Aerospace & Defense

  • January 06, 2025

    DOD Tells DC Circ. It's Pondering New Time-In-Service Regs

    The U.S. Department of Defense told the D.C. Circuit that litigation over its scrapped time-in-service requirements for immigrant soldiers to be eligible for naturalization is not moot, because it may issue new requirements — an assertion that soldiers who successfully challenged the policy panned.

  • January 06, 2025

    Space Biz Accused Of Gov't Satellite Contract Bait-And-Switch

    A subcontractor hit a Colorado space company with a $17.2 million breach of contract lawsuit in federal court Saturday, accusing Sierra Space of adopting a bait-and-switch strategy in which it dragged out subcontracting negotiations in order to win a lucrative federal satellite contract and then awarded the business to a rival subcontractor.

  • January 06, 2025

    Satellite Co. Ligado Hits Ch. 11 With $8.6B Of Debt

    Satellite business Ligado Networks filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with about $8.6 billion of debt and a plan to hand control of the company to creditors after suffering what its chief executive called "catastrophic" losses allegedly caused in part by the U.S. Department of Defense.

  • January 06, 2025

    Nippon, US Steel Hit Back With Suits After Biden Blocks Deal

    Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. and U.S. Steel Corp. have filed two lawsuits following President Joe Biden's Friday decision to block their planned $14.9 billion merger, claiming Monday that the deal was blocked for "purely political reasons." 

  • January 03, 2025

    Boeing, DOJ Say No Agreement Yet For Revised 737 Max Plea

    The Boeing Co. and the U.S. Department of Justice told a Texas federal judge Friday they have not yet reached an agreement on how to revise the aircraft manufacturer's plea agreement in the 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, after the judge last month rejected the initial deal.

  • January 03, 2025

    Alaska Air Passengers Refile New Suit Over Boeing Blowout

    A group of passengers suing Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems over a door plug blowout on a 737 Max flight last January have relaunched their claims in Washington state court after a Seattle federal judge tossed an earlier version of the complaint at their request last month.

  • January 03, 2025

    US Sanctions Chinese Tech Co. Over 'Flax Typhoon' Attacks

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Friday sanctioned Integrity Technology Group Inc., accusing the Beijing-based software company of being behind malicious cyberattacks targeting critical U.S. infrastructure sectors perpetuated by the prolific Chinese government-sponsored "Flax Typhoon" hacker group.

  • January 03, 2025

    Fla. Gov't Contractor Agrees To Pay $1M Over Rigging Bids

    A Florida owner of two government contractors agreed to fork over $1 million to the U.S. government to settle civil allegations he conspired with a Massachusetts-based company to submit false bids and resulted in driving up the cost of U.S. Department of Defense contracts, federal officials said Friday.

  • January 03, 2025

    RTX's $34M No-Poach Deal Gets First Nod From Conn. Judge

    A Connecticut federal judge on Friday gave an initial approval to a $34 million class action settlement by RTX Corp. to end claims that the company's Pratt & Whitney division cooked up an agreement among contractors not to hire one another's aerospace engineers.

  • January 03, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Revive Bias Suit Over SBA Small Biz Program

    A disabled veteran's constitutional challenge to a Small Business Administration contracting program over racial bias concerns must fail because the veteran didn't actually qualify for the program, the Fourth Circuit ruled Friday.

  • January 03, 2025

    Booz Allen To Pay $15.8M To Settle False Claims Case

    Booz Allen Hamilton struck a $15.8 million settlement with the federal government Friday, resolving claims a subsidiary submitted false claims under a contract meant to supply computer military training simulators to the U.S. Department of Defense.

  • January 03, 2025

    FCC Says Cash On Way Soon For 'Rip And Replace'

    The Federal Communications Commission says the additional $3.08 billion for its "rip and replace" program to get Chinese telecommunications equipment out of the nation's networks is on its way and will soon close a wide gap between what was originally allocated for the program and what telecoms say they need.

  • January 03, 2025

    Menendez Cites 'Good Deeds' In Bid To Avoid Prison

    Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has asked a Manhattan federal judge not to sentence him to prison after he was convicted of bribery and corruption in July, saying a "lifetime of good deeds and good character" and a low likelihood of future offenses merit leniency.

  • January 03, 2025

    Biden Blocks $14.9B US Steel-Nippon Deal

    President Joe Biden on Friday formally blocked the planned $14.9 billion merger between Japan's Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, making good on a prior pledge to keep the latter steelmaker U.S.-owned in one of his final flexes of executive power over cross-border deals.

  • January 02, 2025

    Boston Dynamics Settles Robot IP Suit With Rival

    Boston Dynamics Inc. has agreed to a deal to end a patent infringement lawsuit it launched against competitor Ghost Robotics Corp. in Delaware federal court over artificial intelligence technology tested by the U.S. Air Force.

  • January 02, 2025

    Hogan Lovells Gets $1.25M Afghanistan Award OK'd

    Hogan Lovells won enforcement on Thursday of a $1.25 million arbitral award it won against Afghanistan over its representation of the country in various legal matters, an award that the new Taliban-led government has ignored for two years.

