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Environmental
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May 06, 2025
Texas Jury Clears Marathon Oil In $123M Force Majeure Case
A Texas federal jury has freed Marathon Oil Co. from a $123.7 million contract dispute stemming from a natural gas delivery impeded in 2021 by Winter Storm Uri.
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May 06, 2025
Fuel Refiners Say EPA Shirked Duty To Grant Biofuel Waiver
A refining industry trade group has urged a D.C. federal judge to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to scale back its cellulosic biofuel blending requirements for 2023, saying the agency shirked an obligation to do so after production fell short of projections.
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May 06, 2025
Oil Cos. Bet On Trump Order To Try Dodging Climate Tort Suit
Energy companies told a South Carolina state judge that President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at curtailing certain state climate actions is all the more reason to dismiss Charleston's climate tort suit seeking monetary damages for alleged greenhouse gas pollution.
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May 06, 2025
DOD Says It Has Standing To Halt Labor Contracts
The U.S. Department of Defense asked a court not to end its lawsuit over President Donald Trump's move to end collective bargaining with its workers, saying it cannot manage its workforce "without facing substantial legal uncertainty."
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May 06, 2025
Mistrial Declared On Punitive Damages In Bard Cancer Case
A Georgia state judge declared a mistrial as to punitive damages Tuesday in a suit alleging C.R. Bard's ethylene oxide emissions caused a man's cancer, leaving a $20 million compensatory damages verdict in place but inviting a round of briefing on the unusual situation.
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May 06, 2025
Marshall Fire Suit Must Stay In Colo., Plaintiffs' Attys Say
Local governments and individuals accusing Xcel Energy Inc. in a lawsuit of failing to mitigate risks leading up to the devastating 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado said the company must stand trial in the state, rebuffing the notion that the state's court had no jurisdiction.
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May 06, 2025
EPA Urges DC Circ. To Block Climate Change NGO Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked the D.C. Circuit to allow it to restart its effort to reclaim billions of dollars in congressionally approved funding for nonprofits the Biden administration picked to carry out climate change projects.
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May 06, 2025
Firms Beat Malpractice Suit Over Chicken Plant Pollution
Delaware's Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a trial court's dismissal of a malpractice suit against Brockstedt Mandalas Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg & Cardea PA for their alleged mishandling of claims associated with a child's "catastrophic injuries" purportedly caused by contamination from a chicken plant.
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May 06, 2025
Nuclear Plant Renewal Rules Are Sound, Backers Tell DC Circ.
New U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission license renewal rules adequately account for environmental risks from accidents, aging equipment and climate change, industry players told the D.C. Circuit, urging it to reject a challenge brought by anti-nuclear power groups.
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May 05, 2025
DC Circ. Judge Doubts Fla. Plan To Permit Clean Water
At least one D.C. Circuit judge came to the table Monday morning extremely skeptical about the government's argument to restore the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of Florida's plan to assume control of a Clean Water Act permitting program, and she wasn't pulling any punches.
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May 05, 2025
Judge Poised To Decide If Mich. Will Face Dam Collapse Trial
A state judge will decide next week whether thousands of flood victims can proceed to trial on their claims that the state of Michigan is to blame for a hydroelectric dam collapse that caused widespread flooding.
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May 05, 2025
5th Circ. Says Biden Climate Officials' Info Not Protected
The Fifth Circuit on Monday ordered the U.S. Department of State to give the names of Biden administration officials who helped set the nation's greenhouse gas emissions targets to a conservative Texas-based legal group that's seeking climate change policy information.
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May 05, 2025
California Sues Feds Over Koi Nation Land Trust Approval
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking a federal court to vacate a Department of the Interior decision to take 70 acres into trust for the construction of a proposed hotel and casino by the Koi Nation, arguing that without reversal, the state may forfeit any regulatory control over gaming on the site.
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May 05, 2025
Calif. Chamber Gets Acrylamide Cancer Warnings Deleted
A California federal judge has sided with the state's Chamber of Commerce in a suit challenging Proposition 65's requirement that companies warn buyers about dietary acrylamide in their products, finding that it violates the First Amendment's protections against compelled speech.
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May 05, 2025
Sunoco Expands Into Canada With $9.1B Parkland Acquisition
Sunoco LP on Monday said it has agreed to buy Canadian gas station and refinery operator Parkland Corp. in a cash and equity deal worth approximately $9.1 billion, including assumed debt, a deal that greatly expands Sunoco's North American fuel distribution business.
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May 05, 2025
Feds Say Splitting Clean Air Trial Would Harm Public
Splitting a potential trial over a Detroit-area steel input manufacturer's alleged Clean Air Act violations into two phases would only cause unnecessary delays, the U.S. government has told a Michigan federal judge.
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May 05, 2025
States Sue Trump Over Halt On Wind Energy Projects
A coalition of states led by New York on Monday challenged President Donald Trump's executive order indefinitely freezing the federal review and permitting of wind energy projects, saying the move has created "an existential threat to the wind industry."
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May 05, 2025
Enviro Groups Push Back On Bid To Toss CSX Rebuild Suit
Environmental groups American Whitewater and American Rivers are fighting bids by U.S. government agencies and CSX Transportation Inc. to throw out their claims that the agencies wrongly permitted CSX to rebuild chunks of its railroad destroyed by Hurricane Helene, saying the complaint is sufficient to allege the agencies acted arbitrarily and capriciously.
