Aerospace & Defense

  • July 29, 2026

    IonQ OK'd For $1.8B SkyWater Merger After FTC Ends Review

    IonQ announced on Tuesday it scored final regulatory approval following an early termination notice by the Federal Trade Commission in its acquisition of U.S.-based semiconductor foundry SkyWater Technology and that it is aiming to close the deal Friday, which will allow both companies to serve the full quantum ecosystem. 

  • July 29, 2026

    Afghan Families Must Be Admitted Into US Despite Trump Ban

    A Virginia federal judge Wednesday ordered that the families of five Afghans who fought for the United States be allowed to enter the country within weeks and that two other families who have yet to be interviewed by the State Department have their applications processed within the month.

  • July 29, 2026

    AFGE Says VA Plans To Ax Union Contract Despite Injunction

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs would violate an injunction and its union contract if it carries out its plan to stop honoring the contract when the pact expires Aug. 8, a union local claimed, asking a D.C. federal judge to force the agency to continue complying.

  • July 29, 2026

    Texas Ties Sway Transfer Ruling In SpaceX Land-Swap Fight

    A D.C. federal judge has allowed SpaceX and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to shift a dispute over their planned land swap to Texas, finding most significant aspects of the case are tied to the Lone Star State.

  • July 29, 2026

    ACLU Seeks DOD Docs On Military Role In Immigration Courts

    The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts on Wednesday sued the Trump administration for records about the purported use of military personnel to serve as temporary immigration judges, which the organization called a violation of the founders' desire to keep the military out of domestic law enforcement.

  • July 28, 2026

    11th Circ. Sides With Lockheed Martin In Toxic Exposure Suits

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday refused to disturb a Florida federal court's decision excluding testimony from plaintiffs' experts in a pair of suits claiming Lockheed Martin allowed toxic waste to leach into the area surrounding its Orlando facility, ruling that both experts' testimony fell short of evidentiary requirements.

  • July 28, 2026

    DHS Can't Undo Order Halting TSA Union Deal Cancellation

    A federal judge in Seattle denied the Trump administration's bid on Tuesday to lift a court order blocking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from canceling a collective bargaining agreement covering thousands of Transportation Security Administration workers, saying the government failed to debunk two independent grounds for the injunction.

  • July 28, 2026

    FCC Says Starlink Routers Exempt From Nat'l Security Ban

    The Federal Communications Commission has banned virtually all foreign-made routers from the United States, citing national security concerns, but it isn't worried about ones made by billionaire Elon Musk's satellite internet company Starlink.

  • July 28, 2026

    Senate Confirms Jay Clayton As National Intelligence Chief

    The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, two weeks after Clayton, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, refused to answer who he thought won the 2020 election during his confirmation hearing.

  • July 28, 2026

    States Back Guam Group In High Court Disposal Permit Fight

    A coalition of states has told the U.S. Supreme Court that the U.S. Air Force must comply with separate, complementary environmental laws over its permit renewal application to detonate expired munitions in Guam, arguing the laws have distinct aims.

  • July 28, 2026

    Alkegen Can Draw On Ch. 11 Financing In Prepack Case

    Bankrupt specialty materials maker Alkegen received permission Tuesday from a Texas judge to access part of a $630 million bankruptcy loan from existing lenders after opposition over the size of the interim package was overruled.

  • July 28, 2026

    4th Circ. Says DOL Can Argue In Lockheed Pension Suit

    A Fourth Circuit panel granted the U.S. Department of Labor's request to participate in oral arguments for a Lockheed Martin Corp. appeal challenging a Maryland federal judge's refusal to dismiss a proposed class action challenging a $9 billion pension risk transfer.

  • July 28, 2026

    Humanoids, Other Robotics Added To FCC's Nat'l Security List

    The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday that humanoids and other advanced robotics newly produced in foreign countries will be included on the "covered list" of products restricted from U.S. importation and marketing.

  • July 28, 2026

    Insurance Co. Beats Kosovo Citizens' Disability Benefits Suit

    A New York Life Insurance Co. unit defeated a lawsuit alleging it breached Pennsylvania law when it denied disability benefits to 17 Kosovo citizens who supported the U.S. military in Afghanistan, with a federal judge ruling the claims are preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

  • July 28, 2026

    GAO Denies Protest Over $83M Space Force Support Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied a California company's protest over an $83 million U.S. Space Force award for research support, concluding that the agency reasonably weighed staffing experience and compensation factors before selecting an Alabama company's lower-cost, higher-risk proposal.

  • July 28, 2026

    Brazil Files Complaint At WTO Against US Tariffs

    The Brazilian government filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization against U.S. tariffs placed on Brazilian goods, arguing that the measures run afoul of global trade rules, it said Monday evening. 

  • July 27, 2026

    Oryx Says Constellis' Fee Bid Appears Hallucination-Based

    An Afghanistan camp operator asked a Virginia federal judge to throw out counterclaims brought by defense contractors it sued, asserting that one seeking costs and fees appears to be based on hallucinated language not found in cited agreements.

  • July 27, 2026

    DOD Strikes Deals To Boost Missile Defense Production

    The U.S. Department of Defense announced agreements with L3Harris and Lockheed Martin on Monday aimed at boosting production capacity for key components of two major missile defense systems, the PAC-3 missile segment enhancement interceptor and THAAD missile system.

  • July 27, 2026

    Judge Allows Air Force Contractor To Pursue Follow-On Award

    A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge said a defense contractor can challenge the U.S. Air Force's refusal to award a Phase III contract for surveillance software, prompting the agency to reconsider its decision to not award the follow-on deal.

