Decommissioning/End-of-Life Considerations for Renewable Energy Components (“Spent Materials”)

On May 7, 2026, a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade (“CIT”) held that President Trump exceeded the statutory authority under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 when he imposed the Administration’s temporary 10 percent “balance‑of‑payments” tariffs earlier this year.

In O’Dell v. Aya Healthcare Services, Inc., the Ninth Circuit addressed whether plaintiffs can use a procedural mechanism, non-mutual offensive collateral estoppel, to avoid enforcement of arbitration agreements—and held they cannot. The decision carries significant implications for employers facing multi-plaintiff claims.

Effective April 27, 2026, USCIS implemented a new, enhanced security vetting process that has resulted in temporary “holds” on adjudications requiring fingerprint-based background checks. While not formally characterized as a blanket pause, the new process has delayed the issuance of approvals across numerous case types, including adjustment of status, asylum, naturalization, family-based petitions, humanitarian applications, and employment-based filings.