Environmental

  • June 30, 2026

    Catholic Group's Land Use Case Headed Back To 6th Circ.

    A Michigan federal judge on Monday refused to reconsider her denial of partial summary judgment for Catholic Healthcare International in its land use suit over Genoa Township's denial of a permit for a religious campus but certified the denial for immediate interlocutory appeal to the Sixth Circuit in an effort to accelerate resolution of the long-running litigation.

  • June 30, 2026

    DOJ Says Mich. Climate Antitrust Claims Are Barred

    The U.S. Department of Justice has weighed in on Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's antitrust lawsuit against some of the world's largest oil companies, arguing much of the state's case is legally barred because Michigan is improperly attempting to regulate climate change through state antitrust law. 

  • June 30, 2026

    Ga. Justices Take Up $1.5M Blue Ridge Runoff Dispute

    Georgia's Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether an appeals court was right to dismiss a case involving a property owner claiming a water runoff issue from the city of Blue Ridge resulted in $1.5 million in property damage.

  • June 30, 2026

    SpaceX, Feds Say Texas Is Proper Venue For Land Swap Suit

    A D.C. federal court on Tuesday ordered expedited briefing over motions by SpaceX and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking to transfer to the Southern District of Texas a lawsuit from environmental groups challenging their land-exchange deal there.

  • June 30, 2026

    Tax Court Withheld Evidence In Easement Row, 10th Circ. Told

    The U.S. Tax Court's improper withholding of an appraiser report as evidence resulted in a flawed opinion last year that substantially slashed the value of a North Carolina conservation easement donation by 94%, the partnership donor told the Tenth Circuit.

  • June 30, 2026

    Gordon Rees Adds 8 Partners In Northern California

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP has expanded its offices in Northern California with eight new partners who have expertise in multiple practice areas, a firm spokesperson told Law360 Pulse on Tuesday.

  • June 30, 2026

    ICE Scraps Plan For NJ Immigrant Detention Center

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have decided to cancel plans to convert a New Jersey warehouse into a 1,500-bed immigrant detention center, according to a joint status report filed in federal court, saying the property will instead be sold.

  • June 30, 2026

    High Court Sends 3 Roundup Cases Back After Monsanto Win

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday sent back several cases over claims that Bayer unit Monsanto Co.'s Roundup weed killer causes cancer, after the court last week delivered its ruling that state-based claims about a failure to warn on the weedkiller's labeling are barred by federal law.

  • June 29, 2026

    Volatility May Follow As Justices Make Agency Firings Easier​​​​​​​

    The policies and enforcement priorities of federal agencies may fluctuate more rapidly based on who is president, as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's Monday decision finding that presidents have unlimited authority to fire members of independent agencies, experts told Law360.

  • June 29, 2026

    Ore. Top Court Takes PacifiCorp Case As Judge Won't Recuse

    The Oregon Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal of a decision overturning PacifiCorp's classwide liability for wildfire damages affecting about 2,000 property owners, days after an appeals judge who did work for the utility in private practice declined to recuse herself.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

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    Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • Montana Ruling Reaffirms Record-Based Enviro Analyses

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    A Montana federal court's recent decision in Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Forest Service, vacating permits for logging near Yellowstone National Park, is a reminder that, despite attempts to pare back National Environmental Policy Act reviews, agencies must still properly complete such reviews before projects are approved, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How Rule 16.1 Streamlines And Validates Mass Tort Litigation

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    The new Rule 16.1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure not only serves a practical purpose by endorsing early, structured case management and dispositive motion practice in multidistrict litigation, but also explicitly affirms the importance of MDL practice in the justice system, says Rocco Strangio at Milestone.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

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    A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.

  • Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2026

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    As 2026 begins, the legal and regulatory outlook for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is defined less by sweeping federal initiatives and more by incremental adjustments, judicial guardrails and state-driven regulations — an environment in which proactive risk management and close monitoring of policy developments will be essential, say attorneys at MG+M.

  • Justices' Separation-Of-Powers Revamp May Hit States Next

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy quietly laid the groundwork for an expansion of the court's separation-of-powers agenda beyond the federal level, but regulated parties and state and local governments alike can act now to anticipate Jarkesy's eventual wider application, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • 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.

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