Environmental

  • June 23, 2026

    10th Circ. Revives Utah National Monument Challenges

    A Tenth Circuit panel on Tuesday revived challenges to former President Joe Biden's designations of hundreds of thousands of acres as parts of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, finding that the Antiquities Act puts discernible limits on the president's discretion.

  • June 23, 2026

    Green Group Wants Records Behind Trump's Weed Killer Order

    An environmental organization on Monday sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in D.C. federal court, seeking records behind President Donald Trump's executive order to hike the production of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup, an allegedly carcinogenic pesticide at the center of an imminent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

  • June 23, 2026

    States Challenge Arctic Leasing Over Birds, Climate Change

    Fourteen states are backing challenges to the Trump administration's decision to open up oil and gas leasing on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, telling the court that the seismic exploration will harm migratory birds and increase greenhouse gas emissions that already contribute to climate change.

  • June 23, 2026

    Colo. Justices Uphold Antero's $215M Fraud Win

    A doctrine limiting tort claims over contract losses did not bar a fraud claim tied to a fracking wastewater treatment project, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, affirming a more than $215 million judgment for Antero.

  • June 23, 2026

    Pa. Town Wants Out Of 'Forever' Sewer Deals With Neighbor

    A Pittsburgh-area township is suing a neighboring borough and sewer authority, asking a Pennsylvania state court to declare that the township has authority to update or terminate decades-old sewer service agreements that locked in rates that no longer reflect the cost of maintaining the system.

  • June 23, 2026

    Green Groups Drop Pipeline Permit Appeal After Stay Is Refused

    Environmental groups' challenge to a discharge permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for work on a natural gas pipeline stretching across several Eastern states was voluntarily dismissed Monday at the Fourth Circuit.

  • June 23, 2026

    Clifford Chance Adds Ex-V&E Debt Finance Atty In Houston

    Clifford Chance LLP announced on Monday the hiring of a former Vinson & Elkins LLP attorney as a finance and derivatives partner in its Houston office.

  • June 22, 2026

    Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Landmark Housing Legislation

    The U.S. Senate on Monday passed an amended version of landmark housing legislation focused on expanding housing supply and lowering housing costs with an 85-5 vote.

  • June 22, 2026

    Md. Voters Can't Weigh In On Data Center Zone, Judge Rules

    Voters in Frederick County, Maryland, will not be able to have a say on a data center development zone, a state judge ruled in an order docketed Monday, agreeing with developers that under the county's charter, an ordinance is not a law subject to referendum.

  • June 22, 2026

    17 States Sue Over Calif. Regulation Of Plastic Packaging

    Seventeen states and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors sued Golden State recycling regulators in California federal court Monday seeking to block a new state law regulating plastic packaging, slamming the law as California's "blatant and unprecedented attempt to impose its own policy preferences on the entire nation."

  • June 22, 2026

    3 IPOs Could Raise $791M Combined As Listings Surge

    Three companies spanning the broadband infrastructure, silver mining and e-scooter industries launched plans Monday for initial public offerings that could raise a combined $791 million if they price as planned during the week of June 29.

  • June 22, 2026

    TerraForm Attys Get $23M Fee In Brookfield Settlement

    The Delaware Chancery Court awarded plaintiffs' attorneys more than $23 million in fees and expenses for securing an $83.8 million settlement that resolved long-running shareholder litigation over Brookfield Asset Management's 2020 take-private merger with renewable energy company TerraForm Power Inc.

  • June 22, 2026

    10th Circ. Says Fire Chief Immune From Termination Suit

    A district court erred in denying a Colorado fire chief qualified immunity in a former union president's lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully terminated, the Tenth Circuit ruled Monday, finding that the former president failed to show the chief's actions violated "clearly established law."

  • June 22, 2026

    'Campaign Of Hostility': Calif. Sues Trump EPA Over Waivers

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "campaign of hostility" toward waivers that allow California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards now includes an unlawful plan to have Congress undo granted waivers related to "clean" vehicles and other engines, California claimed Monday in a D.C. federal court lawsuit.

  • June 22, 2026

    State Telecom Roundup: Before Disaster Strikes

    The last three years have been the worst on record for the United States when it comes to damage from weather and climate disasters, and both the private and public sectors have been trying to find ways to harden the nation's telecommunication networks and keep them running during disasters, as climate catastrophes show no sign of letting up.

  • June 22, 2026

    FERC Says Texas LNG Project Is 'Environmentally Acceptable'

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission defended its continued approval of a liquefied natural gas project in South Texas, telling the D.C. Circuit it had addressed the court's previous concerns by expanding its analysis of the project's polluting effects.

  • June 22, 2026

    Wash. Telecom Says Tribal Burial Site Claims Filed Too Late

    A Washington federal judge is expected to soon determine if the Lummi Nation can block a telephone company from continuing to construct a broadband project at a location where Indigenous remains have been unearthed, after the telecom argued the tribe filed its challenge too late.

