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Government Contracts

  • July 17, 2025

    IRS Leaker Asks DC Circ. To Bar Comments By Ex-Employer

    A tech worker appealing a five-year sentence for leaking tax returns while on the job at the IRS through contractor Booz Allen asked the D.C. Circuit on Thursday to block his former employer from weighing in, saying the company's opinion that he should finish his prison term is irrelevant.

  • July 17, 2025

    USDA Should Revisit $22M IT Deal, GAO Says

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office urged the Department of Agriculture to reconsider a $22.8 million task order for IT services, saying the agency had failed to meaningfully respond to claims that it was unfair in its evaluation of proposals for the award.

  • July 16, 2025

    Internet Co. Can't Win $33M Indonesia Judgment In NY Court

    A New York federal judge has tossed litigation initiated by a Jakarta, Indonesia-based internet service provider to enforce a $32.7 million judgment against Indonesia following arbitration over a government contract to implement mobile access centers around the country.

  • July 16, 2025

    Nonprofits Taking Immigrant Legal Aid Fight To DC Circ.

    Nonprofit groups that are trying to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from cutting off funding to four programs that provide legal information to noncitizens are taking their fight with the Trump administration to the D.C. Circuit after a federal judge killed their lawsuit.

  • July 16, 2025

    GAO Tells Congress Loser-Pays Model Not Needed

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a letter to Congress that it does not endorse creating a loser-pays model for unsuccessful protests of defense contracts because sufficient measures already exist to limit the impact of protests filed without a substantial basis.

  • July 16, 2025

    Union Pension Fund Says Cos. Can't Get Fees In ERISA Row

    A Tennessee federal judge should deny two companies' "extraordinary" request for a union pension fund to cover their attorney fees in an Employee Retirement Income Security Act dispute, the union argued Wednesday, saying the section of ERISA the lawsuit was lodged under doesn't allow for attorney fee awards.

  • July 16, 2025

    FEMA Targeted In 20-State Suit Over Pre-Disaster Grant Cuts

    A coalition of 20 states led by Washington and Massachusetts sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Boston federal court Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of illegally cutting off billions of dollars in grants for proactive disaster mitigation projects across the country.

  • July 16, 2025

    Judge Says Navy Must Face Contamination Claim At Calif. Site

    A Court of Federal Claims judge trimmed some but not all claims from a suit alleging the Navy breached its obligation to remediate newly discovered petroleum and chloroform contamination at a Novato, California, property it sold two decades ago.

  • July 15, 2025

    Trump Admin Seeks Win In Harvard $2B Funding Freeze Case

    The Trump administration urged a Massachusetts federal judge Monday to grant it summary judgment in Harvard University's lawsuit challenging the government's effort to freeze $2.2 billion in funding, arguing the dispute is a contract fight that belongs in the Federal Claims Court and the allegations fail on the merits.

  • July 15, 2025

    Patent Fight Over Xtandi Erupts Anew Before RFK Jr.

    A new dispute is playing out over the price of a prostate cancer drug that was developed at University of California, Los Angeles, and is being sold by Pfizer, with the federal government being pushed on the issue of using its authority to allow early entry of generics.

  • July 15, 2025

    Protest Over $985M Migrant Kid Transport Deal Deemed Moot

    A Court of Federal Claims judge threw out a protest lodged against the General Services Administration over its decision to award a nearly $1 billion transportation and logistics contract for unaccompanied children in federal custody to a competitor.

  • July 15, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Rethink Affirmance Of $8M KBR Award

    The Fourth Circuit will not be rethinking its decision rebuff a Kuwaiti construction company's attempt to nix an $8 million arbitral award favoring Kellogg Brown & Root International, the appeals court has ruled.

  • July 15, 2025

    Texas Cities Cite Gov't Immunity In Farmers' PFAS Suit

    Governmental entities led by Fort Worth submitted a brief to a Texas federal court Tuesday supporting their immunity in managing wastewater operations in connection with a proposed class action from farmers who claim their lands were contaminated by toxic chemicals.

  • July 15, 2025

    Delta To Pay $8.1M To End FCA Whistleblower Suit

    Delta Air Lines Inc. on Tuesday agreed to pay $8.1 million to settle whistleblower claims that it paid some corporate officers and other employees beyond compensation limits the airline agreed to under a Treasury Department pandemic relief program.

  • July 15, 2025

    Booz Allen Urges DC Circ. To Affirm IRS Leak Sentence

    Government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton urged the D.C. Circuit to uphold the five-year prison sentence of its former employee for leaking tax returns while on a job at the IRS, saying the crime has hurt the company's reputation and subjected it to "baseless lawsuits."

