Judge Narrows Evidence Ahead Of Boeing 737 Max Trial

By Ben Adlin

A Washington federal judge on Thursday ruled on which evidence will be allowed in a Nov. 3 trial in LOT Polish Airlines' lawsuit against Boeing, in which LOT accuses the aerospace giant of tricking it into leasing defective 737 Max jets that were later grounded after two fatal crashes.

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Ill. Judge Blocks Trump's Deployment Of National Guard To Chicago

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge Thursday partially granted a temporary restraining order over the objection of the Trump administration blocking the deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois, saying the presence of those officers would "only add fuel to the fire defendants themselves have started."

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Feds Urge 9th Circ. To Allow Portland Troop Deployment

By Rachel Riley

A Ninth Circuit panel appeared split Thursday on the Trump administration's bid to preserve its ability to send Oregon National Guard members to Portland, with one judge suggesting the president's decision is entitled to deference and another panelist skeptical that the federal government would suffer harm if the deployment plan is tabled.

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Whistleblower Asks High Court To Revive NASA Fraud Case

By Madeline Lyskawa

A whistleblower is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to revive a False Claims Act suit accusing a NASA contractor of overbilling, arguing that the Sixth Circuit wrongly let the government dismiss the case without considering the whistleblower's time and money commitment.

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House Republican Wants Pentagon Spectrum 'Veto' Scrapped

By Christopher Cole

A key House Republican on telecom issues said Thursday he would oppose a provision tacked onto this year's defense policy bill in the U.S. Senate that could give the U.S. Department of Defense a "veto" over sharing certain spectrum bands with commercial users. 

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China Widens Export Controls On Rare Earth Minerals, Tools

By Kevin Pinner

China will begin requiring licenses next month for the export of dozens of products containing rare earth minerals, tools used to process them and artificial diamonds, the country's Ministry of Commerce said Thursday, including items used to make lasers, semiconductors and fiber optics.

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Ex-Army Officer Gets 6 Years For Leaking Info On Dating Site

By Gina Kim

A former U.S. Army officer has been sentenced in Nebraska federal court to nearly six years in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge for spilling classified national defense information regarding military targets in Russia's war against Ukraine to someone on a foreign dating site.

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Menendez Witness Avoids Prison After 'Honest' Testimony

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge allowed a former insurance broker from New Jersey to avoid prison Thursday, after prosecutors said his "extensive" cooperation helped secure the conviction of former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez on corruption charges.

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NASA Union Files Suit Challenging End Of Bargaining Rights

By Emily Brill

An engineers' union representing NASA employees has challenged President Donald Trump's executive order limiting workers' bargaining rights at certain federal agencies, arguing in D.C. federal court that he violated the union's rights under the First and Fifth Amendments by ending its longstanding presence at the agency.

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5th Circ. Says Army Corps Didn't Harm Dolphins In Miss.

By Spencer Brewer

A Fifth Circuit panel found the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' operation of a spillway likely did not cause harm to bottlenose dolphins in the Mississippi Sound, saying Thursday that local governments failed to demonstrate how continued use would harm the marine mammals.

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Air Force Accused Of Mishandling Drone Deal

By Tom Lotshaw

A Virginia company asked the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Wednesday to block an Air Force deal to boost drone-fighting capability, saying that the military branch claimed to have never received its timely and lower-cost proposal despite email records to the contrary.

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Musk's X Posts Trigger Disclosure In NYT Suit, Judge Rules

By Lauren Berg

The government must produce a list of any security clearances granted to Elon Musk in response to The New York Times' Freedom of Information Act request, a Manhattan federal judge ruled, saying the billionaire waived his privacy interest by posting about his top secret clearance, drug use and foreign contacts.

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Brief

Fed. Circ. Affirms Contractor Is Due Money For COVID Delays

By Madeline Lyskawa

The Federal Circuit on Thursday backed an Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals decision finding the government must compensate a contractor for fees incurred during the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, just days after hearing oral argument. 

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Preparing For What DOD Cybersecurity Audits May Uncover

Defense contractors seeking certification under the U.S. Department of Defense's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program that begins implementation on Nov. 10 may discover previously unknown violations, but there are steps they can take to address any issues before they come to the attention of enforcement authorities, say attorneys at Troutman.

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Series

Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

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Up Next At High Court: Voting Rights & Warrantless Entries

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court will return Tuesday to hear oral arguments in four cases, including a dispute over the constitutionality of the last remaining provision of the Voting Right Act and whether federal prisoners seeking postconviction relief are subject to the same rules as state inmates.

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Atty's Due Process Claims Challenging Disbarments Trimmed

By Emily Sawicki

A former attorney has had most of a due process suit fighting his disbarment in Florida and reciprocal discipline in Massachusetts and New York thrown out, with a Manhattan federal judge finding that New York lacks personal jurisdiction over out-of-state disciplinary officials.

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CFTC Crypto Task Force Head Returns To Akin

By Aislinn Keely

The former head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Digital Asset Task Force has left the agency to return to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as senior counsel in its white collar defense and government investigations practice.

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9th Circ. Flouting 'Imperial Judiciary' Warning, Judges Assert

By Jeff Overley

A large contingent of Ninth Circuit judges accused colleagues Friday of ignoring recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions limiting legal remedies in politically charged disputes, adding fresh fuel to a heated debate over the judiciary's handling of suits against the Trump administration.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

This past week in London has seen Paddington Bear's creators and Studio Canal sue the company behind Spitting Image, Blackpool Football Club's former owner Owen Oyston bring a fresh claim against the club, and Mishcon de Reya sue a Saudi investment group.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the full Ninth Circuit held that denials of California anti-SLAPP motions can no longer be appealed in the midst of litigation.

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NJ Senate President Calls For Monitor Of State AG Unit

By Madison Arnold

New Jersey Senate President Nicholas Scutari on Friday called for the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee the state's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, saying it has been troubled with failed prosecutions, botched investigations and misconduct.

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Ga. Judge Charged With DUI At Florida Strip Club

By Chart Riggall

The Georgia judge who heads up the state's council of superior court jurists was arrested for driving under the influence outside a Jacksonville, Florida, strip club this week after hitting another vehicle with his Mercedes, according to arrest records.

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Brief

Bill Would Let Judges, Prosecutors Carry Concealed Guns

By Courtney Bublé

Two Republicans have introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate that would allow current and retired federal judges and state, local and federal prosecutors to carry concealed firearms in response to increasing concerns about judicial security.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

It is of little solace to general counsel that most big law firms hiked their billing rates this year just slightly less than last year's increase. And it looks like Elon Musk is settling with the former chief legal officer and the general counsel of Twitter, along with two other executives, over their suit to obtain millions in promised severance pay. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Retribution, Intent Claims May Defuse Bombshell James Case

By Phillip Bantz

The Trump administration's indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James is tightly crafted and offers a straightforward presentation of the government's case, but experts say James appears to have a strong argument that she did not intend to break the law and is being unfairly targeted for what amounts to a minor offense.

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