Aerospace & Defense

  • November 07, 2025

    Maryland Sues Feds Over Nixed FBI Headquarters Plan

    Maryland officials asked a federal judge to block the Trump administration from sabotaging plans to build a new FBI headquarters in the state, after it announced the FBI would instead move into an overhauled Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.

  • November 07, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Cravath, Paul Weiss

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, consumer products giant Kimberly-Clark acquires Tylenol maker Kenvue, shale producers SM Energy and Civitas Resources announce a merger, and power management company Eaton buys Boyd Corp.'s thermal business.

  • November 07, 2025

    Gov't Contractor Says Nuclear Lid Co.'s Drawings Not Secrets

    A defense contractor has asked a North Carolina federal judge to toss a suit accusing it of using one company's design drawings for replacement container lids to award an Army purchase order to a rival, arguing that no trade secrets were involved or misused.

  • November 06, 2025

    VA Union Sues Feds Over CBA Termination

    A union representing more than 300,000 employees in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have sued the federal government in Rhode Island federal court, alleging the agency's termination of the parties' collective bargaining agreement is unconstitutional. 

  • November 06, 2025

    Judge Backs $68M Army Support Services Award To DNI

    A Court of Federal Claims judge affirmed the U.S. Army's decision to award a $68 million systems engineering support deal to DNI Emerging Technologies LLC, ruling that an incumbent contractor's protest failed to raise any reason to disturb it.

  • November 06, 2025

    Amazon Taps Crowell & Moring Partner For Aviation Biz

    Aviation expert and former U.S. Department of Transportation senior trial attorney Amna Arshad has joined Amazon as an associate general counsel in charge of the legal teams for its worldwide aviation business, after spending the last year and a half in the aviation and transportation practices at Crowell & Moring LLP.

  • November 06, 2025

    Judge OKs DOJ Bid To Drop Boeing 737 Max Conspiracy Case

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday dismissed the 737 Max criminal conspiracy case against Boeing, saying the court's hands are tied if the U.S. Department of Justice declines to prosecute the company, but noted that a $1.1 billion nonprosecution agreement still doesn't fully hold Boeing accountable.

  • November 06, 2025

    EchoStar Sells Spectrum Licenses To SpaceX In $2.6B Deal

    Telecommunications company EchoStar, led by White & Case LLP, announced Thursday that it agreed to sell certain licenses to Elon Musk-controlled SpaceX in a $2.6 billion stock deal that builds on a previous agreement they entered into earlier this year.

  • November 06, 2025

    Insurer, Former Exec Settle In Military Housing Fraud Case

    Military housing developers alleging that they were defrauded out of millions of dollars through excessive and undisclosed premiums and fees have struck a settlement agreement with two defendants, Ambac Assurance Corp. and its former managing director, Chetan Marfatia, court records show.

  • November 05, 2025

    1st Circ. Questions Trump Admin On NIH Indirect Cost Cuts

    A First Circuit panel seemed poised on Wednesday to uphold a district court decision finding that the Trump administration lacks the authority to cap indirect costs for research grants at the National Institutes of Health. 

  • November 05, 2025

    Virgin Galactic Investors Push For Approval Of $8.5M Deal

    Virgin Galactic agreed to pay $8.5 million to resolve a proposed class of investors' accusations that the space tourism company failed to disclose safety issues from two test flights, according to a motion to approve the deal filed Tuesday in New York federal court.

  • November 05, 2025

    Aerospace Co. Urges Justices To Hear 'Toxic Lender' Case

    Aerospace company Xeriant Inc. is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a lawsuit over a stock-as-collateral loan it entered into with Auctus Fund LLC, arguing the Second Circuit's dismissal of the case clashes with another circuit decision that allowed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to pursue so-called toxic lenders in the microcap space.

  • November 05, 2025

    Army Lieutenant Colonel Sues Feds Over FBI Raid Fallout

    A U.S. Army lieutenant colonel has sued the federal government in Puerto Rico federal court, alleging his career, reputation and mental health were destroyed after the FBI searched his home while investigating unusual political activities in the Puerto Rico Army National Guard.

  • November 05, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs US Claim To Fla. Keys Island In Title Dispute

    The Eleventh Circuit sided with the U.S. government Wednesday in a dispute over ownership of an island off the coast of Key West, Florida, disagreeing with a developer that argued the property was merely a byproduct of soil dredging for which the government had no intended future use.

