Washington

  • August 25, 2025

    Texas Wants To Back Trump In Calif. Vehicle Waiver Fight

    Texas has told a federal court that California shouldn't be allowed to adopt vehicle emissions standards that are stricter than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's because other states essentially have to go along with them even if they disagree.

  • August 25, 2025

    Fortive To Pay $3M To Settle Data Breach Suits

    Tech firm Fortive Corp. will pay $3 million to end a class action involving tens of thousands of people whose information was exposed through two ransomware attacks in 2023, according to a settlement agreement given the nod by a Washington federal judge.

  • August 25, 2025

    Epic's 9th Circ. Case Against Apple Draws Amicus Support

    Epic Games has received backing from state enforcers, Microsoft, Spotify and others as the Fortnite developer opposes Apple's Ninth Circuit appeal challenging an order blocking commissions on purchases made outside of Apple's own app payment system.

  • August 25, 2025

    Feds, Wind Farm Backers Duel For Wins In Permitting Fight

    As the Trump administration moves to halt work on multiple offshore wind projects, the government and wind farm backers have blasted each other's bids for quick wins in litigation challenging the stoppage of all federal reviews of wind projects.

  • August 22, 2025

    DOJ Investigation Of NY AG Condemned By AGs Of 21 States

    A coalition of 21 attorneys general Friday issued an open letter saying the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James and condemning the probe as political payback for the financial fraud claims she pursued against President Donald Trump and his New York-based businesses.

  • August 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Blocks Meta's MDL Discovery Against State Agencies

    The Ninth Circuit blocked an order requiring California's attorney general and third-party state agencies to respond to Meta's discovery demands in multidistrict litigation concerning the company's allegedly addictive designs, ruling Friday the attorney general isn't deemed to possess or control the state agencies' records and Meta must obtain them through subpoenas.

  • August 22, 2025

    Boeing Fights Disability Bias Suit Over Ratification Bonus

    A Washington state court should toss allegations that Boeing violated anti-discrimination law by excluding workers on long-term disability leave from a $12,000 contract ratification bonus, the aerospace giant argued, calling the proposed class action claims preempted by Section 301 of the Labor-Management Relations Act.

  • August 22, 2025

    Valve Says Users Can't Arbitrate After It Axed Gamer Clause

    Valve is urging a Washington federal judge to block around 600 users of its video game platform from pursuing arbitration of consumer protection claims, saying the company nixed an arbitration clause from its subscriber agreement after a plaintiffs' attorney abused the previous terms.  

  • August 22, 2025

    Startup Accelerator Backs Epic In Apple Case At 9th Circ.

    Startup accelerator Y Combinator is backing Epic Games as Apple asks the Ninth Circuit to nix an order blocking it from charging commissions on app purchases made outside its payment system, telling the appeals court Apple "blatantly violated" a previous order.

  • August 22, 2025

    Bank Must Produce Records On Prepaid Debit Card Program

    Former inmates accusing Central Bank of Kansas City of charging excessive fees on prepaid debit cards will be allowed to access certain records maintained by the financial service contractors the bank used to administer the cards, a Washington federal magistrate judge determined.

  • August 22, 2025

    Amazon Doesn't Let Viewers Keep Movies They 'Buy,' Suit Says

    Amazon has been hit with a proposed class action in Washington federal court claiming the company deceptively "sells" movies on Amazon Prime Video without disclosing to consumers that its limited digital license to any audiovisual work might be inaccessible down the line.

  • August 22, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Halts Land Swap With Idaho Tribes' Backing

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday upheld a lower court's decision to invalidate an Interior Department land transfer in Idaho for the expansion of a phosphogypsum plant, saying that a 1900 federal law limits the disposal of treaty-ceded lands.

  • August 22, 2025

    DOJ Expands Expedited Docket For Families Facing Removal

    The Executive Office for Immigration Review is expanding a program the Biden administration rolled out in 2021 to fast-track removal proceedings for families facing removal, directing immigration courts nationwide to place more cases on the so-called dedicated docket.

  • August 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses Wash. City's Win In Military Leave Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel threw out a Washington federal judge's ruling that a City of Ocean Shores firefighter was not entitled to pay for military leave after the state's top court decided otherwise.

  • August 22, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: 401(k) Boost, Eyes On Florida

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into what President Donald Trump's executive order on retirement fund investing means for real estate assets, as well as the biggest issues Florida real estate practitioners are watching in the second half of 2025.

