Environmental

  • June 29, 2026

    3rd Circ. Preview: DuPont Pensions, Detainees' Court Access

    An appeal testing the limits of ERISA fiduciary liability goes before the Third Circuit in July when DuPont and Corteva seek to overturn a district court ruling that a corporate spinoff damaged employees' retirement benefits. The court will also hear argument on whether heavy equipment giant Caterpillar forced a competitor out of business by pressuring a vendor. Here are some highlights from the court's July calendar.

  • June 29, 2026

    Judge Voids DOT Freeze On NY-NJ Gateway Tunnel Funds

    A Manhattan federal judge on Monday barred the Trump administration from freezing funds for New York and New Jersey's $16 billion rehabilitation of aging commuter train tunnels under the Hudson River, saying the administration's unilateral cancellation of federally obligated grant funds was unlawful.

  • June 29, 2026

    Nokia Sues US Over $3 Billion Superfund Cleanup Bill

    Nokia on Monday claimed the federal government wrongly left it on the hook for a disproportionate share of the massive Superfund cleanup of the New Jersey's lower Passaic River in a new lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

  • June 29, 2026

    Calif. Federal Judge Speeds Up Review Of FEMA Staffing Cuts

    A California federal judge won't block staffing cuts at FEMA now, but she will quickly resolve allegations that the cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act, she said, denying a union-led coalition's request for an injunction but granting its request for expedited resolution of the claims.

  • June 29, 2026

    California Asks Court To Halt 'Catastrophic' ICE Facility

    The state of California and Santa Clara County told a California federal court to block the federal government and a real estate investment firm from going forward with an immigrant detention facility allegedly planned for a 24.5-acre site, saying it would cause "significant and potentially catastrophic environmental and public health harms."

  • June 29, 2026

    US Pays Duke Energy $129M To Drop NC Offshore Wind Lease

    Duke Energy Corp. has agreed to give up an offshore wind project off the coast of North Carolina in exchange for a $129 million payment by the Trump administration, according to an announcement Monday by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

  • June 29, 2026

    Blackfeet Tribe Wants Mont. Water Rights Dispute Tossed

    The Blackfeet Nation has asked a district court to dismiss a challenge to a Milk River water rights settlement between the tribe, Montana and the federal government, arguing that if successful, the case will deprive the tribe of its most significant property rights.

  • June 29, 2026

    Justices Asked To Revive Fight Over Texas Sacred Site

    Two members of a Native American church are asking the Supreme Court to reverse a Fifth Circuit decision that said the city of San Antonio's plans for a park expansion did not substantially burden their religious rights, arguing that the appellate court "joined the wrong side of two existing circuit splits."

  • June 29, 2026

    3 Firms Build $752M Sale Of Cardinal Natural Gas Businesses

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP-led independent midstream energy company Cardinal Midstream Partners LLC on Monday revealed that it has agreed to sell its Cardinal Delaware Basin LLC and Cardinal New Mexico LLC to San Mateo Midstream LLC, led by Baker Botts LLP and O'Melveny & Myers LLP, in a $752 million deal.

  • June 29, 2026

    Investor Seeks Dominican Republic Assets For $44M Award

    A billionaire businessman is seeking to seize the Dominican Republic's assets to satisfy a $43.7 million arbitral award stemming from the termination of a landfill concession, arguing that three months has elapsed since the D.C. federal court issued its order.

  • June 29, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court this past week handled disputes involving controlling stockholders, executive compensation, take-private transactions, books and records demands and board governance, while the Delaware Supreme Court issued decisions in two corporate records cases previously decided in the Chancery.

  • June 29, 2026

    Justices Will Resolve Circuit Split Over Pipeline Payouts

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to resolve a circuit court split over how to determine what gas infrastructure project developers should pay landowners in eminent domain proceedings, a move encouraged by the Trump administration.

  • June 26, 2026

    4 Takeaways From The High Court's Monsanto Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court's highly anticipated ruling in favor of Monsanto over its blockbuster pesticide Roundup established that a pesticide's labeling must meet federal standards, ensuring that businesses don't have to comply with a variety of potentially conflicting state laws.

