A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Friday sided with the Trump administration’s interpretation of immigration law, allowing the government to detain noncitizens without the opportunity to seek bond while they contest deportation. The opinion comes as federal district courts across the country confront a surge of lawsuits challenging the Administration’s approach.
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CDT Roundup: Groundhog Calls for More Winter as Deal Blizzard Hits Texas
Last week began with a Pennsylvania groundhog seeing his shadow, an occurrence that supposedly forewarns a stubborn winter. In Texas, where the temps reached 70 degrees and above, such news is met with little more than a shrug.
Would that Punxsutawney Phil had forewarned us that a $58 billion deal on Monday to create a shale oil giant would be immediately dwarfed on Tuesday by the gobsmacking $1.25 trillion marriage of a satellite delivery system and an AI chatbox with a reputation for snarkiness.
That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup.
Motion to Dismiss Elders from Gateway Defamation Case Denied
Dallas County Judge Emily Tobolowsky, who is not seeking reelection, denied the motion to dismiss two elders from the defamation lawsuit against Gateway Church. The nondenominational, evangelical Christian megachurch has been tangled in several lawsuits following sexual abuse allegations against Robert Morris, its former senior pastor.
Big Law’s Transfer Portal: Elite Firms Raid Texas Talent with Record Pay Packages
The Texas corporate legal market has started 2026 with a frenzy of activity that includes several high-profile lateral partner moves, new office openings, new hourly rates nearing $3,000 and record-shattering compensation agreements with some lawyers being offered guaranteed multi-year compensation packages exceeding $20 million.
P.S. — ‘This is Our American Dream,’ DFW Corp. Counsel Award Winners Share Inspiring Acceptance Remarks
Last week, The Texas Lawbook had the honor of co-hosting the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards with the Association of Corporate Counsel DFW Chapter. The words shared by the four honorees in the Diversity and Inclusion and Pro Bono and Public Service categories are still resonating with us and are well worth sharing with readers in this column.
In this edition of P.S., we also report that Dallas-based Attorneys Serving the Community held a record-breaking fundraising event for Shared Housing Center and a Paul Hastings Texas partner has joined the advisory board of the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law.
TechnipFMC’s Former Head of Litigation Joins Fletcher Held
After over seven years as in-house counsel, Steve Ryan has switched back to private practice at Fletcher Held in Houston. He said he was ready for a change and missed the courtroom.
Jury Awards $20.2M in Dispute Between Business Partners
A two-and-a-half-week trial concluded with the jury awarding just over $20.2 million to a car dealership executive after finding his business partner liable for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. The pair are still business partners but are working toward untangling themselves so they can go their separate ways.
Kilpatrick Bolsters Houston Office
Kilpatrick added another experienced energy attorney to its Houston office. Barclay Nicholson joined the firm’s construction and infrastructure team in December after nearly four years as a founding partner of the Sheppard Mullin office in Houston. Prior to that, he spent more than 21 years as an energy and commercial litigation partner with Norton Rose Fulbright.
Hot-Button Issues Shaped Kyle Hawkins’ Advocacy
Before he was appointed as a justice on the state’s highest court in October, Kyle Hawkins argued five cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and nine at the Texas Supreme Court. His advocacy included cases targeting abortion, the Affordable Care Act and New York’s school vaccination law. Hawkins’ appointment came shortly after he argued a tobacco tax case before the court he now sits on.
A&O Shearman, DLA Piper Advise on $7.5B Semiconductor Deal
DLA Piper and A&O Shearman advised on the deal whose announcement triggered a run-up on Nasdaq for Silicon Labs stock.