Aerospace & Defense

  • July 30, 2026

    FAA Proposes Waiving Regs To Get Faster Space Approvals

    The Trump administration said it's proposing a rule to allow the Federal Aviation Administration to waive "unnecessary environmental laws and regulations" for commercial space licenses and permits in a push to accelerate a critical industry.

  • July 30, 2026

    DOJ Debuts Terrorist Removal Court In Afghan Mother's Case

    An Afghan national with legal permanent resident status was accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024 in the first ever hearing Thursday morning at U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a court that has been unused since it was created in 1996.

  • July 30, 2026

    Army Asks 4th Circ. To Rethink Boarding School Burial Ruling

    The U.S. Army wants the Fourth Circuit to rethink a decision that says it must return the remains of two Indigenous children from a former Indian boarding school cemetery to a Nebraska tribe, arguing that if not reversed, it will cause confusion, likely spur more litigation and slow repatriation.

  • July 30, 2026

    3M Wins 11th Circ. Bid To Fight PFAS Suit In Federal Court

    An Eleventh Circuit panel said a judge should have let 3M Co. fight an Alabama town's lawsuit over forever chemical contamination in federal court based on its defense that some pollution may stem from firefighting foams made for the U.S. military.

  • July 30, 2026

    Higher Price Tag Undermines $4.6M Award Protest, GAO Says

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the U.S. Air Force correctly awarded a $4.6 million medical training contract, finding the higher price from the company protesting the decision took it out of the running.

  • July 30, 2026

    Airbus Pays HMRC £6.4M Over Export Control Breaches

    Aerospace giant Airbus reached an agreement with the U.K. tax authority to pay £6.4 million ($8.6 million) to settle claims that the company breached export control rules, the agency announced Thursday.

  • July 29, 2026

    GAO Finds Flaws With DOE's Nuclear Cleanup Contract Model

    The U.S. Department of Energy's new contracting model for nuclear waste cleanup has failed to consistently deliver more reliable costs, faster cleanup and better results, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report Wednesday.

  • July 29, 2026

    Judge Denies Protest Of Updated SAM Registration Rule

    The U.S. Army acted to promote competition when it stripped an outdated requirement from a solicitation for offerors to be continuously registered in the System for Award Management, which preserved the winning contractor's eligibility, a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge ruled.

  • July 29, 2026

    Former Trump Lawyer Officially Takes The Helm At SDNY

    James McDonald, a former Sullivan & Cromwell LLP partner who represented President Donald Trump in his appeal of his criminal conviction, was sworn in as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday after McDonald's predecessor Jay Clayton departed to serve as director of national intelligence.

  • July 29, 2026

    Sierra Nevada Co. Will Pay $7.75M To Settle FCA Allegations

    Federal prosecutors have said a defense contractor in Sparks, Nevada, will pay $7.75 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act through its employment of a U.S. Department of Defense official involved with several contracts awarded to the company.

  • July 29, 2026

    3M, DuPont Ordered To Face Montana PFAS Lawsuit, For Now

    DuPont de Nemours Inc., 3M Co. and other manufacturers of firefighter turnout gear must for now face a retooled class action complaint by local governments in a dozen states who claim an industrywide conspiracy concealed the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a Montana federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • July 29, 2026

    Judge Trims DLA Contractor's $3.8M Warehouse Software Suit

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has partially dismissed a contractor's $3.8 million lawsuit alleging its task order with the Defense Logistics Agency to configure warehouse management software contained defective specifications, noting the distinction between design and performance specifications.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Teaching SEC Investigations Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Instructing a law school course on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations has made me a more thoughtful, deliberate practitioner because it requires me to continually reassess and challenge what I know about securities law enforcement, how I know it and how best to explain it, says David Chase at Miami Law.

  • 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.

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