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May 05, 2025
Supreme Court Won't Review Mass. Wind Farm Permits
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review the federal government's approval of a large offshore wind energy project in the waters off the Massachusetts coast, rejecting allegations that the go-ahead ignored the risks the project poses to the commercial fishing industry.
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May 02, 2025
DOJ's Climate Change Suits Test Feds' Powers In State Affairs
The Trump administration's new lawsuits challenging state-level efforts to combat climate change are an unprecedented approach, several environmental attorneys say, and will test the judiciary's view of federal interests in state matters.
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May 02, 2025
9th Circ. Says USFS Must Reassess Wash. Forest Fire Plan
A Ninth Circuit panel partly sided with a conservation group Friday in a challenge of a federal forest restoration project, finding the U.S. Forest Service should've considered the potential impacts of a nearby project that took shape after a 2021 wildfire before approving the proposal.
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May 02, 2025
DC Circ. To Decide If 14 Miles Of Trains Is Too Many
The D.C. Circuit is set to decide whether federal regulators used bad data to approve a $31 billion merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern that will see 14 miles of trains running through a set of Chicagoland communities each day.
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May 02, 2025
Feds Expand Hunting, Fishing Access In 16 Wildlife Refuges
The federal government is proposing to expand hunting and fishing access on more than 87,000 acres within the 11 states in national wildlife and fish hatchery systems, saying on Friday the move would more than triple the number of opportunities for outdoor recreation.
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May 02, 2025
Plaintiffs Seek Redo Over Sterilization Co.'s Trial Tactics
Four women who claimed a Colorado sterilization company caused their cancers asked a state court to order a new trial, arguing the business won a favorable verdict with prejudicial evidence about law firm ads and by suggesting the women are not "real victims but pawns in a scheme orchestrated by their lawyers."
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May 02, 2025
NY Officials Say Feds' Memo In Filing Mishap Is Fair Game
New York officials told a federal judge on Friday that a mistakenly filed memo from the federal government detailing its weak rationale for trying to cancel Manhattan's congestion pricing program is fair game and cannot be shielded after media outlets widely reported on it.
Expert Analysis
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In-House Expert Testimony Is Tricky, But Worth Considering
Litigation counsel often reject the notion of designating in-house personnel to provide expert opinion testimony at trial, but dismissing them outright can result in a significant missed opportunity, say David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law and Martin Pitha at Lillis Pitha.
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Issues To Watch At ABA's Antitrust Spring Meeting
Attorneys at Freshfields consider the future of antitrust law and competition enforcement amid agency leadership changes and other emerging developments likely to dominate discussion at the American Bar Association's Antitrust Spring Meeting this week.
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Tracking Changes To AI Evidence Under Federal Rules
As the first quarter of 2025 draws to a close, important changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence regarding the use of artificial intelligence in the courtroom are on the horizon, including how to handle evidence that is a product of machine learning, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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State Extended Producer Responsibility Laws: Tips For Cos.
As states increasingly shift the onus of end-of-life product management from consumers and local governments to the businesses that produce, distribute or sell certain items, companies must track the changing landscape and evaluate the applicability of these new laws and regulations to their operations, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield
Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.
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5 Steps To Promote Durable, Pro-Industry Environmental Regs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's planned wave of deregulation will require lengthy reviews, and could be undone by legal challenges and future changes of administration — but industry involvement in rulemaking, litigation, trade associations, and state and federal legislation can help ensure favorable and long-lasting regulatory policies, say attorneys at Balch & Bingham.
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Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind
As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.
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Key Insurance Issues Likely To Arise From NY Superfund Law
The recently enacted New York Climate Change Superfund Act imposes a massive $75 billion in liabilities on energy companies in the fossil fuel industry, which can be expected to look to their insurers for coverage, raising a slew of coverage issues both old and new, say attorneys at Wiley.
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How Trump Policies Are Affecting The Right To Repair
Recent policy changes by the second Trump administration — ranging from deregulatory initiatives to tariff increases — are likely to have both positive and negative effects on the ability of independent repair shops and individual consumers to exercise their right to repair electronic devices, say attorneys at Carter Ledyard.
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How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence
As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.
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Series
Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer
With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.
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DOJ Immigration Playbook May Take Cues From A 2017 Case
A record criminal resolution with a tree trimming company accused of knowingly employing unauthorized workers in 2017 may provide clues as to how the U.S. Department of Justice’s immigration crackdown will touch American companies, which should prepare now for potential enforcement actions, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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NM Case Shows Power Of Environmental Public Nuisance Law
A recent ruling from a New Mexico appeals court finding that a pattern of environmental violations, even without any substantial impact on a nearby community, can trigger nuisance liability — including potential damages and injunctive relief — has important implications for regulated entities in the state, says Kaleb Brooks at Spencer Fane.
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Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw
Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.
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Opinion
After Fires, Calif. Must Streamline Enviro Reviews For Housing
Recent waivers to the California Environmental Quality Act and other laws granted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to expedite reconstruction of residential property damaged in the Los Angeles wildfires are laudable — but given the state's widespread housing shortage, policymakers should extend the same benefits to other communities, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.