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Environmental

  • June 17, 2025

    Feds Waive Laws Again To Expedite Border Wall Construction

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed on Tuesday that she is once again waiving a number of environmental and historical preservation laws to facilitate border wall construction, this time in Texas.

  • June 17, 2025

    BLM Says Enviro Groups' Lease Suit Lacks Real Controversy

    The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is urging a Colorado federal judge to throw out a suit environmental groups filed over nearly two dozen suspended oil and gas leases, arguing that the groups are trying to create a controversy where none exists.

  • June 17, 2025

    SC Pizzeria Says Insurer Owes For Building Fire

    An insurer for a South Carolina pizzeria wrongfully refused to pay its full $926,000 policy limit after a fire destroyed the building where the restaurant was located, the business said in a suit removed to federal court.

  • June 16, 2025

    Monsanto Fights Plaintiffs' Billion-Dollar Ask In PCB Tort Trial

    Nearly two dozen people who say they were poisoned by Monsanto-made chemicals asked a Washington state jury on Monday for a damages award of $1.1 billion to $3.3 billion, as the company's counsel countered the plaintiffs lack blood testing results and other key evidence to back their "extraordinary" request.

  • June 16, 2025

    NY Seeks To Move Feds' Climate Superfund Suit Upstate

    The Trump administration's lawsuit challenging New York's climate change Superfund law should be transferred from the Southern District of New York to the Northern District, where it can join a similar lawsuit lodged by several Republican-led states, New York told a federal judge.

  • June 16, 2025

    Monsanto Ends Roundup Cancer Case With Midtrial Settlement

    Monsanto confirmed Monday that it has settled a Texas man's Roundup cancer lawsuit shortly before closing arguments in the trial were set to begin.

  • June 16, 2025

    NY Looks To End Long Island Tribal Fishing Rights Row

    New York officials have asked a federal judge to toss a long-standing dispute with the Shinnecock Indian Nation over fishing off of Long Island, arguing that tribal members have filed invalid claims to their purported rights to fish in waters at the town of Southampton.

  • June 16, 2025

    Texas Justices Say Park Repairs Trump Native Religion Claims

    A law forbidding Texas from enacting rules to curtail certain religious services does not extend to its preservation and management of publicly owned lands, the state Supreme Court said, weighing in on a Fifth Circuit dispute between Native American church members and the city of San Antonio over access to a local park.

  • June 16, 2025

    Ky. Judge Trims Firefighters' Claims In CSX Derailment Suit

    A Kentucky federal judge said Monday that state law bars most claims in a personal injury lawsuit from seven firefighters alleging rail giant CSX Transportation Inc. is strictly liable for a 2023 derailment that exposed first responders to toxic fumes.

  • June 16, 2025

    Shell Loses Bid To Halt Suit Over Oil Terminal's Pollution Plan

    Two Shell Oil Co. subsidiaries cannot halt discovery in an environmental group's challenge to pollution control efforts at a New Haven petroleum terminal based on their interpretations of a state agency's draft permit, a Connecticut federal judge has ruled.

  • June 16, 2025

    6th Circ. Denies Mich. Gov.'s Rehearing Bid In Pipeline Suit

    A three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit on Monday rejected a request for a rehearing from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who had asked the appellate court to reconsider its earlier decision that she didn't have sovereign immunity from Enbridge Energy's lawsuit seeking to halt her efforts to shut down the Line 5 pipeline.

  • June 16, 2025

    NRC Commissioner Says Trump Illegally Fired Him

    Former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman and current commissioner Christopher Hanson said Monday that President Donald Trump illegally fired him on Friday, becoming the latest member of an independent agency removed by the president.

  • June 16, 2025

    High Court Will Hear Chevron, Exxon Pollution Liability Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to determine whether federal or state courts are the proper venue for Louisiana's bid to hold Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other major oil companies liable for damages to the state's coastal lands that were allegedly caused by World War II-era oil production activities.

  • June 16, 2025

    GAO Says DOE Hasn't Held Funds Under Trump Wind Pause

    The U.S. Department of Energy has not unlawfully withheld any federal funds in response to a presidential memorandum directing it and the U.S. Department of the Interior to put all wind energy permitting and leasing activities on hold, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said Monday.

  • June 16, 2025

    Wealth Taxes, End Of Profit Shifting Worth $2.6T, Group Says

    World governments could raise about $2.6 trillion annually, more than enough revenue to finance most climate-related needs, if they collectively adopted low-rate wealth taxes beginning with the richest 0.5% and stopped multinational corporations from shifting profits, the Tax Justice Network said Monday.

  • June 16, 2025

    High Court Turns Down Influencer's Jury Right Appeal

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear the case of a social media influencer who argued his case deserved to be heard by a jury after he was convicted of a misdemeanor in a bench trial.

  • June 13, 2025

    Ga. Landowners Sue Carpet, Chemical Makers Over PFAS

    Shaw Industries, Mohawk Industries, 3M Co. and several other major carpet manufacturers and chemical makers face a trio of new lawsuits accusing them of contaminating soil, dust and water across north Georgia with so-called forever chemicals.

