=09

The U.S. Department of the Interior gave the go-ahead Tuesday for the con= struction of a $3 billion, 732-mile high-voltage transmission line known as= the TransWest Express Project as part of a major next step in achieving th= e Biden administration's goal of achieving a carbon-free electric grid by 2= 035.

Construction

WEDNESDA= Y, APRIL 12, 2023

=20

=20 =20

TOP NEWS

=20

DOI Greenlights $3B, 732-Mile Western Power Line Proje= ct

=09

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Department of the Interio= r gave the go-ahead Tuesday for the construction of a $3 billion, 732-mile = high-voltage transmission line known as the TransWest Express Project as pa= rt of a major next step in achieving the Biden administration's goal of ach= ieving a carbon-free electric grid by 2035.

Read full article »

=20

Assa Abloy's Late Filing A Product Of DOJ's Rush, Judg= e Says

=09

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Department of Justice can= 't hit the brakes on its own "fast-moving train," a D.C. federal judge said= during a hearing Tuesday, admonishing the DOJ for complaining about last-m= inute company filings as Assa Abloy defends its $4.3 billion pickup of Spec= trum Brands' hardware and home improvement business.

=20 Brief attached |=20 Read full article »

=20

Biz Groups Urge Justices To Rule Barn Builders Don't G= et OT

=09

By Caleb Drickey

The Texas Cattle Feeders Associati= on and a coalition of construction firms specializing in agriculture-relate= d buildings urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Seventh Circuit's = ruling that farm construction workers may be owed overtime wages.

=20 2 documents attached |=20 Read full article »


=

=20

Temp Biz Can't Hire Temp Labor For Its Existence, DOL = Says

=09

By Parker Quinlan

A construction staffing group cann= ot claim a temporary need for foreign workers after a U.S. Department of La= bor appellate judge ruled that employing workers for the duration of its ex= istence is not temporary or a one-time need.

=20 Decision attached |=20 Read full article »

ENFORCEMENT

=20

Mafia Soldier Sentenced To 57 Months For OSHA Safety S= cam

=09

By Pete Brush

A Brooklyn federal judge sentenced= a crime family soldier with a long criminal record to 57 months in prison = Monday for selling thousands of fraudulent Occupational Safety and Health A= dministration training certificates to construction laborers at $500 apiece= .

Read full article »

LITIGATION

=20

$5B Rivian Plant Opponents Fight Ga.'s Bid To Interven= e

=09

By Kelcey Caulder

Morgan County, Georgia, residents = have asked a state trial court to reject a request from the state of Georgi= a and a joint development authority to intervene in a case concerning wheth= er local zoning ordinances apply to the construction of a proposed $5 billi= on Rivian electric vehicle manufacturing facility.

=20 Response attached |=20 Read full article »

=20

Texas Asks 5th Circ. For Quick Stay Of Cross-Border Ai= r Plan

=09

By Peter McGuire

Texas and a group of energy indust= ry allies called on the Fifth Circuit to decide by the end of April whether= to block federal regulators' imposition of an emissions reduction plan on = the Lone Star state aimed at reducing downwind smog.

=20 2 documents attached |=20 Read full article »

=20

Ga. Judge Refuses To Exclude Claims In Solar Farm Figh= t

=09

By Tom Lotshaw

As a trial was set to kick off on = Tuesday, a Georgia federal judge denied a motion by the owners and develope= rs of the Lumpkin Solar Farm to exclude a negligence per se claim by neighb= ors who allege that poor site management and inadequate erosion controls at= the facility heavily damaged their property with sediment-laden runoff.

=20 Order attached |=20 Read full article »

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Opinion

Humanism Should Replace Formalism In The Courts =09 =09

The worrying tendency for judges t= o say "it's just the law talking, not me" in American decision writing has = coincided with an historic decline in respect for the courts, but this tren= d can be reversed if courts develop understandable legal standards and just= ify them in human terms, says Connecticut Superior Court Judge Thomas Mouka= wsher.

Read full article »

<= td align=3D"right">

=20

=09

=20

LEGAL INDUSTRY

=20

How Happy Are Attorneys At Work?

=09

By Andrew Strickler

Despite enduring tropes about the = BigLaw grind, U.S. lawyers are pretty content with their professional lives= , giving high marks in a new survey for firm paychecks, billable hour targe= ts and harmonious work cultures.

Read full article »

Analysis

Standing May Prove To Be Abortion Pill Ruling's Achill= es' Heel

=09

By Hannah Albarazi

Nationwide access to a widely used= abortion pill could be cut off as early as Friday if a Texas federal judge= 's order blocking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decades-old appro= val of mifepristone takes effect, but appellate experts say even the Fifth = Circuit's conservative judges may not be convinced that the anti-abortion p= laintiffs that brought the case have standing.

Read full article »

=20

NY DA Sues To Stop House Subpoena Of Trump Investigato= r

=09

By Frank G. Runyeon

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin = Bragg sued Tuesday to block subpoenas from House Judiciary Committee Chair = Jim Jordan, saying the Ohio Republican is engaged in a "transparent campaig= n to intimidate and attack" the prosecutor as he pursues a criminal case ag= ainst former President Donald Trump.

