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Environmental
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August 19, 2025
9th Circuit Pauses Oak Flat Land Transfer Pending Appeals
A Ninth Circuit panel has hit pause on the federal government's scheduled transfer of a centuries-old Indigenous worship site within Arizona's Tonto National Forest to a copper mining company while challenges to a multibillion-dollar proposed project play out in the appellate court.
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August 19, 2025
Black Hills, NorthWestern Merge In $15.4B All-Stock Deal
Utility company Black Hills Corp., advised by Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, on Tuesday announced plans to merge with Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP-advised energy and infrastructure company NorthWestern Energy Group Inc. in an all-stock deal with a combined enterprise value of $15.4 billion.
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August 18, 2025
4th Circ. Revives Ethylene Oxide Suit Against Union Carbide
A split Fourth Circuit on Monday revived a West Virginia woman's lawsuit alleging that a Union Carbide Corp.- and Covestro LLC-owned plant exposed nearby residents to ethylene oxide, finding that a lower court erred in siding with the companies.
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August 18, 2025
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Executives and board members of Cencora Corp. tentatively settled a stockholder derivative suit for $111.25 million, VectoIQ board members reached a $6.3 million deal on stockholder claims over electric carmaker Nikola's prospects, and class attorneys who secured a $50 million derivative suit settlement saw their proposed 25% attorney fee cut by almost half. Here's the latest from the Delaware Chancery Court.
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August 18, 2025
Judge Won't Pause Pipeline Suit For Top Court Review
A Michigan judge on Monday said the state attorney general's legal fight over an Enbridge Energy LP pipeline in the Great Lakes can continue, even while the U.S. Supreme Court mulls whether the case belongs in state or federal court.
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August 18, 2025
Tribe, Groups Appeal Oak Flat Land Exchange To 9th Circ.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmental groups have filed a Ninth Circuit appeal looking to overturn an Arizona federal court judge's decision that denied their bid to block the transfer of 2,500 acres to a copper mining company that they say will crater an ancient Indigenous worship site.
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August 18, 2025
GrafTech Investors' Plant Contamination Suit Gets Tossed
An Ohio federal judge threw out a shareholder lawsuit against GrafTech International Ltd. on Monday, ruling that allegations the company hid environmental contamination problems at a Mexican plant amounted to "fraud by hindsight."
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August 18, 2025
$28M ND Pipeline Protest Case Paused Amid Settlement Talks
A federal district court and the Eighth Circuit have paused a $28 million dispute between North Dakota and the United States over failure to control Dakota Access Pipeline protesters after the parties said they were negotiating to settle the case.
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August 18, 2025
Judge Rejects Energy Co.'s Bid To Toss $200M Hemp Suit
AES Clean Energy Development LLC's argument that it was not the party responsible for breaking irrigation lines leading to an alleged $200 million in damages to two hemp growers is a problem to still resolve in a lawsuit against the company, a Colorado federal judge found in denying a motion to dismiss on Monday.
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August 18, 2025
Vt. Says It Has The Authority To Enact Climate Superfund Law
Vermont has urged a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits challenging its recently enacted climate change Superfund law, saying it's a valid exercise of the state's authority to raise revenue and protect its citizens against environmental harms.
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August 18, 2025
AmeriCorps Restores $400M In Slashed Grants, Judge Told
AmeriCorps told a Maryland federal judge Monday that the agency restored around $400 million in funding to nonprofits canceled under the Trump administration in April, saying the government doesn't plan to ax grants before they end.
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August 18, 2025
Texas Specialty Recycling Facility Files For Ch. 11
A Texas company that recycles chemicals used in petroleum refining has filed for Chapter 11 in Texas, blaming equipment failures and unstable prices for the metals it recovers and seeking a sale by October to deal more than $403 million in debt.
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August 15, 2025
18 AGs, Governors Sue To Block DOE Funding Cap
A coalition of 19 states and Washington, D.C., on Friday hauled the U.S. Department of Energy into Oregon federal court, challenging a policy they say places a new cap on reimbursements for administrative and staffing costs, and thus slashes funds needed for state-run energy programs.
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August 15, 2025
DOJ Ramps Up Assault On Calif. Truck Emissions Standards
The Trump administration increased its assault on California's stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, saying Friday that it has intervened in lawsuits to strike down the Golden State's attempts to still enforce its standards in defiance of federal law.
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August 15, 2025
Interior Dept.'s Clean Energy Rules Could Snag Grid Hookups
Recent U.S. Department of the Interior moves to place additional regulatory and permitting burdens on renewable energy facilities may also cover projects those facilities need to get on the grid, the agency has told Law360.
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August 15, 2025
Texas AG Opens Investigation Into Xcel Over Panhandle Fires
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he's investigating whether Xcel Energy and a contractor broke any laws in connection with devastating fires in the Texas Panhandle last year, questioning whether they put environmental or diversity goals ahead of safety.
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August 15, 2025
5th Circ. Backs San Antonio's Park Plan Over Tribal Protests
The Fifth Circuit has upheld a lower court order saying a San Antonio park has legitimate public safety issues that allow the city to implement a tree removal plan and rookery management measures while also giving tribal members access to a disputed area for religious ceremonies.
