Aerospace & Defense

  • June 29, 2026

    5 Firms Advise On Rocket Lab's $8B Iridium Deal

    Rocket Lab said Monday it has agreed to acquire satellite operator Iridium Communications in an $8 billion cash-and-stock deal, combining rocket launches, satellite manufacturing and global satellite communications under one company.

  • June 26, 2026

    Bosch DOJ Declination Shows Benefits Of Early Self-Reporting

    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision not to prosecute German technology company Bosch for exporting products to a sanctioned Chinese company signals to businesses that prompt self-reporting to the government can help them secure a declination even for serious national security offenses.

  • June 26, 2026

    PACER Fees Will Rise To Fund Cyber Defense Upgrades

    The federal judiciary announced Friday it will temporarily increase the fees for electronic access to court records to pay for a potential $800 million upgrade that will modernize and strengthen court records systems PACER and CM/ECF, an upgrade it previously said is needed to respond to escalating cyberattacks.

  • June 26, 2026

    En Banc 4th Circ. Splits Over Stay Of DOD HIV Enlistment Ban

    The Fourth Circuit voted en banc Thursday to grant the federal government's bid to pause a lower court's permanent injunction blocking its policies excluding HIV-positive individuals from enlisting in the military, with a dissenting appellate judge writing that "the government is playing games!"

  • June 26, 2026

    Supreme Court Pauses Fine In Journalist's Appeal

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday stayed a D.C. Circuit ruling upholding a civil contempt order against former Fox News journalist Catherine Herridge, further staving off a district judge's $800-per-day fine for refusing to expose her source.

  • June 26, 2026

    Police Union Offers Sens. Revamped FirstNet Renewal Draft

    The Fraternal Order of Police has submitted draft language to the U.S. Senate to reauthorize the nation's first responder communications network that reasserts law enforcement's role in governing the network.

  • June 26, 2026

    5 ERISA Cases To Keep An Eye On In The Second Half Of 2026

    A U.S. Supreme Court challenge to Intel Corp.'s 401(k) investment lineup tops the list of cases benefits attorneys will be watching this summer and fall, though appeals involving health plan tobacco fees, plan forfeiture spending and a potential Eleventh Circuit precedent shift are also top of mind. Here, Law360 looks at five ERISA cases that attorneys should have on their radar as 2026 rolls on.

  • June 26, 2026

    Faegre Drinker Adds Withers Int'l Arbitration Atty In NY

    A former Withers litigation and arbitration special counsel has joined Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP as a New York partner.

  • June 26, 2026

    Discovery Dispute Mounts In Boeing Moon Exploration IP Suit

    A Colorado-based aerospace company is seeking expanded discovery in its ongoing intellectual property suit accusing The Boeing Co. of stealing patented technology for a NASA moon exploration program after repeatedly complaining that the company has failed to meet its duty to provide documents and depositions.

  • June 26, 2026

    3 Firms Steer Cargo Drone Co.'s $800M SPAC Merger

    Autonomous heavy-cargo drone developer Elroy Air Inc. announced Friday it plans to go public through a merger with a blank check company, in a deal that values the business at $800 million and is being steered by DLA Piper, White & Case and Kirkland.

  • June 26, 2026

    Don't Miss It: Sidley, Cooley Steer Hot Deals

    A lot can happen in the world of mergers and acquisitions and equity fundraising over the course of a couple of weeks, and it's difficult to keep up with all the deals. Here, Law360 recaps the ones you may have missed, including transactions helmed by Sidley Austin LLP and Cooley LLP.

  • June 26, 2026

    John Bolton Pleads Guilty In Classified Info Case

    Former National Security Adviser John Bolton pled guilty Friday to charges that he illegally retained classified national defense information and shared it with family members after prosecutors said that an individual associated with the Iranian government accessed classified information through a hack of his personal email.

  • June 25, 2026

    Quinn Emanuel Says 3M Fee Proposal Undervalues Its Work

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has objected to a special master's recommendation on the allocation of common benefit fees in the $6 billion settlement that ended multidistrict litigation against 3M over allegedly faulty combat earplugs, saying the amount doesn't value the "length, extent and impact" of the firm's work.

  • June 25, 2026

    FCC Crafts New License Rules For Undersea Cable Lines

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday adopted new rules covering industry deployment of undersea communications cables, including the first licensing regime of its kind for submarine line terminal equipment.

  • June 25, 2026

    Fired SpaceX Workers Can't Dodge Arbitration, 9th Circ. Told

    A SpaceX attorney Thursday urged the Ninth Circuit to revive its bid to arbitrate claims by eight former employees who say they were wrongfully terminated for complaining about CEO Elon Musk's sexually charged social media posts, saying they did not "adequately allege" sexual harassment.

  • June 25, 2026

    VA Moves To Ax Disparate Impact From Discrimination Regs

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday moved to scrub portions of its regulations barring federal funding recipients from engaging in conduct with an unintentional disparate impact, saying they are in "considerable tension" with the U.S. Constitution. 

  • June 25, 2026

    Wash. Resident Gets 18 Months For Russia Export Conspiracy

    The U.S. Department of Justice said a Washington state resident has received a prison sentence of 18 months on Wednesday over a scheme to flout U.S. export restrictions on Russia, after pleading guilty in New York federal court in October.

