Aerospace & Defense

  • October 29, 2024

    Military Reservist Not Exempt From Extra Pay, Justices Told

    Military reservists are owed top-up pay if they're called to serve during a war or national emergency, regardless of whether they're directly serving in those events, a U.S. Coast Guard reservist told the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • October 29, 2024

    Navy Reservist Gets 30 Months For Visa Letter Bribe Scheme

    A Navy reserve commander was sentenced to 30 months in prison after being convicted of taking bribes from Afghan nationals in exchange for recommendation letters for visa applications.

  • October 28, 2024

    NASA Says Sensor Co.'s Contract Breach Case Should Fail

    NASA has said the U.S. Court of Federal Claims should throw out a sensor business's breach of contract suit over commercialization and licensing deals related to patented NASA technology, saying certain milestones couldn't be reached under the pact.

  • October 28, 2024

    Feds Defend DEI Monitor Provision In Boeing Plea Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice said it will consider diversity and inclusion when it picks an independent compliance monitor for The Boeing Co. under a proposed plea agreement in the company's criminal conspiracy case, reassuring a Texas federal judge that the selection process will be rigorous.

  • October 28, 2024

    Boeing Moves Ahead With $19B Share Sale Amid Cash Crunch

    Boeing launched plans Monday to sell common and preferred stock estimated to raise nearly $19 billion, potentially easing the aviation giant's cash crush amid a prolonged strike and production setbacks, represented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and underwriters' counsel Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

  • October 28, 2024

    FCC Looks To Build 'Single Network Future' Through Regs

    The federal government envisions a "single network future" where smartphones can connect almost anywhere in the country thanks to regulations allowing signal coverage enhanced by satellites, the Federal Communications Commission's chief told academics.

  • October 28, 2024

    DOD Settles Bias Suit Over 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Discharges

    The U.S. Department of Defense has reached a settlement in principle with a group of LGBTQ+ service members who sued the U.S. military in California federal court claiming veterans discharged under the former Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, which banned non-heterosexual service members, continued to face discrimination.

  • October 25, 2024

    AI Surge, Vendor Risks Fuel Election Security Concerns

    The explosion of the tech known as artificial intelligence and persistent vendor security holes are amplifying longstanding concerns about efforts by hostile nations and other cyberattackers to disrupt and discredit U.S. elections as officials work to guard against both familiar and novel risks.

  • October 25, 2024

    Delta Says CrowdStrike Must Pay For Catastrophic IT Outage

    When cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike implemented "untested and faulty updates" to its software, knocking out computers with Microsoft Windows operating systems worldwide, Delta Air Lines' operations were crippled, costing it $500 million as thousands of flights were canceled, according to the airline's lawsuit lodged Friday in Georgia state court.

  • October 25, 2024

    Judge Calls Delay On Afghans' Kids' Visas 'Unconscionable'

    As a mother wept in his courtroom Friday, a Virginia federal judge said it was "unconscionable" that the federal government couldn't find a way to allow into the U.S. the children of Afghan nationals who supported the American military in Afghanistan, imploring the State Department to "resolve this issue."

  • October 25, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs 7-Year Sentence Over Chip Exports To China

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday upheld the seven-year prison sentence imposed on a former University of California, Los Angeles, electrical engineering professor convicted of illegally exporting high-powered semiconductor chips to China, saying the district court did not err in holding that the conduct amounted to an evasion of national security controls.

  • October 25, 2024

    3 Firms Seek $17.6M Fee For Military Borrower Class Deal

    Smith & Lowney PLLC, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Ballew Puryear PLLC have asked a North Carolina federal court to award them $17.6 million in fees for the work they did to secure a $64 million settlement from USAA on behalf of borrowers who served in the military.

  • October 25, 2024

    Judge Won't Revisit Ruling On Contractor Registration Clause

    A Court of Federal Claims judge has refused to reconsider her ruling that a previously disqualified bidder was eligible for a $45 billion nuclear cleanup deal after fixing a lapsed federal registration, despite a contrary decision by another judge on the court.

  • October 25, 2024

    Feds Fight New Claim In Suit Over Dredged-Waste Disposal

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has urged an Illinois federal judge to throw out the latest claim from an environmental coalition and a community group in litigation challenging the agency's continued use of a disposal facility for dredged material on Lake Michigan's shoreline, saying the claim was tacked on too late.

  • October 25, 2024

    Airline Holding Co. Nabs $1.25B Refinancing For GOL Ch. 11

    Abra Group Limited, the holding company for Avianca and GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes airlines, announced it has closed $1.25 billion in refinancing transactions that will help resolve the financial defaults related to GOL's Chapter 11 filing earlier this year.

