG Reporting Program Means For Oil, Gas Cos.

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    New York's new Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program represents a significant compliance regime for the oil and gas industry, so any business touching the state's fuel market should determine its obligations, and be prepared to gather data, create a monitoring plan and institute controls for accurate reporting, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Courts Are Reanchoring Antitrust Enforcement In Evidence

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    Recent U.S. antitrust disputes, including with Meta and HPE-Juniper, illustrate how judicial scrutiny combined with internal institutional checks is pushing enforcement toward an evidence-based footing and refinements, says Thomas Stratmann at George Mason University.

  • How States Are Advancing Enviro Justice Policies

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    The federal pullback on environmental justice creates uncertainty and impedes cross‑jurisdictional coordination, but EJ diligence remains prudent risk management, with many states having developed and implemented statutes, screening tools, permitting standards and more, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • NC Ruling Shows Mallory's Evolving Effects For Policyholders

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    A recent North Carolina decision, PDII v. Sky Aircraft, demonstrates how the U.S. Supreme Court's consequential jurisdiction decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern may permit suits against insurers anywhere they do business so long as the forum state has a business registration statute that requires submitting to in-state lawsuits, says Christopher Popecki at Pillsbury.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • As Federal Enviro Justice Policy Goes Dormant, All Is Not Lost

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    Environmental justice is enduring a federal dormancy brought on by executive branch reversals and agency directives over the past year that have swept long-standing federal frameworks from the formal policy ledger, but the legal underpinnings of EJ have not vanished and remain important, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • When Bankruptcy Collides With Product Recalls

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    The recent bankruptcy filing by Rad Power Bikes on the heels of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warning about dangerously defective batteries sold by the company highlights how CPSC enforcement clashes with bankruptcy protections, leaving both regulators and consumer litigants with limited options, says Michael Avanesian at Avian Law Group.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois

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    In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • Aerospace And Defense Law: Trends To Follow In 2026

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    Some of the key 2026 developments to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law stem from provisions of this year's National Defense Authorization Act, a push to reform procurement, executive orders that announced Trump administration priorities, the upcoming Artemis space mission and continuing efforts to deploy artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

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