WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on June 30 granted the State of California's waiver request to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles under the Clean Air Act, starting in model year 2009. Full story on lexis.com

NEW ORLEANS - The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on June 30 affirmed a lower court's dismissal of tort claims against the United States of America related to the alleged failure of the levee breaches in the wake of Hurricane Katrina because the plaintiffs did not exhaust their administrative remedies as required under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); the court further found that the plaintiffs failed to establish admiralty jurisdiction under the Suits in Admiralty Act (SAA) (In re: Katrina Canal Breaches Litigation, Maureen O'Dwyer, et al. v. United States of America, No. 07-30412, 5th Cir.). Full story on lexis.com

PHILADELPHIA - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on June 30 agreed to decide whether the hiring of an outside law firm by the state government on a contingency basis to pursue Risperdal reimbursement claims is unconstitutional and whether the firm should be disqualified (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al. v. Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc., et al., No. 2 EM 2009, Pa. Sup., and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al. v. Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc., et al., No.080102181, Pa. Comm. Pls., Philadelphia Co.; See 2/5/09, Page 11). Full story on lexis.com