Divided Appeals Court Rejects Ethanol Challenge

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a challenge to new Environmental Protection Agency regulations allowing for higher concentrations of corn-based ethanol in gasoline. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that representatives from the grocery, automobile and petroleum industries failed to show they suffered…

Aug 17, 2012 4:13 PM CDT

Oregon’s ‘Rain Man’ Reports for 30-Day Sentence in Rainwater Collection Dispute

An Oregon man began serving a 30-day sentence last week after he was convicted in July of maintaining illegal reservoirs on his property. But Gary Harringon continues to dispute the charges, saying he was only collecting rainwater and snowmelt, largely for fire protection for his 172-acre property in rural Eagle…

Aug 14, 2012 4:59 PM CDT

A Long Line at Nick Haney’s Law Office After Chevron Refinery Fire in Richmond, Calif.

Over 1,000 people lined up outside Nick Haney’s law office in Richmond, Calif., on Wednesday, two days after smoke from a Chevron refinery fire enveloped the city. Apparently drawn by two signs stating “Chevron Claims Filed Here,” they likely will get perhaps a few thousand dollars from the oil company…

Aug 10, 2012 7:41 PM CDT

Top Calif. Court OKs ‘Stacking’ of Policy Limits, State Could Get $60M More for Waste Site Cleanup

In a long-awaited ruling (PDF) that could add another $60 million to the $120 million the state of California previously got from other insurers, the California Supreme Court on Thursday OK’d the “stacking” of liability policy limits for a hazardous waste site cleanup. “In cases such as this it is…

Aug 9, 2012 10:15 PM CDT

Law Profs, Rights Groups Back Call for En Banc Review re Pro Bono Lawyer Sanctioned by 9th Circuit

A coalition of public interest groups and two law professors are supporting a call for en banc review of sanctions imposed on an Arizona pro bono attorney in a blistering opinion by a federal appeals court panel. In a June 21 opinion (PDF), the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals…

Aug 7, 2012 1:54 PM CDT

Gibson Guitar Corp. Settles Lacey Act Claim with DOJ Over Imported Wood

Facing claims that it used illegally harvested wood in its products, the Gibson Guitar Corp. settled a Justice Department investigation for $350,000, the agency announced in a press release Monday. Besides the payment, Gibson agreed to set up a compliance program to prevent future use of illegally harvested materials, the…

Aug 6, 2012 8:48 PM CDT

3M Co. Sues Covington for ‘Betrayal,’ Says Firm Switched Sides to Work for Minn. AG on Enviro Suit

Facing a big-bucks environmental lawsuit by the Minnesota attorney general, 3M Company is firing back with a federal court complaint against its longtime former counsel. Covington & Burling has betrayed the company by suddenly ending its representation and switching sides in 2010 to help the AG sue 3M, the tech…

Aug 2, 2012 10:34 AM CDT

The Big Push: ABA Urges the Senate to Finally Ratify Law of the Sea Convention

Aug 1, 2012 5:50 AM CDT

Law Prof Has an Explanation for Differing Opinions on Climate Change

A law professor who studies risk and science communication cites a reason why people hold differing opinions of climate change: confirmation bias. This bias is the tendency to pay attention to information that reinforces what we already believe and to discount evidence that would require us to change our minds,…

Jul 25, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Probe: Narrow BP Focus on Worker Safety Missed Big-Picture Issues Resulting in Massive Gulf Spill

Focused on worker safety, BP failed to anticipate adequately big-picture risks that led to the 2010 explosion and fire in its Gulf of Mexico oil rig that killed 11 people and resulted in a massive petroleum spill, members of a federal investigatory panel said Tuesday. Preliminary findings by the U.S.…

Jul 24, 2012 10:57 PM CDT

Supreme Court Beefs Up Docket with Business Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court added three business cases to its docket last week that were mostly overshadowed by blockbuster opinions on health care and immigration. The cases “will offer the court more opportunities to cement its generally pro-business reputation,” the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. The cases are: •…

Jul 3, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Supreme Court Rules Juries Must Determine Facts Used to Set Substantial Criminal Fines

The U.S. Supreme Court has extended its decisions that require juries to find facts that lead to increased prison sentences or capital punishment. In Southern Union Company v. United States, the court said the same principle applies to criminal fines. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the majority opinion (PDF). Justice Stephen…

Jun 21, 2012 2:35 PM CDT

A Federal Appeals Court’s Nuclear Opinion Takes Lawyers to Task for Acronyms

A federal appeals court is fed up with little-known energy acronyms like “SNF” and “NWPA.” In a ruling (PDF) last week , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit showed its irritation in its first footnote, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. The…

Jun 6, 2012 12:56 PM CDT

Bovine Legal Battle Pits Bison Against Cattle

Sixty-three relocated bison now living on a reservation in northern Montana are at the center of a legal battle. Tribal officials and environmentalists praised the relocation of the bison from Yellowstone National Park in March, but a lawsuit soon followed, according to the New York Times Green blog. The plaintiff…

Jun 1, 2012 2:24 PM CDT

Cleveland Man Ticketed for Littering After Giving Money to Panhandler

A Cleveland man says he was ticketed for littering after trying to give money to a panhandler in a wheelchair. John Davis told Fox 8 he was driving on an off ramp earlier this month when he noticed a man in a wheelchair on the side of the road holding…

May 24, 2012 8:42 PM CDT