In U.S. v. Brownstein, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, reversing the District Court, held that a federal law regulating conduct in the Supreme Court Building, 40 U.S.C. § 6134, which prohibits “harangues and orations” during oral argument, is constitutionally infirm. On April 1, 2015, the defendants interrupted oral argument…
Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
Federal and State Cooperative Efforts Provide Basis For DC Circuit Upholding Delisting of Gray Wolf
In the case of Defenders of Wildlife. et al., v. Zinke., et al., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit reversed the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and reinstated the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 2012 decision to delist the Wyoming Gray Wolf, which had been…
Changed Circumstances Warrant Modifications To Injunction
In Government of the Province of Manitoba v. Zinke, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit reversed the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and held that the State of North Dakota could begin designing a water treatment plant for an area of North Dakota whose public…
What’s In Store For Electric Storage Resources?
In Energy Storage: Finding New Home with FERC Policy Statement and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, my colleagues Michael Hindus, Kevin Ashe and I discuss the Federal Regulatory Agency Commission’s (FERC) November 2016 notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR), January 19 policy statement confirming that electric storage resources may be able to recover…
Executive Order For Review of WOTUS Rule
Earlier today, we published our client alert Trump Administration Seeks to Limit Coverage of Clean Water Act, Executive order to set out a new definition of “Waters of the United States” discussing a February 28, 2017 executive order directing that the Waters of the United States Rule (commonly referred to as…
Texas Supreme Court Reverses Two Court of Appeals Decisions Involving Environmental Issues
On February 24, the Texas Supreme Court released several decisions, including two rulings involving aspects of environmental law. The cases are ExxonMobil Corporation v. Lazy R Ranch, et al., and ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, et al., v. Coleman. In the first case, he Court reversed, in part, and affirmed, in part,…
POTUS Executive Order “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda”
Referencing Executive Orders issued by past administrations, on February 24, 2017, President Trump issued a new Executive Order: “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.” The Executive Order establishes new procedures and timelines by which most federal administrative agencies must conduct their regulatory planning and review. Within 60 days, the heads of…
TX High Court Clarifies “Common Carrier” Status Criteria
In The Texas Supreme Court Clarifies “Common Carrier” Status Criteria, Pillsbury attorneys Anthony Raven, Olivia Matsushita and Andrew White discuss the Texas Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Denbury Green Pipeline-Texas, LLC v. Texas Rice Land Partners, Ltd. Among other things, the Court provides judicial clarity on the “reasonable probability” public…
Employers Beware of W-2 Phishing Scams
In Phishing for W-2s: IRS Warns of Expanding Cyber Scam, Pillsbury attorneys Catherine Meyer and Kate Nyce caution all employers to be aware of and protect against cybercriminals scamming employers into turning over their employees’ W-2s. Photo: Blogtrepreneur, Data Breach – Creative Commons
GAO Clarifies Whether An Agency Is Required To Or May Credit An Offeror For Its Subcontractor’s Past Performance
In its recent Atlantic Systems decision, the Government Accountability Office clarified whether an agency is required or simply has discretion to credit past performance references submitted on behalf of an offeror’s proposed subcontractor. The answer: it depends on the type of procurement. For more information, read our Taking Credit for…