White House Authorizes Indemnification for Ebola Contracts
Client Alert | 1 min read | 11.17.14
On November 13, 2014, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum authorizing the U.S. Agency for International Development to indemnify contractors performing Ebola-response contracts in Africa "with respect to claims, losses, or damage arising out of or resulting from exposure, in the course of performance of the contracts, to Ebola." This Presidential action is the latest example of how contractors may obtain contract-based indemnification for certain activities (previously discussed here, here, here, here, and here), including activities that pose unusually hazardous risk, and serves as a reminder to contractors engaged in such activities to request that such indemnification clauses be included in their contracts when appropriate.
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Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.25.26
Twin Executive Orders Seek to Spur Quantum Leap in Technology and Cybersecurity
On June 22, 2026, President Trump signed two executive orders, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks” (Quantum Security EO) and “Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation” (Quantum Innovation EO), marking the most significant federal action on quantum technology since the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act of 2022, which directed agencies to harden their information systems against quantum-enabled hacking. The orders seek to speed the development of quantum computers, which are advanced processors that can calculate multiple possibilities simultaneously and thus solve problems exponentially faster than traditional computers. At the same time, the orders look to protect against the danger that quantum technology can “break” traditional encryption by easily decoding it. Of particular note for government contractors, the Quantum Security EO directs agencies to update federal acquisition regulations to require contractors by 2031 to adopt information processing standards that resist quantum-enabled codebreaking.
Client Alert | 7 min read | 06.24.26
Client Alert | 3 min read | 06.24.26
Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.23.26
EPA Hands Over AI Data Center Regulation to States and Communities to Develop Best Practices
