Government Not Immune To E-Discovery Costs
Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.16.07
In AAB Joint Venture v. United States (Feb. 28, 2007), the Court of Federal Claims held that Government email files stored on backup tapes were discoverable, even though producing them could cost "between $85,000 and $150,000 and take thirty days" -- because the government had a duty to preserve the evidence once plaintiff filed its request for equitable adjustment, and "the Court cannot relieve Defendant of its duty to produce those documents merely because Defendant has chosen a means to preserve the evidence which makes ultimate production of relevant documents expensive." But the Court declined to decide immediately whether the Government should bear the costs of restoring and producing all the responsive documents, instead ordering a "phased approach" in which (1) the government will restore one-quarter of the records at its own expense and (2) based on the content of those records, the Court will decide whether additional restorations are "likely to lead to relevant evidence and consequently who should bear the cost for additional restoration."
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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