  • October 24, 2024

    Bell Says Vendor Shouldn't Get $127M In Trade Secret Suit

    Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. told a Texas jury that a third-party vendor took the aerospace company's tech and "slapped their name on it," saying during closing arguments Thursday that jurors should reject California-based digital avionics equipment supplier Rogerson Aircraft Corp.'s ask of $127 million.

  • October 24, 2024

    FTC Probing Boeing's $4.7B Spirit Aero Takeover

    The Federal Trade Commission wants to know more about Boeing's $4.7 billion plan to take over aircraft parts maker Spirit AeroSystems before it decides whether to sign off on the transaction, new filings have revealed.

  • October 24, 2024

    Sen. Presses US Trade Rep To Take Up Fentanyl Probe

    A Democratic senator from Wisconsin asked the U.S. trade representative on Wednesday to take up a petition urging it to investigate the People's Republic of China's alleged vast illicit fentanyl exports to the United States that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.

  • October 24, 2024

    UCLA Strikes Out On Bid To Join Row Over Baseball Facility

    A California federal judge rejected The Regents of the University of California's bid to intervene in a class action filed by disabled, homeless military veterans who accused the federal government of misusing a Los Angeles campus that they claim was intended for housing veterans.

  • October 24, 2024

    EPA, Air Force Commit To PFAS Plan For Tucson Airport

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Air Force said they're committing to a framework to address "forever chemical" contamination at the Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site in southeastern Arizona.

  • October 24, 2024

    Biden Issues Guidelines For National Security Uses Of AI

    President Joe Biden issued a memo Thursday on the development and use of artificial intelligence for national security, directing actions such as shoring up the security of computer chip supply chains and ensuring AI is not used to commit human rights violations.

  • October 24, 2024

    ITC Bans Foreign Counterfeit Tourniquets

    The U.S. International Trade Commission banned foreign counterfeits of a tourniquet used by the U.S. military, finding that a broad exclusion order was necessary to protect the domestic manufacturers' intellectual property.

  • October 24, 2024

    Huawei Trade Secrets Trial Pushed Back To 2026

    A Washington federal judge on Thursday approved a request from Huawei and the government to delay a trial until October 2026 in a case alleging the company stole T-Mobile's trade secrets.

  • October 24, 2024

    State Dept. Counterterrorism Expert Joins Jenner In DC

    A former U.S. Department of State counterterrorism expert and National Security Council director has left public service for his first-ever role in private practice, joining Jenner & Block LLP's team in Washington, D.C., as special counsel, the firm announced Thursday. 

  • October 23, 2024

    Boeing Machinists Reject Labor Deal, Prolonging Strike

    A majority of roughly 33,000 Boeing employees represented by the International Association of Machinists voted Wednesday to reject a new labor contract that included a 35% wage increase over four years, prolonging a nearly six-week strike that has hampered Boeing's production and cash flow.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Avoid Risking Arbitration Award Confidentiality In NY

    Author Photo

    Though a Second Circuit decision last year seemed to create a confidentiality safe harbor for arbitration awards that had no ongoing compliance issues, a recent New York federal court ruling offers further guidance on the meaning of "ongoing compliance issues," says Matthew Iverson at Nelson Mullins.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

    Author Photo

    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

    Author Photo

    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Perspectives

    Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

    Author Photo

    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations

    Author Photo

    A recent Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement policy change grants cooperation credit to those that report violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed by others, but the benefits of doing so must be weighed against significant drawbacks, including the costs of preparing and submitting a report, says Megan Lew at Cravath.

  • 'Minimum Contacts' Issues At Stake In High Court FSIA Case

    Author Photo

    In CC/Devas v. Antrix, the U.S. Supreme Court must decide whether a "minimum contacts" requirement should be implied in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, with the potential to dramatically change the legislative landscape through the establishment of a new and significant barrier to U.S. suits against foreign states, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

    Author Photo

    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure

    Author Photo

    Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

    Author Photo

    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

    Author Photo

    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Series

    Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

    Author Photo

    Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Debriefings, Timeliness, Documentation

    Author Photo

    ​James Tucker at MoFo examines three recent decisions from the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims concerning an agency's decision not to hold post-award discussions, a timeliness trap in certain Federal Supply Schedule procurements and the importance of providing contemporaneous documentation in price-evaluation protests.

  • Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys

    Author Photo

    Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.

  • Series

    Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.

  • Aviation Watch: Boeing Plea Agreement May Not Serve Public

    Author Photo

    The proposed plea agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing — the latest outgrowth of the company's 737 Max travails — is opposed by crash victims' families, faces an uncertain fate in court, and may ultimately serve no beneficial purpose, even if approved, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

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!