Apache Women Urge Justice Kagan To Halt Ariz. Land Swap

By Crystal Owens

A group of Apache women are asking Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan to block the federal government's transfer of a sacred Apache worship site within Arizona's Tonto National Forest to a copper mining company, arguing that this could be the last chance to prevent a generational tragedy.

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Enviros, Ariz. Tribes Continue Push To Halt SunZia Power Line

By Crystal Owens

A coalition of tribes and conservation groups has asked an Arizona district court to vacate an Interior Department decision that allowed construction of a 520-mile power line route to proceed, arguing the federal agency treated cultural property "as an afterthought" and ignored the effects on the San Pedro Valley.

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US Won't Alter Stance After Interior Restores Riverbed Opinion

By Corey Rothauser

Federal attorneys told the D.C. federal court that the U.S. Department of the Interior has reinstated a prior legal opinion concluding that North Dakota, not the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, owns mineral rights beneath a portion of the Missouri River flowing through the Fort Berthold Reservation.

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1st Circ. Affirms Block Of Trump's 'Unprecedented' Aid Freeze

By Hailey Konnath

The First Circuit on Monday mostly upheld a lower court's order blocking the Trump administration from enacting a "sweeping and unprecedented categorical 'freeze' of federal financial assistance," ruling that the states involved in the suit will likely successfully show that the federal government acted arbitrarily and capriciously.

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Trump Admin Wants Student Loan Forgiveness Suits Tossed

By Julie Manganis

The Trump administration on Monday asked a Massachusetts federal judge to toss a pair of lawsuits challenging a change to eligibility requirements for student loan forgiveness, calling the potential repercussions from the new rule "speculative."

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Environmental Groups Fight EPA's $3B Grant Cut In Court

By Jared Foretek

Environmental advocacy groups and localities seeking to revive their suit accusing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of illegally stripping $3 billion from a congressionally created program told the D.C. Circuit on Monday that the government's own documentation indicated that the funding should have remained in place when Congress axed "unobligated" funding.

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FERC OKs Grid Operator Bid To Streamline Planning Process

By Keith Goldberg

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved regional grid operator Southwest Power Pool's plan to combine its planning and power plant hookup processes, a move that a pair of FERC commissioners hope will be replicated across the U.S.

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The Benefits Of Choosing A Niche Practice In The AI Age

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible, lawyers with a niche practice may stand out as clients seek specialized judgment that automation cannot replicate, but it is important to choose a niche that is durable, engaging and a good personal fit, says Daniel Borneman at Lowenstein Sandler.

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Chief Justice Says Personal Attacks On Judges 'Got To Stop'

By Katie Buehler

Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday condemned the personal attacks on federal judges that have become increasingly common during President Donald Trump's second term in office — and that are often launched by the president himself — and defended the daily work of the judiciary. 

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NJ Judge Boots Prosecutor, Orders US Atty Trio's Testimony

By Jack Karp

A New Jersey federal judge on Monday questioned whether Alina Habba is still running the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Office during a heated hearing where the jurist tossed a supervisory prosecutor from his courtroom and ordered testimony from the trio of attorneys who assumed Habba's responsibilities.

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Reed Smith Launches In Boston With 12 Attys From 7 Firms

By Tracey Read

Reed Smith LLP has launched its first office in Boston with 12 lawyers from White & Case, Goodwin Procter, McDermott Will & Schulte, Morrison Foerster, Kirkland & Ellis, Weil Gotshal & Manges and K&L Gates, the firm announced Tuesday.

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'No Disrespect' But Law Prof Mom Not SBF's Atty, Judge Says

By Lauren Berg

A federal judge in Manhattan cautioned retired Stanford Law School professor Barbara Fried, the mother of convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, that she cannot make filings on behalf of her son in his bid for a new trial, saying she has not filed an appearance with the court.

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Indiana Firm Drops Quintairos Prieto 'Mass Exodus' Suit

By Adrian Cruz

Less than a month after suing Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer PA for allegedly causing a "mass exodus" of attorneys, Indiana-based Kopka Pinkus Dolin PC has chosen to dismiss the matter, according to a recent court filing.

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Comer Subpoenas AG Bondi Over Epstein Investigation

By Courtney Bublé

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, issued a subpoena on Tuesday for Attorney General Pam Bondi over the committee's investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Senate OKs Conservative Think Tank GC As Louisiana Judge

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 51-45 on Tuesday to confirm Anna St. John, president and general counsel of the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, as a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

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IP Atty Appeals Order Requiring OK To File EDTX Patent Suits

By Lauren Berg

Intellectual property attorney William Ramey is asking the Federal Circuit to overturn a Texas district judge's sanctions order requiring him to seek the court's permission before filing patent suits in the future, saying the judge relied on the wrong evidence in finding the attorney failed to conduct presuit investigations.

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Lawmakers Want More Oversight For Antitrust Settlements

By Matthew Perlman

Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation Tuesday that would give courts more power to review settlements reached in government antitrust cases, after the U.S. Department of Justice recently cut a pair of controversial deals, including with Live Nation last week.

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NJ Justices Create Attorney Readmission Board

By Jake Maher

New Jersey's highest court announced Tuesday it formally established a new body charged with overseeing readmissions of disbarred lawyers through changes to the state's standards for attorney conduct.

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Pot Co. Escapes Potency Suit, Judge Warns Plaintiff Firm

By Jonathan Capriel

MariMed and other cannabis companies beat claims they intentionally mislabeled their products to sidestep Illinois THC potency limits, with a federal judge highlighting the string of consumer-led suit losses and warning counsel to "heed the strong and universal concerns about the plausibility of their legal theories."

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Analysis

Prediction Markets Have Opened Compliance 'Pandora's Box'

By Phillip Bantz

The burgeoning prediction market has exploded the definition of what qualifies as confidential corporate information that employees could misuse for personal gain, leaving companies scrambling to update internal policies and guidelines, compliance experts say.

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