  • July 27, 2026

    Groups Say National Pipeline Permit Harms Rivers, Wetlands

    Environmental organizations asked a Washington federal judge Monday to overturn a nationwide permit the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reissued for oil and gas pipelines, accusing the agency of allowing companies to fast-track stream crossings without the appropriate considerations or safeguards.

  • July 27, 2026

    Fried Frank, Kirkland Steer $466M Luxfer Go-Private Deal

    Wynnchurch Capital has agreed to buy aerospace materials maker Luxfer Holdings in a nearly $466 million deal, the companies announced Monday, with Kirkland & Ellis LLP advising Wynnchurch and Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP advising Luxfer. 

  • July 27, 2026

    FedEx Will Pay $900K To End Military Leave Bias Fight

    FedEx agreed to pay $900,000 to close a suit claiming the company didn't compensate its service member employees who took short-term military leave but provided pay for other short-term leave such as jury duty and bereavement time, according to a Georgia federal court filing.

  • July 27, 2026

    Antares Raises $470M For Military Nuclear Reactor Push

    U.S. Department of Energy Reactor Pilot Program participant Antares announced Monday that it had raised $470 million in its Series C funding, which will allow the company to accelerate the commercialization of its nuclear power systems.

  • July 27, 2026

    Alkegen Files Ch. 11 In Texas To Shed $3.1B In Debt

    Alkegen and dozens of affiliates filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 case in Texas bankruptcy court, where the specialty materials maker intends to cut the bulk of its $3.3 billion of funded debt obligations.

  • July 27, 2026

    TransDigm To Buy Aerospace Manufacturer In $1.1B Deal

    Aircraft company TransDigm, advised by BakerHostetler, unveiled plans Monday to acquire manufacturing company Prince & Izant from Paul Hastings LLP-led Industrial Growth Partners in a roughly $1.1 billion cash deal.

Expert Analysis

  • What Corporate Counsel Can Learn From OpenAI Test Breach

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    The significance of the recent artificial intelligence testing breach involving OpenAI and Hugging Face lies in what it reveals about the path of AI’s evolution, because legal professionals must translate that trajectory into actionable governance, contractual and advisory frameworks, says Jason Mueller at Vorys.

  • Rare DOJ Military Bias Suit Shows Peril Of Co. Admissions

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    Although the government rarely litigates Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act claims against private employers, Opara v. UV Memory Care demonstrates that it will do so when an employer's own admissions build the case, potentially resulting in significant compliance obligations and long-term consequences, says Bradford Kelley at Littler.

  • What New USDA 'Beneficial Owner' Definition Means For Cos.

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    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's recent pitch to add a new "beneficial owner" definition to its foreign-owned land reporting framework would overhaul how fund managers and joint venture participants report U.S. agricultural land interests, creating diligence risks as companies reassess governance rights and management structure, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: Examining Administrative, Organizational Uses

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    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas examines how artificial intelligence could transform a court's ability to deal with administrative work and organize materials when preparing for hearings or drafting opinions, thereby affording judges more time to resolve contested issues.

  • USDA, Treasury Moves May Widen Agricultural Deal Scrutiny

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    Two agency actions that identify weaknesses in the government’s foreign investment screening architecture signal a broadening of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ jurisdiction over agricultural real estate transactions, more demanding beneficial-ownership resolutions and the coming integration of agency disclosure systems, says researcher Robert Green.

  • Cos. Should Act Now After US Ruling Reopens EU Data Fight

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Trump v. Slaughter may have inadvertently undermined the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and given the importance of data transfers for U.S. businesses, companies should start preparing for a scenario in which the framework is no longer enforceable, says Fernanda Pires Merouço at Davis Wright.

  • Series

    Being A Singer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Before law school, I spent seven years trying to make it as a professional singer in Los Angeles, and nearly everything I learned about preparation, humility, confidence and more has followed me into my legal practice, says Jessica Caterina at Moses & Singer.

  • Navigating OFAC's 50% Rule For Cross-Border Exec Mobility

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    A recent Office of Foreign Assets Control guide signals that its 50% ownership rule can determine not only sanctions compliance but also whether a company can sponsor multinational executives for immigration, highlighting an often overlooked interaction between sanctions and immigration law, says Xuan Zhang at Reid & Wise.

  • Preparing For Next Congress With Eye On Investigation Risk

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    Rod Rosenstein, Brian Whisler and Bruce Linskens at Baker McKenzie offer advice for organizations seeking to build a proactive response plan to potential congressional oversight as the election looms.

  • Tips For Investors, Creditors Before Venezuela Restructuring

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    As Venezuela enters the first genuinely actionable phase of what may become one of the largest sovereign debt restructurings in modern financial history, creditors should strategically evaluate their claim types and investors should consider engaging before formal negotiations commence, says Rodrigo Carvalho at Winston Taylor.

  • How To Brace For A Potential Democratic Oversight Push

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    With the possibility of a shift in congressional control after the November midterm elections, companies and their general counsel should prepare now by mapping oversight exposure, reviewing government interactions, preserving records and developing coordinated communications strategies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Remote Work Rulings Show ADA Fights Hinge On Process

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    Two opposite outcomes in recent Fifth Circuit and D.C. federal court cases underscore that the legality of denying employees' disability accommodation requests for remote work depends less on broad policy and more on how it's applied, says Paul Sweeney at Ice Miller.

  • Protecting Quantum Innovation As The Sector Commercializes

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    As quantum technologies continue to attract growing commercial investment and government interest, intellectual property protection is becoming an increasingly important consideration, says Michael Schallop at Van Pelt Yi.

  • DOD's Cyber Certification Pause May Heighten FCA Risks

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    The July 14 pause in implementation of the U.S. Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program places more weight on the accuracy of contractors' own compliance representations and thereby increases their False Claims Act exposure by leaving stringent self-assessment requirements intact, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

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