The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed four rules that would significantly weaken Endangered Species Act protections for plants and animals, drawing immediate condemnation from environmental and conservation groups.
Law360
Environmental
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Trump Admin Proposes Weakening ESA Protections

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed four rules that would significantly weaken Endangered Species Act protections for plants and animals, drawing immediate condemnation from environmental and conservation groups.

4 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PacifiCorp To Pay $150M To 1,400 Survivors Of 2020 Wildfires

By Lauren Berg

PacifiCorp announced Wednesday that it has reached a $150 million settlement with more than 1,400 plaintiffs who blame the Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility's equipment for sparking deadly Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Air Force Asks Justices To Nix Guam Munitions Disposal Suit

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The U.S. Air Force is urging the Supreme Court to sink a Guam community group's challenge to the branch's request for a renewed permit to explode expired munitions on the island.

Petition attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Eco Orgs. Ask 2nd Circ. To Undo NY, NJ Pipeline Project Nods

By Keith Goldberg

Environmental groups have sued New York and New Jersey environmental regulators over their issuance of Clean Water Act permits for a controversial Williams Cos. pipeline upgrade after previously denying the permits over pollution concerns.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

POLICY & REGULATION

Trump's New Pick For CFPB Director Is OMB Energy Official

By Jon Hill

President Donald Trump has tapped an energy official at the Office of Management and Budget to become permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a key regulator whose future remains in doubt after months of turmoil and dwindling finances.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

OIL & GAS

Green Groups Sue To Block Gulf Oil And Gas Lease Sale

By Keith Goldberg

Environmental groups have asked a federal court to block the first in a series of offshore oil and gas lease sales mandated by July's budget reconciliation bill, claiming the government shirked a required environmental review of the lease sale.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LAND USE

Tribes Challenge Oklahoma Over Hunting, Fishing Rights

By Crystal Owens

A trio of Oklahoma Indigenous nations are asking a federal district court to declare that they have the right to hunt and fish on their reservation lands, arguing that the state is violating their treaty rights and inherent sovereign authority by prosecuting their members.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PRODUCT LIABILITY

Nestle Asks 9th Circ. To Nix False Ad Class In Child Labor Suit

By Bonnie Eslinger

Nestle urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse certification of a class of millions of consumers who purchased chocolate labeled "sustainably sourced," saying claims the chocolate is produced through child labor and deforestation are untrue and the question of whether consumers purchased due to the labeling is highly individualized.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PEOPLE

Pierce Atwood Energy Pro Joins Barnes & Thornburg In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Marking his third career move in the last five years, a Pierce Atwood LLP partner has made the jump to Barnes & Thornburg LLP's office in Washington, D.C., to continue his work on transactional and regulatory matters related to new energy technologies.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

Bonus Spotlight

Law Firms Begin Upping The Ante For Associate Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Wilkinson Stekloff LLP is exceeding the year-end associate bonus scale set by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, announcing bonuses late Wednesday that are 150% of market.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Trump's Epstein Directive Puts SDNY Prosecutor In A 'Pickle'

By Phillip Bantz

Manhattan chief federal prosecutor Jay Clayton appears to have been backed into a "horrible" corner with a "no-win" outcome as a result of a directive from President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats, experts say.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Comey Says DOJ's Conduct 'Shocks The Conscience'

By Hailey Konnath

James Comey on Thursday reiterated his request that the U.S. Department of Justice be forced to disclose all grand jury materials related to his indictment, noting the government has conceded that the grand jury never saw the operative indictment and saying the purported misconduct "shocks the conscience."

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Panel Expands Scope Of Ex-Reed Smith Atty's Bias Claims

By Rose Krebs

A New Jersey appellate panel on Thursday ruled that a former Reed Smith LLP attorney is entitled to pursue more damages and obtain expanded wage data in her gender discrimination suit against the firm, saying a trial court incorrectly applied certain statutes when it limited the damages and data she could seek.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

X Corp. Ends $90M Fee Suit Against Wachtell

By James Mills

X Corp. has ended its California state lawsuit against Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz over $90 million in legal fees tied to the fight over Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, according to a court filing.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Meta Loss Shows Time Not On Enforcers' Side In Tech Cases

By Bryan Koenig

Meta's triumph over a Federal Trade Commission antitrust case Tuesday hinged on a D.C. federal judge's finding that the company lacks a monopoly in the present day, highlighting some of the challenges of using slow-moving litigation to challenge fast-moving markets.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Panel OKs Miss. Judge, US Atty Nominees After Delay

By Courtney Bublé

After weeks of holdup, nominees for Mississippi federal courts and U.S. attorneys were voted out of committee on Thursday, following an impasse between Republican senators.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Senate Passes Bill To Protect State Judges From Threats

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to beef up security for state and local judges.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Antitrust Chief Says Agriculture A 'Top Priority'

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice's top antitrust official said enforcers have already opened several investigations in the agriculture sector, including into meatpackers at the direction of President Donald Trump, and called the industry a "top priority" for the agency.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Promo that reads 2025 MVPs Promo that reads Law360 Pulse Compensation Report

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Barnes & Thornburg

Cadwalader Wickersham

Carmagnola & Ritardi

Carmichael Ellis

Clark Hill

Cooley LLP

Cravath Swaine

DLA Piper

Dechert LLP

Edelson PC

Fried Frank

Gibson Dunn

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Hart

Holland & Knight

Keller Rohrback

Kelley Drye

McCarter & English

McDermott Will & Schulte

Milbank LLP

Morrison & Foerster

Paul Hastings

Paul Weiss

Pierce Atwood

Reed Smith

Reese LLP

Reid Collins

Ropes & Gray

Sawyer & Labar

Schonbrun Seplow

Sonosky Chambers

Spreter & Petiprin

Stoll Berne

Stradley Ronon

Swigart Law Group

UB Greensfelder

Wachtell Lipton

Warren Allen LLP

Wilkinson Stekloff

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Above the Law

Agri Stats Inc.

Amazon.com Inc.

American Economic Liberties Project

Apple Inc.

Baker Hughes Co.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy GT&S

Cargill Inc.

Center for Biological Diversity Inc.

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Computer & Communications Industry Association

Consumer Bankers Association

Corteva Inc.

Deere & Co.

Drummond

Earthjustice

Food & Water Watch

Google LLC

Instagram Inc.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Koch Foods

LinkedIn Corp.

Meta Platforms Inc.

Natural Resources Defense Council

Nestle SA

New York University

PacifiCorp

Pilgrim's Pride Corp.

RealPage Inc.

Sierra Club

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits LLC

Syngenta AG

The Williams Cos. Inc.

TikTok Inc.

Twitter Inc.

Tyson Foods Inc.

X Corp.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Chickasaw Nation

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Executive Office of the President

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Reserve System

Federal Trade Commission

Fish and Wildlife Service

Louisiana Supreme Court

Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

Mississippi Supreme Court

National Economic Council

National Marine Fisheries Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

New Jersey Legislature

New Jersey Supreme Court

New York Attorney General's Office

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Northern Arapaho Tribe

Oklahoma Attorney General's Office

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Oklahoma Supreme Court

Oklahoma Tax Commission

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Attorney's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

U.S. District Court of the District of New Hampshire

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

US Office of Management and Budget

United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma

Ute Indian Tribe