  • June 26, 2026

    Chilean Court Nixes $217M Salmon Farm Award

    A Chilean appeals court has vacated a $217 million arbitral award issued to Chinese agribusiness Joyvio Group Co. Ltd. following a dispute over its nearly $1 billion purchase of a Chilean salmon farming business, ruling by majority that the arbitrators awarded relief that had not been sought.

  • 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

    Georgia Cases To Watch In The Last Half Of 2026

    Georgia faces major litigation in the second half of 2026, including disputes over data center growth, PFAS contamination and whether companies can be forced to fund medical monitoring for people alleging no current injuries. Here, Law360 highlights some of the biggest cases to keep an eye on in the Peach State.

  • June 26, 2026

    DC Circ. Preserves Biden-Era EPA Soot Rule

    The D.C. Circuit Friday rejected challenges from Republican states and business groups to a Biden-era rule setting tighter national limits on soot, as well as the Trump administration's request to vacate the rule.

  • June 26, 2026

    Skadden, Cleary Guide Silver Miner Sinda's $213M IPO

    Silver miner Sinda Ltd. hit the public markets on Friday after raising $213 million in its initial public offering led by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

  • June 26, 2026

    Calif. Judge Gives Final OK To $48M Emissions Warranty Deal

    A California federal judge has granted final approval to a deal between drivers and Mercedes-Benz USA, settling claims the automaker failed to place "high-priced" emissions parts under the proper warranty and awarding class counsel $2.8 million on the settlement valued at more than $48 million.

  • June 26, 2026

    Disposables Co. Says Ore. Recycling Law Is Unconstitutional

    A supplier of disposable food service supplies has told an Oregon federal court the state's recycling modernization law has deprived the company of its constitutional due process rights by enlisting a private entity to set fees, classify materials and conduct other regulatory actions.

  • June 25, 2026

    Wash. Justices Back Climate Act Farm Fuel Exemption Regs

    The Washington Supreme Court unanimously rejected the Washington Farm Bureau's challenge to regulations surrounding a farm fuel exemption in a landmark 2021 law establishing the state's cap-and-invest program, finding Thursday the rule aligns with lawmakers' ultimate goal of curbing top greenhouse gas emitters.

  • June 25, 2026

    Ohio Justices Reject Claims Of $115M Utility Overcharges

    The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday rejected claims that consumers were overcharged by $115 million for electricity from aging coal-fired power plants in 2020, saying that utility regulators correctly determined that state law entitled the plants' owners to the payments.

  • June 25, 2026

    Ellenoff, Morgan Lewis Lead NuCube's $500M Go-Public Deal

    Nuclear technology business NuCube Energy Inc., valued at $500 million, announced Thursday that it will become a publicly listed company through its merger with blank check company Launch Two Acquisition Corp., in a deal steered by Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP and Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • EPA Listing Signals New Scrutiny Of Drugs In Drinking Water

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    The recent publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest draft drinking water contaminant list highlights pharmaceuticals as a category of concern, marking the start of a process that could shape future research priorities, monitoring requirements, and federal and state actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 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.

  • Md. Justices' State Climate Tort Ban May Shape National Path

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    The Maryland Supreme Court’s recent ruling that federal law preempted state-level deceptive marketing tort claims brought by several municipalities could offer the U.S. Supreme Court a road map to use in the pending Suncor Energy v. Boulder County case to exclude states from the business of regulating global emissions, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 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.

  • 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​​​​​​​.

  • The Growing Importance Of Nature-Related Disclosures

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    The International Sustainability Standards Board's recent vote to develop nonmandatory nature‑related disclosure guidance reduces immediate compliance pressure, but it does not eliminate the practical relevance of such risks for companies that already prepare sustainability reports or operate across jurisdictions with differing expectations, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year included reminders about the statute of limitations as a key defense for claims relating to allegedly deficient forms, the importance of focus on the specific contract at issue and further guidance on the contours of Rule 23, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • 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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