  • July 15, 2025

    Washington Wall Maker Will Pay $3.3M To Settle FCA Claims

    A Washington state company that makes rigid wall shelters agreed to pay $3.3 million to settle allegations over false claims submitted under prime vendor contracts the U.S. Department of Defense used to buy goods and services, according to federal prosecutors.

  • July 15, 2025

    Denver Defends Affordable Housing Fees, Citing Alternatives

    The city of Denver has urged a Colorado federal court to toss a homebuilder's suit challenging the constitutionality of an affordable housing fee for new development, arguing the developer's claims overlook a clause that allows it to construct affordable housing as an alternative.

  • July 15, 2025

    GAO Denies Protest Over Air Force Deals For Saudi Base Work

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied a Texas company's protest alleging that a botched U.S. Air Force bid evaluation kept it from being tapped for one of a half dozen contracts for projects at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

  • July 14, 2025

    Md. IT Contractor Enters $14.75M False Claims Deal With Gov't

    A Maryland-based information technology services company will pay at least $14.75 million to resolve allegations it knowingly submitted false claims to the U.S. government under a General Services Administration contract, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

  • July 14, 2025

    States Blast Trump Admin Over $6.8B Education Fund Freeze

    A coalition of states sued the Trump administration Monday over its decision to freeze $6.8 billion in congressionally appropriated educational program funding, leaving schools scrambling ahead of the new school year, the same day the U.S. Supreme Court allowed mass U.S. Department of Education layoffs to move forward.

  • July 14, 2025

    6th Circ. Nom Is 1st Senate Confirmation Of Trump's 2nd Term

    The Senate voted 46-42 on Monday evening to confirm Whitney Hermandorfer, director of the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General's Strategic Litigation Unit, to the Sixth Circuit, making her the first judicial confirmation of the second Trump administration.

  • July 14, 2025

    Enviro Groups Sue DOE Over Tenn. Nuclear Site Cleanup Plan

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's $30 billion cleanup plan for a nuclear site outside Knoxville, Tennessee, has failed to prevent harmful discharges into the area's groundwater and waterways, threatening community health and the local environment, environmental groups have said.

  • July 14, 2025

    State Dept. OKs Possible $2.6B Helicopter Sale To Norway

    The U.S. Department of State said it has signed off on a possible sale of nine HH-60W helicopters and other equipment and support to Norway for an estimated $2.6 billion.

  • July 14, 2025

    Air Force Delay Entitles Contractor To Extra Costs, Board Says

    A contractor tapped to work at Hurlburt Field Air Force Base in Florida is entitled to a claim for additional compensation since the U.S. Air Force delayed giving it a greenlight to start work and access the site, according to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals.

  • July 14, 2025

    Ex-ComEd Exec Gets 1½ Years For Hiding Madigan Bribes

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Commonwealth Edison executive and lobbyist to one and a half years in prison for his role in a scheme to steer payments to allies of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to win his support for energy legislation favorable to the utility, and for falsifying company records to hide no-show jobs for Madigan's associates.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Precautions For Responsible AI Use In Bid Protests

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    Despite the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s May warning that it will impose stiff sanctions on bid protesters whose filings contain artificial intelligence-generated mistakes and hallucinations, generative AI can be a valuable tool for the bid protest bar if used with safeguards, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    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.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

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    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.

  • 3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases

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    Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • 9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

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    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.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Spearin, Overpayments, Jurisdiction

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    Edward Arnold at Seyfarth examines three recent decisions addressing the limits of the Spearin doctrine in design-build contracts, the government's ability to recoup overpayments after a termination for convenience, and the Contract Disputes Act's strict and nonwaivable jurisdictional rules.

  • Series

    Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Policy Shifts May Follow Burst Of Defense Cyber Settlements

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    Recent False Claims Act settlements with defense contractors MORSECORP and Nightwing suggest that cybersecurity standards for government contractors remain a key enforcement priority, but these may represent a final flurry of activity before the Trump administration transitions to different policy goals, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

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    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.

  • How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

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    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.

  • When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

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    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.

  • FCPA Enforcement Is Here To Stay, But It May Look Different

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    After a monthslong enforcement pause, the U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines fundamentally shift prosecutorial discretion and potentially reduce investigatory burdens for organizations, but open questions remain, so companies should continue to exercise caution, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Jurisdiction, Price Range, Late-Is-Late

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Thomas Lee at MoFo examines three May decisions from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims examining the court’s jurisdiction to rescind an executive order, the impact of agency error in establishing a competitive price range and application of the late-is-late rule to an electronic filing.

  • DOE Grant Recipients Facing Termination Have Legal Options

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    Federal grant recipients whose awards have recently been rescinded by the U.S. Deparment of Energy have options for successfully challenging those terminations through litigation, say attorneys at Bracewell.

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