  • June 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Allows ConocoPhillips Project To Proceed, For Now

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday held that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management must reconsider a small part of its approval for the controversial ConocoPhillips Willow oil and gas project, though it stopped short of vacating existing approvals for the Arctic energy development and allowed the project to proceed.

  • June 13, 2025

    State Dept. Layoffs Still Violate Injunction, Judge Says

    A California federal judge said Friday that planned staff reductions at the State Department would violate her injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, saying she's not persuaded by the government's assertion that the department's reorganization was underway before the order.

  • June 13, 2025

    Feds Say Enviro Group Doesn't Belong In Texas Mussel Suit

    The U.S. Department of the Interior told a Texas federal judge Friday an environmental group has no right to join a Texas suit challenging the classification of several Central Texas mussel species as endangered or threatened, saying no divergence of interests exists.

  • June 13, 2025

    SEC Scrubs Biden-Era Agenda To Give Atkins A 'Clean Slate'

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is backing away from promised Biden-era regulations on cybersecurity risk management, environmental disclosures and equity market reform, withdrawing over a dozen rule proposals as newly appointed Chair Paul Atkins seeks to rewrite the agency's agenda.

  • June 13, 2025

    Trump Ends Protections, Funding For Columbia River Basin

    President Donald Trump has pulled the U.S. from a Biden-era agreement with two Pacific Northwest states and three tribal nations to restore salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin and increase clean energy production, saying his administration is committed to protecting the country from "radical green agenda policies."

  • June 13, 2025

    Michigan AG Sues Auto Suppliers Over Toxic Pollution

    The Michigan Attorney General's Office alleged two auto parts suppliers illegally discharged untreated contaminated water that reached multiple bodies of water and emitted an unlawful amount of air pollutants in a new complaint seeking civil penalties and contamination cleanup costs.

  • June 13, 2025

    Enviro Orgs. Challenge Trump's Mercury Rule Pass For Coal Plants

    As the Trump administration moves to undo recently tightened mercury emissions rules for coal-fired power plants, environmental groups have challenged President Donald Trump's decision to exempt dozens of plants from the stricter standards.

  • June 13, 2025

    DC Circ. Sides With FERC In Substation Cost Dispute

    A D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission got it right when it denied a wind facility operator's petition seeking reimbursement from the Western Area Power Administration for its contribution to a substation expansion.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating The Uncertain Future Of The Superfund PFAS Rule

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    The D.C. Circuit's recent grant of a pause in litigation while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviews the Biden-era designation of two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as "hazardous" under the Superfund law creates new uncertainty for companies — but more lawsuits are likely as long as the rule remains in effect, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Greenwashing

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    As the number of public and private lawsuits relating to greenwashing dramatically grows, risk managers of companies making environmental claims should look to several types of insurance for coverage in the event of a suit, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • 7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments

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    As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Series

    Playing Beach Volleyball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My commitment to beach volleyball has become integral to my performance as an attorney, with the sport continually reminding me that teamwork, perseverance, professionalism and stress management are essential to both undertakings, says Amy Drushal at Trenam.

  • Managing Anti-Corporate Juror Views Revealed By CEO Killing

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    After the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson laid bare deep-seated anti-corporate sentiments among the public, companies in numerous industries will have to navigate the influence of related juror biases on litigation dynamics, say Jorge Monroy and Keith Pounds at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Opinion

    California Climate Lawsuit Bill Is Constitutionally Flawed

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    A bill in the California Legislature that would let victims of climate-related disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires sue oil and gas producers for spreading misinformation about climate change is too vague, retroactive and focused on one industry to survive constitutional scrutiny, says Kyla Christoffersen Powell at the Civil Justice Association of California.

  • How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic

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    The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.

  • 5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships

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    Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.

  • BlackRock Suit Highlights Antitrust Risks Of ESG

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    In Texas v. BlackRock, pending in Texas federal court, 13 state attorneys general are suing large institutional investors in the coal business, underscoring key reasons companies may want to alter their approach to developing and implementing policies related to environmental, social, and governance factors, especially if coordination with competitors is involved, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Evidence Rule May Expand Use Of Out-Of-Court Statements

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    A proposed amendment to Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(1)(A) would broaden the definition of nonhearsay, reflects a more pragmatic approach to regulating the admissibility of out-of-court statements by declarant-witnesses, and could help level the playing field between prosecutors and criminal defendants, say attorneys at Hangley Aronchick.

  • How Courts Can Filter Nonmeritorious Claims In Mass Torts

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    Nonmeritorious claims have been a key obstacle to settlement in many recent high-profile mass torts, but courts may be able to use tools they already have to solve this problem, says Samir Parikh at Wake Forest University.

  • Series

    Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.

  • Opinion

    Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence

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    Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.

  • The Math Of Cross-Examination: Less Is More, More Is Less

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    When conducting cross-examination at trial, attorneys should remember that “less is more, and more is less” — limiting both the scope of questioning and the length of each query in order to control the witness’s testimony and keep the factfinders’ attention, says Thomas Innes at the Defender Association of Philadelphia.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

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