  • January 02, 2025

    GAO Rejects Telecom Co.'s Protest Of DOD Contract Denial

    A Bahrain telecommunications company failed to specify the make and model of the equipment required to secure a U.S. Department of Defense contract, the Government Accountability Office said, rejecting the company's claim that the agency wrongly deemed its quote unacceptable.

  • January 02, 2025

    Feds Want 6 Years For Ex-FBI Informant Who Smeared Bidens

    Prosecutors told a California federal judge that a former FBI informant who falsely told agents that a Ukrainian energy company had paid off President Joe Biden and his son Hunter should be sentenced to six years in prison, saying he betrayed the United States by trying to influence the 2020 election even after being granted citizenship.

  • January 02, 2025

    Trump Transition Underway At Key Environmental Agencies

    President-elect Donald Trump's landing teams — tasked with aiding the upcoming transition in the White House — are busy gathering information to set the new administration on course to implement its priorities on day one.

  • January 01, 2025

    The Top 5 High Court Cases To Watch This Spring

    The U.S. Supreme Court justices will return from the winter holidays to tackle major First Amendment questions and several administrative law disputes — all arising from the Fifth Circuit — that could further change how federal agencies promulgate rules and defend them.

  • January 01, 2025

    Transportation Cases To Watch In 2025

    The Boeing Co.'s 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, consolidated D.C. Circuit litigation targeting new vehicle fuel-economy standards, and a Texas high court battle over a massive trucking accident verdict are among the cases that transportation attorneys are watching closely in 2025.

  • January 01, 2025

    Top International Trade Policy Stories To Watch In 2025

    The re-election of Donald Trump has once again put U.S. trade policy center stage, as corporate attorneys brace for the sort of tariff and dealmaking whirlwind that came to define much of Trump's first term.

  • January 01, 2025

    Gov't Contracts Cases To Watch In 2025

    Federal courts in 2025 are expected to rehear a finding underpinning a high-profile commercial item contracting dispute, to determine the allowability of contentious labor-related clauses in federal contracts, and to decide whether to back the government's aggressive enforcement of cybersecurity regulations.

  • December 23, 2024

    'Tragedy To Farce': Menendez Makes 3rd New Trial Bid

    Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and two co-defendants, convicted of bribery in July, have made a third push for a new trial in Manhattan federal court, contending that the government's latest admission of an evidence gaffe bolstered their case.

  • December 23, 2024

    Biden Targets Chinese Chip Industry In Sweeping Trade Probe

    The Biden administration opened an investigation into China's semiconductor industry Monday, setting the stage for potential new sanctions against Beijing over its purported use of unfair trade practices to dominate the global microchip market.

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing For More Limber Federal Supply Chain Oversight

    Author Photo

    Ahead of the Federal Acquisition Security Council Improvement Act, which would speed up federal acquisition security risk investigations and federal procurement bans, companies should take steps to identify indirect involvement with foreign adversaries in their supply chains and prepare to respond quickly to a FASC recommendation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Green Projects Face States' Foreign Land Ownership Limits

    Author Photo

    As states impose restrictions and disclosure requirements around foreign investment in agricultural land — in some cases piggybacking on existing federal rules — renewable energy developers and investors must pay close attention to how the rules vary, says Daniel Fanning at Husch Blackwell.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

    Author Photo

    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • How Trump's Tariff Promises May Play Out In 2nd Term

    Author Photo

    While it is unclear which of President-elect Donald Trump's promised tariffs he intends to actually implement in January, lessons from his first administration, laws governing executive action and U.S. trade agreements together paint a picture of what may be possible, say attorneys at Butzel.

  • 5 Notable Anti-Money Laundering Actions From 2024

    Author Photo

    Regulators' renewed interest in anti-money laundering programs in 2024 led to numerous enforcement actions and individual prosecutions in industries like banking, cryptocurrency and gaming, including the blockbuster TD Bank settlement and investigations of casinos in Nevada, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • Opinion

    6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School

    Author Photo

    Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

    Author Photo

    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

    Author Photo

    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

    Author Photo

    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

    Author Photo

    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • What Insurers Need To Know About OFAC's Expanded FAQs

    Author Photo

    The Office of Foreign Assets Control's recently expanded insurance FAQs clarify how OFAC views insurance policies in a number of specific circumstances involving sanctioned parties, and make plain that sanctions compliance is the responsibility of all participants in the insurance ecosystem, including underwriters, brokers and agents, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • How Trump's 2nd Term May Alter The Immigration Landscape

    Author Photo

    Rhetoric from Donald Trump's campaign and his choice of hardline appointees indicate that a more restrictive and punitive approach to immigration is in our immediate future, especially in areas like humanitarian relief, nonimmigrant visa processing, and travel and green card eligibility, says John Quill at Mintz.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

    Author Photo

    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Aerospace & Defense archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!