A panel of the Ninth Circuit held, in an unpublished opinion, that Allied World Specialty Insurance Company (Allied) must defend its insureds even though there were undisputedly excluded allegations of sexual abuse in the…
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/ Civil Procedure, Commercial Law & Contracts, Insurance
When public agencies acquire property for future public projects, many times they are only focused on negotiating the acquisition price with the property owner. If an acquisition price can be agreed upon voluntarily, eminent…
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/ Administrative Law, Commercial Law & Contracts, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate - Commercial, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
We are closely tracking the newly released Senate Bill 254 (Becker, 2025) Study Report, prepared by the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) as Administrator of the Wildfire Fund. While the report outlines several pathways to…
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/ Constitutional Law, Energy & Utilities, Insurance
On April 6, 2026, the California Supreme Court heard oral argument in Sunflower Alliance v. California Department of Conservation (Case No. S287414). The case addresses two key California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)…
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/ Energy & Utilities, Environmental Law, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
In Galette v. New Jersey Transit Corporation, 146 S. Ct. 854 (2026), the United States Supreme Court held that New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) is not an arm of the state of New Jersey and is therefore not entitled to…
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/ Business Organizations, Constitutional Law, Transportation
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES - Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance - Colorado: A federal judge upheld Colorado’s individual campaign contribution limits as constitutional on March 26, 2026, ruling that…
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/ Constitutional Law, Elections & Politics, Nonprofit Law
On April 3, 2026, the White House released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 President’s Budget Request (PBR) for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026.
The request proposes a 10 percent reduction in nondefense discretionary…
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/ Administrative Law, Education Law, Environmental Law, Government Contracting, Transportation
Since the Supreme Court invalidated the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (“IEEPA”) tariffs, refunds are on everyone’s mind. Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, 607 U.S. ___, No. 24-1287 (2026). Recent estimates are…
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/ Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Commercial Law & Contracts, Constitutional Law, International Law & Trade
A recurring question in coverage disputes is whether a sub-limit expands coverage by creating a new, defined grant, or instead operates to restrict coverage that would otherwise be available under the policy…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts, Insurance, Science, Computers, & Technology
On April 3, 2026, the final rescission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (together, Services) definitions of the term “harm” from their respective Endangered Species Act (ESA) implementing…
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/ Administrative Law, Environmental Law
Our recent eAlerts discussed the Delaware legislature’s corporate law reforms to try to stanch the flow of corporations relocating to Texas and Nevada and Delaware courts’ refusal to enforce overly-broad noncompete covenants in…
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/ Business Organizations, Commercial Law & Contracts, Mergers & Acquisitions
A new California Court of Appeal decision – Department of Water Resources Cases (March 26, 2026) --- Cal.Rptr.3d ----, 2026 WL 835863 (Case No. C103207) – provides important clarity for water agencies planning major…
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/ Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
Property Reserve, Inc. v. Superior Court (2016) 1 Cal. 5th 151, is a landmark precondemnation entry case that reinforced the statutory right of a party with the power of eminent domain to enter property to conduct tests and…
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/ Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, the Endangered Species Committee (Committee) – colloquially known as the God Squad – met in Washington, DC at the request of the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. The Committee is made up of…
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/ Administrative Law, Energy & Utilities, Environmental Law, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
Public utilities rely on access to private and public land to build and maintain essential infrastructure. When voluntary acquisition efforts fall short, litigation becomes a necessary tool to secure those rights…
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/ Civil Procedure, Energy & Utilities, Zoning, Planning & Land Use
