Energy Law

Afternoon Briefs: R. Kelly accused of sexual racketeering; in vitro fertilization mix-up leads to lawsuits

• Federal indictments in New York and Chicago accuse R&B singer R. Kelly of racketeering, producing child pornography and obstructing justice in connection with sexual exploitation of young girls and women. The New York indictment says Kelly had strict rules of behavior for his sexual recruits, including that they call…

Jul 12, 2019 4:34 PM CDT

New Michigan AG withdraws state from suits challenging Obama-era EPA regulations

Michigan’s new Democratic attorney general, Dana Nessel, has announced she is withdrawing Michigan from lawsuits challenging federal environmental regulations to curb greenhouse gases and toxic emissions. Nessel announced Tuesday she was withdrawing from four suits challenging Environmental Protection Agency regulations enacted during the administration of President Barack Obama, report Bridge…

Jan 23, 2019 1:04 PM CST

Voting litigation heats up with 6th Circuit decision for purged Ohio voters

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Ohio must accept provisional ballots in the midterm elections from some voters because they received vague notices informing them they could be purged from the rolls. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati ruled after the U.S. Supreme Court held in…

Nov 1, 2018 9:37 AM CDT

Shearman & Sterling opens Houston office—its 2nd Texas location this year

Shearman & Sterling has opened its second Texas office in Houston just two months after launching its first one in Austin.

May 7, 2018 2:30 PM CDT

Trump signs executive order rolling back climate change policy; next move is before DC Circuit

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that directs the Environmental Protection Agency to begin rescinding and rewriting the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, designed to fight global warming by curbing carbon emissions. Trump characterized his order as a way to restore jobs in the coal industry, the…

Mar 28, 2017 2:16 PM CDT

Federal judge denies injunction, permitting Dakota Access Pipeline to go forward

A Washington, D.C. federal court ruling Tuesday paves the way for completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline, over strong objections from neighboring tribal communities, Reuters has reported. The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg rejected a request for an injunction from the Cheyenne River Sioux and Standing Rock Sioux…

Mar 7, 2017 2:45 PM CST

Court dockets will shrink as Donald Trump rescinds Obama administration actions

Lawsuits stemming from executive actions and legal interpretations by the Obama administration are likely to be removed from the U.S. Supreme Court docket and lower federal courts as a result of a shift in policies when Donald Trump takes office. Likely changes will affect cases involving immigration, the Affordable Care…

Nov 14, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Species may be called endangered based on projected climate change, 9th Circuit rules

Federal agencies may classify species as threatened based on projected habitat loss due to climate change, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday. The ruling came in a challenge to classification of Pacific bearded seals as threatened, according to the Los Angeles Times. The National Marine Fisheries Services…

Oct 25, 2016 3:00 PM CDT

US will halt work on oil pipeline opposed by Standing Rock Sioux tribe; judge refused injunction

The federal government announced on Friday that it will halt construction of an oil pipeline near a lake that plays an important role to members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, even though a federal judge said the work can proceed. The Justice Department and two other federal agencies made…

Sep 9, 2016 3:27 PM CDT

New Mexico top court overturns conviction due to Skype testimony, warns judges about social media

The New Mexico Supreme Court is warning judges about the perils of social media in an opinion that nonetheless sidesteps whether the trial judge’s Facebook posts indicated bias. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled (PDF) on June 20 that Truett Thomas was entitled to a new trial on a murder…

Jun 23, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Colorado Supreme Court overturns fracking bans enacted by cities

Colorado municipal laws that limit gas and oil development are unenforceable because state law pre-empts them, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday. Fort Collins has a five-year moratorium on fracking within city limits, the Denver Post reports, and Longmont in 2012 banned the process. The municipal laws were challenged by…

May 2, 2016 1:20 PM CDT

Maryland program to encourage new generation of electricity is pre-empted, Supreme Court says

A Maryland program that provides incentives for electricity generation is pre-empted by federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s opinion (PDF) for the court said the Maryland program is pre-empted by the federal law giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission exclusive jurisdiction over wholesale…

Apr 19, 2016 11:23 AM CDT

Former mining CEO is sentenced to prison in safety case

A former mining executive has been sentenced to a year in prison for a misdemeanor conspiracy to violate federal mine safety regulations. U.S. District Judge Irene Berger, the daughter of a coal miner, sentenced former Massey Energy chief executive Donald Blankenship on Wednesday, the New York Times reports. He was…

Apr 6, 2016 12:09 PM CDT

Drought sheds light on the California’s water law deficiencies

It's a classic case of ignoring a problem until forced to face it.

In the midst of a four-year drought, when the state had its lowest rainfall ever, California finally established a regulatory regime, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, to control who gets what groundwater.

Mar 1, 2016 3:10 AM CST

Orrick adds 7 more partners in Houston

A month after announcing that it was opening a Houston office with partners from other law firms, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has added to its attorney roster there. Five partners from Morgan Lewis & Bockius and two from McGuireWoods will have joined Orrick by Wednesday of this week, Texas Lawyer…

Feb 16, 2016 4:30 PM CST