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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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