Aerospace & Defense

  • April 30, 2025

    Feds Say Trump Has Broad Nat'l Emergency Tariff Powers

    The Trump administration is urging the U.S. Court of International Trade to nix a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's power to impose his sweeping global tariffs, saying the plain text, history and purpose of an emergency law Trump invoked supported his authority.

  • April 30, 2025

    FCC Could Ban Foreign Adversaries' Testing Labs

    The Federal Communications Commission plans to vote in May on whether to ban U.S. operations of telecom equipment test labs owned by foreign adversaries.

  • April 30, 2025

    Senate Bill Would Make FCC List Foreign Foes' Telecom Stakes

    The U.S. Senate will consider a bipartisan bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of foreign adversaries' ownership stakes in regulated companies.

  • April 30, 2025

    Senate Bill Moves Ahead To Beef Up FCC Disaster Reports

    A bipartisan bill to require the Federal Communications Commission release more data on disaster-related network outage reports cleared a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2025

    Space Org. Avoids Charges After Helping In China Export Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday it won't prosecute a NASA contractor research firm whose former employee was sentenced to prison for smuggling aeronautics software to a sanctioned Chinese university, lauding the organization's "exceptional and proactive cooperation" and timely and voluntary self-disclosures of the ex-employee's conduct. 

  • April 30, 2025

    6 Legal Teams Launch Bids To Lead Rocket Co. Investor Suit

    Six legal teams have submitted bids to represent a proposed class of investors in a suit alleging aerospace company Rocket Lab USA Inc. concealed issues that might affect its timeline for test-launching its Neutron Launch Vehicle.

  • April 30, 2025

    Army Fights Neb. Tribe's Bid To Repatriate Children's Remains

    The U.S. Army is fighting an appeal by a Nebraska tribe to undo an order denying the repatriation of two of its children buried at a Pennsylvania boarding school cemetery, telling the Fourth Circuit that the lawsuit fails to allege facts under a law designed to protect Indigenous burial sites.

  • April 30, 2025

    Senate Panel Clears Trump's Pick For 3rd FCC Republican

    A key U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday advanced President Donald Trump's nominee for the third Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission.

  • April 30, 2025

    Marine Reservist Says Retaliation Suit Should Go To Trial

    A U.S. Marine Corps reservist urged a Texas federal court to keep in play his lawsuit alleging a professional services company fired him after two months because he took time off to attend training, saying the firm's reasoning that he was let go for poor performance is bogus.

  • April 30, 2025

    Aerospace Biz True Anomaly Clinches $260M Funding Round

    Aerospace and defense company True Anomaly Inc. on Wednesday revealed that it closed its Series C funding round after securing $260 million from private equity and venture capital investors.

  • April 30, 2025

    Justices Say Reservists Get Extra Pay No Matter Wartime Role

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that federally employed military reservists called to active duty during wartime or a national emergency are entitled to a top-up differential pay, regardless of their specific role.

  • April 29, 2025

    Apple Settles Harvard Profs' IPhone Night Vision Patent Suit

    Apple has agreed in principle to settle a suit brought by a startup company owned by two Harvard professors who claimed the tech giant infringed patents related to cameras that can render night vision images.

  • April 29, 2025

    Meta Seeks Punitives For NSO WhatsApp Hack As Trial Opens

    Meta's counsel told a California federal jury during trial openings Tuesday that Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group owes nearly $445,000 plus punitive damages for its "despicable" conduct hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, while NSO's counsel denied owing Meta anything and criticized Meta's case as a PR attempt to "own the narrative."

  • April 29, 2025

    Examining The EPA's Forever Chemical Plans

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it plans to clarify who is liable for forever chemical contamination and hold polluters accountable, though questions remain as to whether current standards could be loosened and how much help could be needed from Congress.

  • April 29, 2025

    Trump Can't Reorganize Gov't Without Congress, Groups Say

    President Donald Trump lacks the power to reorganize the executive branch and push for mass terminations of workers when Congress hasn't given its blessing, unions and other groups told a California federal court.

  • April 29, 2025

    Sullivan M&A Chief Sees Opportunities Amid Tariff Turmoil

    After a rocky start to 2025, the mergers and acquisitions landscape is grappling with economic volatility, shifting trade policies and a complex regulatory environment. But even in a "choppy" market, there are always deals to be made, says Melissa Sawyer, global head of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's M&A group and co-head of its corporate governance practice.

  • April 29, 2025

    Former National Security Council Adviser Joins Venable

    A White House National Security Council adviser, who also previously served as acting general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, has joined Venable LLP, the latest NSC official to depart the White House for the private sector in recent months.

