Aerospace & Defense

  • September 11, 2025

    Nadine Menendez Gets 4½ Years In Bribery Case

    A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday sentenced Nadine Menendez to 4½ years in prison following her conviction at trial for aiding her husband Bob Menendez's corruption by acting as the go-between for bribe payments made to the former U.S. senator to help further the business and personal interests of three New Jersey businessmen.

  • September 11, 2025

    Magnesium Producer Hits Ch. 11 Following Plant Failures

    US Magnesium LLC, once North America's largest producer of primary magnesium, has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with up to $500 million of debt, years after major equipment failures at its Utah facility ground production to a halt.

  • September 10, 2025

    VA Botched $12M Texas Hospital Renovation, Per Report

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Inspector General released a report Wednesday finding that the agency botched a decade-long, $12 million emergency room remodel in Texas by failing to properly install outlets for equipment.

  • September 10, 2025

    Feds Want 10 Years For Ex-Navy Admiral In Bribe Case

    Prosecutors asked a federal judge Tuesday to sentence a former top U.S. Navy admiral to more than 10 years for corruption, while his own legal team said a sentence without prison time will be enough punishment.

  • September 10, 2025

    Consumers Defend Challenge To Nippon-US Steel Merger

    Consumers urged a California federal judge Wednesday not to dismiss their challenge to Nippon Steel's now-closed purchase of U.S. Steel Corp., arguing they've fixed an earlier lawsuit's shortcomings.

  • September 10, 2025

    Meet The Attys Now Fighting Judge Newman's Suspension

    Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's main attorney in the fight against her suspension from the appeals court has departed from the New Civil Liberties Alliance, leaving his former colleagues to head the litigation.

  • September 10, 2025

    Unions' Challenge To Fed. Layoffs, Reorganizations Proceeds

    The Trump administration must continue facing a union-backed challenge to its federal worker layoffs and agency reorganizations, a California federal judge ruled, tossing the administration's argument that the U.S. Supreme Court cast enough doubt on the suit's legitimacy by pausing an injunction to justify dismissing the case.

  • September 10, 2025

    4th Circ. Hears Neb. Tribe's Fight For Children's Repatriation

    The U.S. Army can't say that the remains of two children entombed in a former Pennsylvania Indian boarding school are not part of a collection or holding, counsel for a Nebraska tribe told a Fourth Circuit panel on Wednesday in seeking the return of the remains to their tribe, arguing that they were buried and re-buried without tribal consent.

  • September 10, 2025

    Jeju Air Crash Victim's Estate Sues Boeing For Negligence

    A representative of the estate of a passenger who died in a 2024 South Korean plane crash sued The Boeing Co. in Illinois state court Monday, saying the aerospace giant was negligent in selling a "defective and unreasonably dangerous" aircraft.

  • September 10, 2025

    Cruz Fights NDAA's Pentagon 'Veto' Of Commercial Spectrum

    Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday he's pushing to remove a draft provision in this year's defense policy bill that he says would allow the U.S. Department of Defense to effectively "veto" certain allocations of military-held spectrum to the private sector.

  • September 10, 2025

    Baker McKenzie Adds New National Security Group Co-Head

    Baker McKenzie welcomed a former Federal Bureau of Investigation senior counselor to its Washington, D.C., office who joins as a partner and co-chair of its national security practice, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • September 09, 2025

    DOD's Cybersecurity Rule May Help Fend Off FCA Claims

    The U.S. Department of Defense's requirement for certain contractors to have a third-party assessor review their cybersecurity compliance, implemented in a final rule Tuesday, could help contractors protect themselves from False Claims Act enforcement.

  • September 09, 2025

    Mitsubishi Accused Of Dodging Pollution Regs With Deception

    Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. was hit with a proposed class action in Washington federal court Monday by a commercial fisher accusing the company of deploying a deceptive sales tactic to circumvent federal emissions regulations for marine engines and replacing engines with cheaper, dirtier alternatives that don't comply with U.S. laws. 

  • September 09, 2025

    McKinsey Expects $106T Global Infrastructure Spend By 2040

    McKinsey said in a report Tuesday that over the next 15 years, $106 trillion is needed worldwide to keep up with demand for new and improved infrastructure, an industry that's expanding in definition along with advances in technology.

  • September 09, 2025

    Roberts Pauses Foreign Aid Distribution For Now

    Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily stayed a lower court's order requiring the Trump administration to release roughly $4 billion in frozen foreign aid while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a longer-term solution. 

  • September 09, 2025

    Feds Say Lejeune Litigants Can't Link Chemical To Illnesses

    The U.S. government asked a North Carolina federal judge to bar veterans and family members suing over injuries from toxic water at Camp Lejeune from claiming that one particular substance caused various diseases at issue in the litigation.

  • September 09, 2025

    Ohio Aerospace Manufacturer Hits Ch. 11 To Rework Debt

    Cincinnati-based manufacturer CTL-Aerospace Inc. filed for Chapter 11 with at least $15 million in debt saying material sourcing troubles last year left it with an operating loss with limited funding avenues.

  • September 09, 2025

    4 Possible Factors In Nadine Menendez's Bribery Sentence

    The New York federal judge tasked with sentencing Nadine Menendez in the high-profile public corruption case that also ensnared her husband, a once entrenched New Jersey politician, will weigh a higher number of mitigating factors than in the usual criminal case, leaving her ultimate penalty a question mark to legal observers.

