Aerospace & Defense

  • September 23, 2026

    Judge Won't Block Feds' Land Exchange With SpaceX

    SpaceX and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can proceed with their planned land swap after a Texas federal judge determined that the groups challenging the deal failed to show that their members would suffer irreparable injury as a result of the exchange.

  • September 23, 2026

    Tech CEO Hid Russian Ties To Win Gov't Contracts, Feds Say

    The CEO of Virginia-based Oxygen Forensics, which sought contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies, claimed the software company was completely American-owned when it was actually controlled by a group of Russian nationals, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

  • September 23, 2026

    Honeywell Aerospace Hit With Suit Over $2M DOJ Settlement

    Honeywell Aerospace is facing an investor suit alleging it failed to disclose a federal investigation that led to a $2 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and that a small set of suppliers had a "disproportionate impact" on the aerospace and defense company's revenue.

  • September 23, 2026

    OpenAI Looks To End SpaceXAI's Apple Deal Antitrust Case

    OpenAI is urging a Texas federal court to end an antitrust case from Elon Musk's SpaceXAI over a deal integrating ChatGPT into Apple devices, saying the pact is not exclusive and does not block competition from rival chatbots.

  • September 23, 2026

    GAO Finds No Conflict Of Interest Over $220M DLA Contract

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office rejected conflict of interest claims over a $220.7 million Defense Logistics Agency contract, though noting it's "highly irregular" that a "key person" identified in the awardee's offer is a current DLA employee.

  • September 23, 2026

    Senators Seek Probe Of AI Errors In Military Operations

    Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to defense officials expressing concerns that the U.S. Department of Defense has prioritized adoption of artificial intelligence for use by armed forces over effective governance that may have resulted in faulty AI-assisted military operations.

  • September 22, 2026

    GOP Sen. Seeks Don Jr., Hunter Biden Biz Dealings Probes

    Sen. John Curtis urged Senate Judiciary Committee leaders to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden to testify about past business dealings with foreign individuals and entities, citing reports of a Russian oligarch and Vladimir Putin associate gifting the wedding after-party of President Donald Trump's oldest son in May.

  • September 22, 2026

    Gov't Contractor Sued Over Cutting Analyst's $250K Pay Offer

    A disabled veteran sued government contractor CACI International Inc. over an alleged "bait and switch," saying she was hired to work as an intelligence analyst with the promise of a $250,000 salary that was later reduced to $160,000.

  • September 22, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Revives VA Fellow's AI Whistleblower Claim

    A Federal Circuit panel on Tuesday revived a former technology fellow's challenge to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' decision removing him from his position after he raised concerns over the agency's artificial intelligence tool used for processing disability benefits claims.

  • September 22, 2026

    Commerce On The Lookout For Polysilicon Stockpiling

    The U.S. Department of Commerce is looking to prevent the stockpiling of imported polysilicon and derivative products ahead of tariffs and price floors that will come into effect in December, it said in new rules Tuesday.

  • September 22, 2026

    Judge Denies Protest Over Military Tire Insert Solicitations

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has upheld the Defense Logistics Agency's rejection of a company's technically deficient component aimed at helping military vehicles run on a flat tire, though finding "circular reasoning" in the DLA's procurement approach.

  • September 22, 2026

    BAE Systems Fights $16.2M Pension Withdrawal Bill

    BAE Systems Inc. has asked a D.C. federal court to vacate an arbitrator's award ordering it to pay an International Association of Machinists pension fund roughly $16.2 million, claiming the calculation of the company's withdrawal liability was not done in accordance with federal benefits law.

  • September 22, 2026

    EU, Philippines Reach Preliminary Free Trade Deal

    The European Union and the Philippines have reached a "substantial agreement" on a free trade deal that would mutually reduce or remove tariffs on 97% of trade between them, the bloc announced Tuesday.

  • September 21, 2026

    Texas Firms Sued Over Alleged VA Benefits Fee Scheme

    Two Texas firms accused of charging disabled veterans illegal fees in exchange for helping them obtain higher disability ratings and larger monthly disability payments removed to D.C. federal court a proposed class action filed by a veterans service organization.

  • September 21, 2026

    L3Harris Says Navy Deal Aims To Bolster Missile Supplies

    L3Harris Technologies said Monday that it's inked a multiyear agreement with the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, California, to manufacture key missile components needed for national defense.

  • September 21, 2026

    GAO Backs Navy Over $64M Corrosion Task Order Protest

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the U.S. Navy didn't err in deeming a company's proposal unacceptable over a corrosion control task order valued at $64 million, finding that the proposal lacked sufficient detail to demonstrate proper experience.

  • September 21, 2026

    Mich. Contractor To Pay $5M To Settle AbilityOne FCA Case

    The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan on Monday announced the settlement of a False Claims Act case against Lifeview Group Inc., in which the government contractor agreed to pay more than $5 million to resolve allegations involving a federal employment program for people who are blind or have significant disabilities.