  • April 29, 2025

    Child Born After Father's Death Can Sue Iran, DC Circ. Rules

    A child in utero when her Navy special forces father was killed in an Iranian-sponsored Taliban attack can seek so-called solatium damages from Iran under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act's terrorism exception, just like her mother and older siblings, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Tuesday.

  • April 29, 2025

    Retirees Fight Lockheed's Quick Appeal Push In Annuity Suit

    Lockheed Martin retirees urged a Maryland federal judge not to allow the company to immediately challenge a ruling that kept alive their suit claiming Lockheed illegally pushed workers' pensions into risky annuities, arguing an appeal would be premature even though a similar case was recently tossed out.

  • April 29, 2025

    Ex-Homeland Security Secretary Joins Pillsbury As Consultant

    Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will work as a strategic consultant at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, where she'll be a senior policy adviser supporting a range of defense, national security and government practice groups, the firm recently announced.

  • April 28, 2025

    Meta Gets Jury In Damages Trial Over NSO's WhatsApp Hack

    A California federal judge empaneled eight jurors Monday to decide how much Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group owes Meta Platforms for hacking into 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, selecting from a pool of dozens of San Francisco Bay Area residents, many of whom criticized Meta, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the Israeli government.

  • April 28, 2025

    Feds' Bid To Spring False Biden Accuser Shot Down By Judge

    A California federal judge rejected a request Monday by prosecutors to release a former FBI informant imprisoned for lying to federal agents that former President Joe Biden accepted bribes, saying he does not agree the court made a mistake at sentencing that should result in his release pending appeal.

  • April 28, 2025

    Pulled Decision Dooms Chicago Disposal Site Suit, Feds Say

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urged an Illinois federal judge to toss a suit challenging its decision to expand a disposal facility that stores sediments dredged from Chicago waterways now that it has withdrawn that decision.

  • April 28, 2025

    SAIC, Feds, Microsoft Settle Night-Vision Goggle Patent Suit

    The federal government has reached a deal to end a suit from Science Applications International Corp. accusing the government of contracting with Microsoft and L3 Technologies Inc. for night-vision goggle weapon systems with infringing displays.

  • April 28, 2025

    Viasat, Feds Settle Protest Of $424M Satellite Contracts

    The federal government and Viasat Inc. said they have settled the communications company's bid protest claims after the Space Development Agency revealed in February that its director shared bidding information with Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems before awarding it a $254 million contract.

Expert Analysis

  • Inside New Commerce Tech Restrictions: Key Risk Takeaways

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    While there are a few limitations on the scope of a new final rule restricting certain foreign adversary products and technologies, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security retains sweeping authority to regulate an array of risk areas, says Peter Jeydel at Troutman.

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Managing Litigation Side-Switching During 2nd Trump Admin

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    Now that the new presidential administration is in place, the government will likely switch positions in a number of pending cases, and stakeholders should employ strategies to protect their interests, say attorneys at Covington.

  • 3 Noteworthy Effects Of The 2025 NDAA

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    The 2025 defense budget includes further restrictions on semiconductor sales to Huawei, requiring companies to rethink customer-base oversight, but other provisions are likely to broaden procurement contract opportunities, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • FTC Privacy Enforcement Takeaways From 2024

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    In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission distinguished three prominent trends in its privacy-related enforcement actions: geolocation data protections, data minimization practices, and artificial intelligence use and marketing, say Cobun Zweifel-Keegan at IAPP and James Smith at Dechert.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

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    If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.

  • Anticipating How GAO Pleading Standards May Shift

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    The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act's mandate to create an enhanced pleading standard at the U.S. Government Accountability Office may change the calculus for where to file when challenging a U.S. Department of Defense procurement, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark

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    All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • 5 Notable Information Security Events In 2024

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    B. Stephanie Siegmann at Hinckley Allen discusses 2024's largest and most destructive data breaches seen yet, ranging from ransomware disrupting U.S. healthcare systems on a massive scale, to tensions increasing between the U.S. and China over cyberespionage and the control of U.S. data.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • How 2025 NDAA May Affect DOD Procurement Protests

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    A bid protest pilot program included in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act shifts litigation costs onto unsuccessful bid protesters and raises claim-filing thresholds, which could increase risks to U.S. Department of Defense contractors who file protests, and reduce oversight of DOD procurement awards, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Nippon, US Steel Face Long Odds On Merger Challenge

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    Following the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' review of Japan's Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel, the companies face a formidable uphill battle in challenging the president's exercise of authority to block the deal on national security grounds, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

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    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

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