  • June 22, 2026

    EV Charging Co. Ends Fired Worker's Religious Bias Suit

    An electric vehicle charging station company and a former employee have agreed to end his religious discrimination suit filed in Georgia federal court claiming the business fired him for leaving work early so that he could observe the Jewish Sabbath.

  • June 22, 2026

    Supreme Court Won't Review HFC Reduction Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a Georgia refrigerants company's petition to review a 2020 environmental law and subsequent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring an 85% reduction in hydrofluorocarbon consumption by 2036, rejecting a chance to either modify or replace the "intelligible principle" test in nondelegation cases.

  • June 18, 2026

    Enviro Groups Say Feds Skirted Review For Gulf Oil Leases

    A group of environmental organizations has sued the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for issuing oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the agency failed to review how the proposed explorations would influence the environment and endangered species.

  • June 18, 2026

    Judge Extends Block On Wis. Tribe Nonmember Fishing Ban

    A Wisconsin judge says the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians' decision to block nonmember fishing in 19 lakes within its reservation goes against a status quo held for generations, and allowing a last-minute disruption will confuse the public during this year's fishing season.

  • June 18, 2026

    FERC Orders Revisions Of Data Center Grid Access Policies

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday directed regional grid operators to craft their own policies that speed up the connection of data centers and other large facilities to the grid, eschewing a nationally applicable rule advocated by the U.S. Department of Energy.

  • June 18, 2026

    Split 9th Circ. Says Feds Must Follow ESA In Water Project

    A federal regulator must comply with the Endangered Species Act as it operates a water management initiative in southern Oregon and northern California, the Ninth Circuit ruled, without adjudicating particular usage rights among irrigators, tribes and others.

  • June 18, 2026

    Feds Must Still Restore 'Truthful History' In Parks Amid Appeal

    The Trump administration cannot delay restoring information about climate change, slavery and Indigenous history to National Park Service sites by the nation's 250th anniversary while it pursues an appeal, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled on Thursday.

  • June 18, 2026

    ICE Ditches Mich. Warehouse After Detention Center Suit

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has abandoned plans to convert a suburban Detroit warehouse into a 500-bed immigration detention center and will instead sell the facility, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday. 

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing For Congressional Investigations In A Midterm Year

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    2026 will be a consequential year for congressional oversight as the upcoming midterm elections may yield bolder investigations and more aggressive state attorneys general coalitions, so companies should consider adopting risk management measures to get ahead of potential changes, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Key Trends Shaping ESG And Sustainability Law In 2026

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    2025 saw a chaotic regulatory landscape and novel litigation around environmental, social and governance issues and sustainability — and 2026, while perhaps more predictable, will likely be no less challenging, with more lawsuits and a regulatory tug-of-war complicating compliance for global companies, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • For Data Centers, Both Hyperscale And Edge Are Key In 2026

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    Recent trends in development of data centers highlight the importance of proactive attention to the zoning, permitting, interconnection and contractual issues associated with both hyperscale and edge facilities, in order to position projects for responsible growth in 2026 and protect their long-term value amid rapid technological and regulatory change, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • 5 Tariff And Trade Developments To Watch In 2026

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    A new trade landscape emerged in 2025, the contours of which will be further defined by developments that will merit close attention this year, including a key ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court and a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, says Ted Posner at Baker Botts.

  • What 2025 Enforcement Actions Show About FERC's Priorities

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    A review of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's 2025 enforcement record suggests that this year, the commission will persist in holding market participants to their commitments, and continue active market surveillance and close cooperation with market monitors, says Ruta Skucas at Crowell & Moring.

  • 4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

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    The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.

  • Navigating AI In The Legal Industry

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    As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.

  • Opinion

    Judges Carry Onus To Screen Expert Opinions Before Juries

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    Recent Second Circuit arguments in Acetaminophen Products Liability Litigation implied a low bar for judicial gatekeeping of expert testimony, but under amended Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, judges must rigorously scrutinize expert opinions before allowing them to reach juries, says Lee Mickus at Evans Fears.

  • Nuclear Power Pitfalls And Opportunities To Watch For In 2026

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    Shepherding nuclear power projects to completion requires navigating more risks and obligations than almost any other infrastructure undertaking, but with the right strategies, states, developers, vendors and contractors can overcome these hurdles in 2026 and beyond, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • A 6th Circ. Snapshot: 3 Cases That Defined 2025

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    With more than a thousand opinions issued this year, three rulings from the Sixth Circuit stood out for the impact they'll have on the practice of civil procedure, including a net neutrality decision, a class certification standards ruling and an opinion about vulgarity in school, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

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    As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

  • 7 Strategies To Optimize Impact Of Direct Examination

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    Direct examination is a make-or-break opportunity to build a witness’s credibility, so attorneys should adopt a few tactics — from asking so-called trust-fall questions to preemptively addressing weaknesses — to drive impact and retention with the fact-finder, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • What Defense Teams Must Know About PFAS Testing Methods

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    Whether testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances produces results meaningful for litigation depends on the validity of the sampling methodology — so effectively defending these claims requires understanding the scientific and legal implications of different PFAS testing protocols, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

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