=20 Complaint attached |=20 Read full article »

=20

Ex-White House Atty Seeks Damages For Jan. 6 Allegatio= ns

=09

By Katie Buehler

A former Trump White House ethics = attorney has accused members of the House panel that investigated the Jan. = 6, 2021, insurrection of conspiring to ruin his reputation and career by le= aking allegations he urged a staffer to lie to Congress.

=20 Complaint attached |=20 Read full article »

=20

Calif. Atty Charged Over Tweets Says Bar Paints Her As= Racist

=09

By Andrew Strickler

A veteran California lawyer accuse= d of trying to incite riots by posting on Twitter about people being shot d= uring protests over the police killing of George Floyd says bar regulators = want to "smear" her as a racist.

=20 2 documents attached |=20 Read full article »

=20

EY Nixes Plan To Split Auditing, Consulting Units<= /p> =09

By Xiumei Dong

EY has called off a plan to split = its auditing and consulting arms into two separate businesses after U.S. pa= rtners objected to the proposal, the accounting firm confirmed on Tuesday.

Read full article »

=20

Fisher Phillips Continues DC Expansion With Amazon Att= y

=09

By Aebra Coe

Employment law firm Fisher Phillip= s has added a workplace safety partner from Amazon to its growing Washingto= n, D.C., office, the firm announced Tuesday.

Read full article »

Analysis

Legal Experts Flag Ga. High Court's Judicial Ethics St= ance

=09

By Rosie Manins

The Georgia Supreme Court could be= out of step with widely accepted judicial ethics standards by limiting the= conduct for which judges can be disciplined as part of a two-year case aga= inst a suspended Georgia Court of Appeals judge, some legal experts say.

=20 2 documents attached |=20 Read full article »

=20

Georgia Federal Courthouse Floor Collapse Injures 3 Wo= rkers

=09

By Lauren Berg

Three construction workers were ta= ken to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after the third floor of the historic= federal courthouse in Savannah, Georgia, partially collapsed.

Read full article »

=20

Florida Bar Exam's February Pass Rate Falls 7 Points

=09

By Madison Arnold

The pass rate for first-time test = takers of the Florida Bar exam dropped by almost 7 percentage points in Feb= ruary from a year earlier, according to results released Tuesday by the Flo= rida Board of Bar Examiners.

Read full article »

=20

Judge Wants Sabre To Pay Fees In Airline's $1 Antitrus= t Win

=09

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn

A federal magistrate judge has rec= ommended that airline booking giant Sabre should cover the costs of attorne= y fees for US Airways, which pursued antitrust claims that ultimately resul= ted in a mere $1 jury award after more than a decade of litigation.

=20 Report attached |=20 Read full article »

=20

Help Wanted: SEC Seeks Crypto, Cyber Enforcement Attys=

=09

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Securities and Exchange C= ommission appears to be beefing up its crypto-focused enforcement unit afte= r recent comments from Chair Gary Gensler requesting an additional $200 mil= lion from Congress to hire more staff as it tackles crypto compliance.

Read full article »

=20 =20

<= img src=3D"https://sli.law360news.com/imp?s=3D734819&li=3D201&m=3Dd120cdb40= 65a859edc70326799a21fe8&p=3D190892" border=3D"0" width=3D"100%" style=3D"wi= dth: 100%; max-width:300px !important;margin-bottom:0;"/>

=20

=09 =20

COMPA= NIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Alliance Defending Freedom

Amazon.com Inc.

American Airlines Group Inc.

American Bar Association

American Civil Liberties Union

American Petroleum Institute In= c.

Assa Abloy AB

Brandeis University

Cable News Network Inc.

Coinbase Global Inc.

Cott Corporation

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd.

Ernst & Young LLP

Florida Coastal School of Law

Fortune Brands Home & Secur= ity Inc.

Georgetown University

Infrastructure & Ener= gy Alternatives Inc.

KPMG International

LinkedIn Corp.

Major Lindsey & Africa LLC

The Center for Reproducti= ve Rights Inc.


<= img src=3D"https://sli.law360news.com/imp?s=3D734824&li=3D201&m=3Dd120cdb40= 65a859edc70326799a21fe8&p=3D190892" border=3D"0"/>

=20

LAW = FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

GOVE= RNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Land Management

Florida Supreme Court

Food and Drug Administration

Georgia Supreme Court

Occupational Safety= and Health Administration

Texas Attorney General's Offi= ce

U.S. A= ttorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals = for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals = for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Department of He= alth and Human Services

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. District Cou= rt for the District of Columbia

U.S. Dist= rict Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. Distri= ct Court for the Middle District of Georgia

U.S. Dis= trict Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Environmental Protection= Agency

U.S. General Services Adminis= tration

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Securities and Excha= nge Commission

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia

=20

<= td>

<= /tr>

<= img src=3D"https://sli.law360news.com/imp?s=3D125920709&li=3D201&m=3Dd120cd= b4065a859edc70326799a21fe8&p=3D190892" width=3D"2" height=3D"6" border=3D"0= " />

<= /td>