  • June 25, 2026

    Feds Pay $17M To More Than 600 Plaintiffs Over Fuel Spills

    The U.S. Department of Justice says it has issued settlement payments totaling roughly $17 million to more than 600 plaintiffs who asserted tort claims against the government over jet fuel spills from a since-shuttered U.S. Navy storage facility in Hawaii.

  • June 25, 2026

    Feds Immune To Cross-Claims In Caltech Pollution Suit

    A California federal judge has dismissed with prejudice cross-claims from the city of Pasadena against the U.S. government in a suit by the California Institute of Technology over groundwater contamination from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, finding the federal government has immunity.

  • June 25, 2026

    White & Case Leads Aerospace Parts Biz's Upsized $919M IPO

    Aerospace engine maker DPC Holdings, known as Doncasters Group, hit the public markets on Thursday after raising $919 million in its upsized initial public offering.

  • June 25, 2026

    Lockheed Lands $35B Missile Defense System Contract

    The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. a seven-year contract worth up to $35 billion to quadruple production of a missile defense system, the first major contract under the agency's goal of fortifying the country's arsenal.

  • June 25, 2026

    Claims Court Judge Says Navy Followed Disenrollment Rules

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims sided with the government in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Navy violated its own regulations when it disenrolled a sailor from an officer commissioning program for inappropriate behavior, finding the Navy followed proper protocol.

  • June 25, 2026

    EU Implements US Trade Deal, With Safeguards

    The European Union granted final approval Thursday to its modified version of a trade deal with the U.S. that will cut tariff rates on U.S. goods, albeit with guardrails.

  • June 25, 2026

    SpaceX Wants In On Suit Challenging Texas Land Swap Deal

    SpaceX has urged a federal court in Washington to let it intervene in a lawsuit from environmental groups opposing the company's south Texas land exchange deal with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, noting its property interests are directly at stake.

  • June 24, 2026

    Muslim Org. Says Fla. Can't Shield Info In 'Terrorist' Label Suit

    The Council for American-Islamic Relations has told a federal court that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cannot use the deliberative process privilege to prevent disclosure of documents showing why the Muslim civil rights nonprofit was designated as a "terrorist organization."

Expert Analysis

  • How Cos. Can Navigate Iran Sanctions Risks In China

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    For multinational financial institutions and other companies caught between the U.S. and China’s competing compliance regimes as they relate to Iranian oil, finding a path forward will require careful, jurisdiction-specific analysis, say attorneys at Perkins Coie and Ashurst.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

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    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • DOJ's FCA Data-Miner Focus Raises Compliance Stakes

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    A new U.S. Department of Justice initiative aims to help its Civil Division better vet False Claims Act suits brought by data-mining whistleblowers, signaling that data-driven qui tam enforcement is a priority and making it increasingly important for attorneys and companies to bolster compliance, documentation and internal data monitoring, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Legal Risks Rise As Construction-Site Drone Use Soars

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    Construction companies using drones face mounting legal risks as Federal Aviation Administration compliance requirements tighten, remote identification capabilities expand and proposed rules move toward organizational accountability, making it crucial to update contracts, schedules, safety protocols and data-governance practices now to avoid future liability, say attorneys at Cozen.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Notice, Timeliness, Jurisdiction

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    Three recent cases from the Armed Service Board of Contract Appeals provide insights about the impact of defects in a government notice of appeal rights, timeliness exceptions and limits on the board's jurisdiction to enforce a settlement agreement, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Binance Win Shows Constraints On Anti-Terrorism Act Claims

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    The Southern District of New York's recent ruling in Troell v. Binance illustrates that the Second Circuit's earlier decision in Ashley v. Deutsche Bank is holding weight with courts, and companies facing aiding and abetting risk should thus monitor evolving case law and assess exposure based on nexus allegations, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Understanding The Insider Trading Gap In Prediction Markets

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    While the first-ever insider trading indictment involving a prediction market — the recent prosecution of a service member involved in the capture of Nicolás Maduro — comprised extreme facts and straightforward legal theories, future cases will test the bounds of insider trading law, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

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    While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.

  • Rightsizing Regulation To Usher In Next-Generation Nuclear

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    Next-generation nuclear seems to be having its moment as a recent flurry of Nuclear Regulatory Commission rulemaking aims to fast-track the licensing and deployment of such technologies, says Hilary Jacobs at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Expect US Enforcers' Cartel Crackdown To Continue

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    Since agencies’ coordinated enforcement efforts targeting cartel-related activity have not slowed, U.S. companies in Latin America should assess new business lines for designated-cartel ties, scrutinize highest-risk third parties, and enhance training and internal investigation practices, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • The Ethics And Practicalities Of Representing AI Agents

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    With autonomous artificial intelligence agents now able to take action without explicit instructions from — or the awareness of — their human owners, the bar must confront whether existing frameworks like informed consent and client privilege will be sufficient on the day an AI agent calls seeking counsel, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • FCC Rule Changes Could Accelerate The Space Economy

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    A series of recently proposed Federal Communications Commission rulemakings that would expand opportunities for commercial space and satellite operations signal a regulatory shift toward greater flexibility, faster processing and more deliberate spectrum planning for space-adjacent and emergent space activities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Surveying The CFTC Campaign To Control Prediction Markets

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is simultaneously asserting exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets and signaling aggressive enforcement within them, a combination that will reshape the regulatory landscape for event contract platforms — pending the outcome of several court cases throughout the country and a likely circuit split, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Series

    Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

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