  • August 21, 2025

    Amazon Bags Toss Of Grocery Delivery Fee Disclosure Suit

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday threw out a proposed class action that alleged the Amazon Fresh website waited too late in the checkout process to disclose delivery fees, saying the conditions of use on Amazon.com Inc.'s websites prevented a woman from lodging claims under California law.

  • August 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Dissenters Rip Judge's 'Weaponization Of Sanctions'

    A half-dozen Ninth Circuit judges Thursday denounced six-figure sanctions against attorneys for prominent politicians challenging Arizona election procedures, accusing a lower court of "twisting and contorting" allegations in order to punish lawyers "based on the nature of the complaint and the clients that they represented."

  • August 21, 2025

    Challenge To Fed. Layoffs A 'Fishing Expedition,' 9th Circ. Told

    A federal government attorney told a Ninth Circuit panel Thursday that a group of unions, nonprofits and cities challenging President Donald Trump's massive layoffs of federal workers have no right to communications and documents showing what went into the layoff decisions, saying it's a "fishing expedition in search of a viable legal theory."

  • August 21, 2025

    Amazon Must Yield To DOL Expense Subpoena, 9th Circ. Says

    Amazon has to comply with the U.S. Department of Labor's demands for data on travel reimbursements paid to supervisors sent to New York to dissuade warehouse workers from unionizing, a Ninth Circuit panel said on Thursday, concluding the information is germane to an agency probe of potential reporting violations.  

  • August 21, 2025

    States Urge 2nd Look At $185M Metals Fraud Ruling

    State regulators are asking a Texas federal judge to reconsider a ruling that threatens a $185 million fraud case before it can be brought to trial in October, saying that the judge contradicted ruling precedent when he decided that metals like gold and silver don't qualify as commodities in some instances.

  • August 21, 2025

    UC Grant Cuts Over DEI Likely Stifle Speech, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday refused to pause a preliminary injunction requiring three federal agencies to reinstate research grants terminated following two of President Donald Trump's executive orders seeking to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion, saying the terminations likely aimed to suppress speech favorable of DEI and environmental justice.

  • August 21, 2025

    Nintendo Gets PTAB To Pare 2 Patents In Switch Fight

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has found that Nintendo Co. Ltd. was able to show that claims in two patents it was accused of infringing in a Washington federal court lawsuit were obvious.

  • August 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Rehearing On Alaskan Willow Oil Project

    A Ninth Circuit panel won't undo its ruling to uphold the federal government's decision to only move forward with alternative versions of the ConocoPhillips Willow project that strayed from its original plans and that Alaskan Native and environmental advocacy groups say will result in full development of the Arctic oil reservoir.

  • August 21, 2025

    Workers Snag Deal In $500M Twitter Severance Suit

    Social media platform X has agreed to settle a suit accusing it of owing workers $500 million in severance after Elon Musk took the reins of the company while it was still named Twitter, the two workers suing and the entity told the Ninth Circuit.

  • August 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Lets DHS End More Temporary Protections, For Now

    A Ninth Circuit panel put on hold for now a district court ruling postponing the Trump administration's bid to end temporary protected status for 60,000 people from Nicaragua, Honduras and Nepal, but denied the government's bid to halt the lower court proceedings.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • Opinion

    Aviation Watch: How Court Nixed Boeing Plea Deal Over DEI

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    A Texas federal court's rejection of the plea agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing over the 737 Max aircraft gratuitously injected the court's views on diversity, equity and inclusion into a case that shouldn't have been a criminal matter in the first place, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • Health Tech Regulatory Trends To Watch In 2025

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    With an upcoming change in administration and the release of some long-awaited rules, the healthcare industry should prepare for shifting trends, including a growing focus on health data and interest in technology-enabled delivery of healthcare, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • Ledbetter's Legacy Shines In 2024 Equal Pay Law Updates

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    The federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act turned 15 this year, and its namesake's legacy is likely to endure in 2025 and beyond, as demonstrated by 2024's state- and local-level progress on pay equity, as well as several rulings from federal appellate courts, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

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    As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Notable 2024 Trademark Cases And What To Watch In 2025

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    Emerging disputes between established tech giants and smaller trademark holders promise to test the boundaries of trademark protection in 2025, following a 2024 marked with disputes in areas ranging from cybersquatting to geographic marks, says Danner Kline at Bradley Arant.

  • How A 9th Circ. Identicality Ruling Could Affect AI Cos.

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    If the Ninth Circuit agrees to settle a district court split over whether the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires a copy to be identical to an original to support an actionable claim for removing copyright management information, the decision could have important ramifications for artificial intelligence businesses, says Maria Sinatra at Venable.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

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    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

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