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August 15, 2025
IRS Strips 5% Safe Harbor In Solar, Wind Tax Credit Guidance
Large-scale clean energy projects seeking to claim solar and wind tax credits before they expire under a new accelerated sunset schedule can no longer rely on a safe harbor to incur 5% of the building costs to establish eligible construction start dates under Internal Revenue Service guidance released Friday.
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August 15, 2025
Monsanto Asks Pa. Justices To Toss $175M Roundup Verdict
Bayer AG unit Monsanto has asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to undo a $175 million verdict awarded to a man in a Roundup weedkiller cancer lawsuit, arguing federal law preempts state failure-to-warn claims in products liability cases.
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August 15, 2025
US Eyeing Tariffs, Port Levies Over Shipping Emissions Plan
The U.S. government is considering tariffs, visa restrictions or port levies — and potentially a combination of those measures — in response to an intergovernmental plan to push the global shipping industry toward achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, a U.S. Department of State spokesperson told Law360.
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August 15, 2025
'Creative' $2.5B DuPont Deal In NJ Is PFAS Road Map For AGs
After six years of litigation between New Jersey and E.I. du Pont de Nemours, including a series of bench trials, the chemical manufacturer agreed to a deal that committed more than $2 billion to cleaning up the Garden State from "forever chemical" contamination at four of its facilities, in the largest environmental settlement ever achieved by a single state.
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August 15, 2025
Canada Says US Treaty Bars Mich. Closure Of Pipeline
The Canadian government told a federal judge that Michigan's push to close an Enbridge pipeline segment crossing the Great Lakes is not allowed under an international treaty between the U.S. and Canada, and threatens grave harm to a vital energy partnership.
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August 14, 2025
DC Judge Halts Some USDA Climate Grant Terminations
A D.C. federal judge on Thursday halted the U.S. Department of Agriculture's termination of certain climate-focused grants awarded to five nonprofits, saying the terminations were likely arbitrary and capricious but stopping short of blocking the administration's broader grant termination policy.
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August 14, 2025
Red States Back Feds' Push To End Trump Energy Orders Suit
Republican-led states on Thursday threw their support behind the federal government's bid to dismiss a lawsuit by youths alleging that President Donald Trump's energy policy directives harm their future by exacerbating climate change, saying there are no grounds to sustain the suit.
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August 14, 2025
5th Circ. Tosses Challenge To Texas Gas Terminal Permit
The Fifth Circuit has dismissed an environmental group's petition challenging a permit issued by Texas regulators for a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal, finding that a previous permit for another project, which stipulated a lower emissions rate, has no bearing on the permit at issue here.
Expert Analysis
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3 Juror Psychology Principles For Expert Witness Testimony
Expert witnesses can sometimes fall into traps when trying to teach juries complex topics by failing to consider the psychology of juror comprehension, but attorneys can help witnesses avoid these pitfalls with a deeper understanding of cognitive lag, chunking and learning styles, says Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.
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In NRC Ruling, Justices Affirm Hearing Process Still Matters
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas safeguards the fairness, clarity and predictability of the regulatory system by affirming that to challenge an agency's decision in court, litigants must first meaningfully participate in the hearing process that Congress and the agency have established, says Jonathan Rund at the Nuclear Energy Institute.
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Series
Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer
To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.
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How Energy Cos. Can Prepare For Potential Tax Credit Cuts
The Senate Finance Committee's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill act would create a steep phaseout of renewable energy tax credits, which should prompt companies to take several actions, including conduct a project review to discern which could begin construction before the end of the year, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths
Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing
Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard
District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Future Of Enviro Crimes Under Trump's Federal Regs Order
President Donald Trump's recent executive order about fighting overcriminalization in federal regulations creates new advocacy opportunities for defense counsel to argue that particular environmental crime investigations and matters ought to be limited or declined based on the policy priorities reflected in the order, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech
New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.
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State Farm Rate Hike Portends Intensifying Insurance Crisis
The California Department of Insurance's unprecedented emergency approval of a 17% rate increase for State Farm General Insurance, the first interim rate relief granted before completing full actuarial justification, represents a regulatory watershed and establishes precedent that could fundamentally reshape insurers' response to climate-driven market instability, says Daniel Veroff at Merlin Law Group.
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Texas Targets Del. Primacy With Trio Of New Corporate Laws
Delaware has long positioned itself as the leader in attracting business formation, but a flurry of new legislation in Texas aimed at attracting businesses to the Lone Star State is aggressively trying to change that, says Andrew Oringer at the Wagner Law Group.
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How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication
As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.
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When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility
As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.
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3 Corporate Deposition Prep Tips To Counter 'Reptile' Tactics
With plaintiffs counsel’s rising use of reptile strategies that seek to activate jurors' survival instincts, corporate deponents face an increased risk of being lulled into providing testimony that undercuts a key defense or sets up the plaintiff's case strategy at trial, making it important to consider factors like cross-examination and timing, say attorneys at Dentons.