  • November 05, 2025

    Appeals Court Won't Kick SpaceX Sex Bias Suit To Arbitration

    A California appeals court backed a trial court's refusal to force arbitration of a former SpaceX employee's suit claiming her boss forced her into a sexual relationship in exchange for career advancement, finding her claims were protected by a law barring mandatory out-of-court resolution for sex misconduct cases.

  • November 05, 2025

    Justices Skeptical About Trump's Emergency Tariff Authority

    Several U.S. Supreme Court justices asked the government to defend why well-established judicial doctrines shouldn't limit President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act during oral arguments Wednesday, casting doubt on whether they believe the law provides that kind of authority.

  • November 05, 2025

    Drone Cos. Lose Bid To Ground Ex-Exec's New Biz

    A Utah federal judge has refused to block a former executive of a drone company from working with a competitor or to stop the competitor from making or selling any military drones for a year, the latest episode of a trade secret dispute.

  • November 04, 2025

    Trump Again Nominates Jared Isaacman As NASA Chief

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday again nominated Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, months after yanking an earlier nomination due to the billionaire entrepreneur's "prior associations."

  • November 04, 2025

    Venezuela's PDVSA Seeks Rehearing On Rig Seizure Claims

    Venezuela's state-owned oil company is asking the D.C. Circuit to revisit its ruling from last month ordering the company to face allegations it unlawfully seized an Oklahoma-based petroleum contract drilling company's rigs more than a decade ago, saying the ruling risks "diplomatic friction."

  • November 04, 2025

    11th Circ. Won't Block Fla. Land Restriction Law

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday refused to block enforcement of a Florida law prohibiting certain foreign nationals from owning land, finding that the plaintiffs in question lack standing to challenge the law and are unlikely to succeed in their challenge to its constitutionality.

  • November 04, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Denies VA Surgeon's Wrongful Termination Appeal

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board's decision to uphold the firing of a general surgeon by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs after he raised concerns about compromised patient care.

  • November 04, 2025

    'Chinese Military' Tag Is Unlawful, Drone Maker Tells DC Circ.

    Drone maker DJI has taken its arguments that the Pentagon unlawfully labeled it a "Chinese military company" to a higher court.

  • November 04, 2025

    Rare Earth Cos. Announce $1.4B Partnership With US Gov't

    Two companies said they have entered into a $1.4 billion joint partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense aimed at boosting the country's domestic rare earth magnet supply chain.

  • November 04, 2025

    Judge Won't Yet OK Boeing Whistleblower Suicide Settlement

    A lawsuit accusing Boeing of instigating a "campaign of harassment" against a whistleblower leading to his suicide remains ongoing after a South Carolina federal judge declined to approve a $50,000 settlement, saying that the confidential terms of a separate but related deal prevent her from knowing if this agreement is fair.

  • November 04, 2025

    3 Firms Steer $1.45B Sale Of TriMas Aerospace

    Engineered products maker TriMas, advised by Jones Day, on Tuesday announced that it has agreed to sell its aerospace business to Goodwin Procter LLP-advised capital markets firm Tinicum LP in a $1.45 billion all-cash deal.

Expert Analysis

  • DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

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    As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US

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    In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.

  • How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

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    Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Justices' Review Of Fluor May Alter Gov't Contractor Liability

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to review Hencely v. Fluor, a case involving a soldier’s personal injury claims against a government contractor, suggests the justices could reconsider a long-standing test for determining whether contractors are shielded from state-tort liability, says Lisa Himes at Rogers Joseph.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • Measuring The Scope Of COFC's Telesto Bid Protest Ruling

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    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims described its recent denial of bid protest jurisdiction in Telesto v. U.S. over other transaction agreements as a modest departure from prior decisions, but the holding also makes it difficult to distinguish between a follow-on procurement and a definitive agreement to proceed, say lawyers at Wiley.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines bring a needed course correction amid overexpansive enforcement, but there’s more the DOJ can do to provide additional clarity and predictability for global companies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute

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    The recent Soto v. U.S. decision that the statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation exemplifies the U.S. Supreme Court's view, emerging in two other recent opinions, that it is a reviewing court's obligation to determine the best interpretation of the language used by Congress, says attorney Kenneth Carpenter.

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