  • September 09, 2025

    NASA Shuts Down Black Ex-Engineer's Bias Suit

    A Texas federal judge tossed a race and age bias suit from a Black ex-NASA engineer who claimed he was placed on an unrealistic performance improvement plan and then pushed into retirement, saying he hadn't shown prejudice drove the agency's actions.

  • September 09, 2025

    Pentagon Finalizes Cybersecurity Rule For Contractors

    The U.S. Department of Defense released its long-anticipated final rule on Tuesday detailing how the agency will incorporate its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, aimed at boosting cybersecurity standards across the defense industrial base, into defense contracts.

  • September 08, 2025

    Cleo AI Must Face Military Lending Suit Over Cash Advances

    Cleo AI must face an Army staff sergeant's proposed class action alleging it employs predatory lending practices through its cash advances that exceed the Military Lending Act's annual percentage rate cap on consumer credit, after a Washington federal judge said Monday the advances constitute as "credit" under the statute. 

  • September 08, 2025

    Split 4th Circ. Axes States' Challenge To Trump Admin Layoffs

    A split Fourth Circuit panel held Monday that a coalition of states doesn't have standing to sue the Trump administration over the mass firing of thousands of probationary government employees, finding that it was the employees — not the states — who "suffered the brunt of the harm" underlying the case.

  • September 08, 2025

    Atty In Judge Newman Suspension Feud Moves To DOJ

    An attorney who has been representing Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman in the legal battle over her suspension has jumped from the New Civil Liberties Alliance to work at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • September 08, 2025

    GAO Backs Navy's Call To Toss Bidder Over Small Biz Rule

    If a Maryland company wanted the U.S. Navy to know it would steer enough IT support work to small business subcontractors to meet a participation requirement, it needed to make that information clear, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said.

  • September 08, 2025

    FCC To Revoke Authorizations For Foreign-Owned 'Bad Labs'

    The Federal Communications Commission on Monday began revoking U.S. authorizations for seven communications equipment-testing labs it says are controlled by foreign adversaries.

Expert Analysis

  • CFPB Industry Impact Uncertain Amid Priority Shift, Staff Cuts

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    A recent enforcement memo outlines how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's regulatory agenda diverges from that of the previous administration, but, given the bureau's planned reduction in force, it is uncertain whether the agency will be able to enforce these new priorities, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • FAR Rewrite May Cloud Key Gov't Contract Doctrine

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    The Trump administration's government procurement overhaul, under which sections of the Federal Acquisition Regulation are eliminated by default, is bound to collide with a doctrine that allows courts to read omitted clauses into government contracts if they represent long-standing pillars of federal procurement law, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw

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    When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.

  • Opinion

    Aviation Watch: A Supersonic 'Boom' Going Nowhere Fast

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    Legislation recently introduced in Congress to repeal the Federal Aviation Administration's ban on supersonic flight over U.S. territory appears to benefit a single company with an uncertain business plan, and is not truly in the public interest, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • The Ins And Outs Of Consensual Judicial References

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    As parties consider the possibility of judicial reference to resolve complex disputes, it is critical to understand how the process works, why it's gaining traction, and why carefully crafted agreements make all the difference, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • SpaceX Labor Suit May Bring Cosmic Jurisdictional Shifts

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    The National Mediation Board's upcoming decision about whether SpaceX falls under the purview of the National Labor Relations Act or the Railway Labor Act could establish how jurisdictional boundaries are determined for employers that toe the line, with tangible consequences for decades to come, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Opinion

    The BigLaw Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit

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    The nine Am Law 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.

  • DOJ Could Target Journalists Under Media Policy Reversion

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recently announced media policy largely mirrors policies in effect from 2014 to 2020, but ambiguities in key statutory terms could allow the administration to apply it to journalists in new ways and expand investigations beyond leaks of classified information, says Julie Edelstein at Wiggin.

  • Series

    Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Fed. Circ. Offers Lesson On Gov't Data Rights In Contracts

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in FlightSafety v. Air Force serves as a warning for U.S. Department of Defense contractors attempting to mark their commercial technical data developed at private expense, say attorneys at Butzel Long.

  • Key Steps For Traversing Federal Grant Terminations

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    For grantees, the Trump administration’s unexpected termination or alteration of billions of dollars in federal grants across multiple agencies necessitates a thorough understanding of the legal rights and obligations involved, either in challenging such terminations or engaging in grant termination settlements and closeout procedures, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • DOJ Export Declination Highlights Self-Reporting Benefits

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision not to prosecute a NASA contractor, despite a former employee pleading guilty to facilitating unlicensed exports, underscores the advantages available to companies that self-report sanctions violations, cooperate with investigations and implement timely remediation, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Review Risk Is Increasing For Foreign Real Estate Developers

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    Federal and state government efforts have been expanding oversight of foreign investment in U.S. real estate, necessitating careful assessment of risk and of the benefits of notifying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

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    Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • The Legal Risks Of US Restrictions On Investments In China

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    The second Trump administration has continued to embrace a more restrictive economic policy toward China, including an ongoing review of further restrictions on the flow of U.S. capital to China, so early planning and enhanced diligence can reduce exposure to the challenges resulting from further restrictions, say attorneys at Cleary.

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