  • September 21, 2026

    Ligado Says Damages Rise To $50B In Gov't Takings Case

    Network company Ligado told the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that damages caused by the U.S. government for allegedly blocking its use of licensed airwaves have grown to $50 billion because of interest climbing on the amount originally sought.

  • September 21, 2026

    US, China Officials Discuss Trade Ahead Of Trump, Xi Meeting

    U.S. and Chinese officials held talks in New York to discuss trade matters ahead of President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting this week, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said.

  • September 21, 2026

    Honeywell Aerospace Sues Electric Car Cos. Over Patents

    Electric carmakers Lucid and Rivian are facing lawsuits accusing them of infringing automotive patents owned by Honeywell International spinoff Honeywell Aerospace.

  • September 21, 2026

    Shipbuilder Sinks Forfeiture Claims In 401(k) Fee Suit

    A Virginia federal judge on Monday trimmed an ex-worker's proposed class action against a military shipbuilding company alleging mismanagement of a $5.9 billion employee 401(k) plan, holding that some excessive fee claims could proceed to discovery but that allegations of misspent forfeitures failed to state a claim.

  • September 18, 2026

    DOJ Revises Policies Over False Claims Act Suits

    The U.S. Department of Justice issued revisions Friday to department policy governing False Claims Act lawsuits, emphasizing that agency guidance documents have limited effect and that the government should continually assess whether to seek dismissal of qui tam actions.

  • September 18, 2026

    DC Circ. Affirms Navy Admiral's Convictions, Cites Atty Error

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday affirmed the convictions of a retired U.S. Navy admiral based on evidence he helped a company secure a contract in exchange for a post-retirement job, despite a potentially prejudicial error in the jury instructions. 

  • September 18, 2026

    CIA Officers Urge 4th Circ. To Reject DEI Firings Rehearing

    Career intelligence officers fighting their terminations following the Trump administration's anti-DEI executive orders told the Fourth Circuit Thursday that there's no point in granting an en banc rehearing of a panel's order allowing them to internally appeal the firings, arguing the panel's ruling has limited application beyond their own case.

  • September 18, 2026

    USDA Disclosure Rule Could Snag Energy Project Deals

    Energy infrastructure projects could be subject to sweeping foreign ownership disclosure requirements under a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, injecting more uncertainty into acquisition, investment and development deals.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Price Realism, High Bid, Interested Party

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Brian Doll at MoFo surveys three recent Government Accountability Office decisions that show a price realism argument cannot be repackaged as a disparate treatment challenge, an agency's allegedly misleading conduct must be connected to a concrete pricing decision, and interested-party status isn't just a pleading formality.

  • Lessons On Contingency Planning From OFAC's Iran Reversal

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    The Office of Foreign Assets Control‘s abrupt revocation of a recent license easing sanctions on Iranian oil products shows commercial dealings relying on OFAC licenses or with higher sanctions risks should expressly address what happens if a policy change makes performance prohibited, says Michelle Roberts at Berliner Corcoran.

  • Reviving Prize Law Would Reshape Maritime Seizure Risks

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    Recent U.S. maritime interdictions of sanctioned tankers and shadow fleet vessels raise urgent questions about whether civil forfeiture or prize law — a framework that has not been meaningfully tested since the Spanish-American War — governs and the potential impacts on vessel owners, charterers and insurers, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • CFIUS' Mandate Misses Foreign Risk In Project Subcontracts

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    Recent calls for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review equity transactions like the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. deal miss a consequential oversight gap — CFIUS' inability to review the subcontracting layer of U.S. infrastructure projects, says Thibaut Giret at Alstef Group.

  • Lessons From The DOJ's 1st Enforcement Policy Declination

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    The first U.S. Department of Justice declination to prosecute alleged export control violations and national security offenses offers a window into the operation of the administration’s recently implemented corporate enforcement and voluntary self‑disclosure policy, and how companies' compliance and cooperation efforts should be targeted, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • What Consent Decree Trends Mean For Deal Clearances

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    With merger remedies back on the table under the current administration, an analysis of recent Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice consent decrees reveals that prior approval and prior notice provisions are no longer a foregone conclusion, and companies may be able to negotiate narrowly tailored obligations, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • Structuring Space Nuclear Deals For Regulatory Risk

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    With the White House's recent focus on space nuclear power, a highly important question for companies that want to build orbital reactors, lunar surface systems or critical components is whether the transaction documents can handle foreign investment constraints, export controls and treaty-linked liability, says Kristie Blase at Frazer + Blase.

  • Quantum Readiness May Paradoxically Raise Contractor Risk

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    The organizations best positioned for the cryptographic system migration deadlines and other requirements under President Donald Trump’s recent quantum executive orders will be those able to inventory their cryptographic dependencies while protecting their vulnerability road map from adversaries, says Jesse Lemon at The Beckage Firm.

  • Justices Stand On Statutory Specifics In Cisco And Landor

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    With its June 23 decisions in Cisco Systems Inc. v. Doe and Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety, the U.S. Supreme Court doubled down on the critical point that the statute invoked in a federal claim must authorize a private lawsuit and the remedy sought, says Patrick Judd at Phelps Dunbar.

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