U.S. Steel Corp. moved for leave to join importer California Steel Industries' case challenging rejections of its requests for Section 232 steel and aluminum tariff exclusions as amicus curiae, after its efforts to intervene in the suit were thwarted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (California Steel Industries v. United States, CIT # 21-00015).
Global law firm Dentons on May 20 announced the launch of "a comprehensive offering to support" businesses in navigating the "opportunities and challenges" from the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) partnership, a deal that is expected to lead to new defense trade exemptions and other business opportunities for companies from the three countries (see 2404300050, 2404180035 and 2405140038). The firm said it will help companies "participate in public-private partnership opportunities afforded by AUKUS and navigate funding, policy, and regulatory issues." Those may include issues relating to defense contracting, technology transfers, supply chain integration and new export markets, it said.
The following lawsuit was recently filed at the Court of International Trade:
Importer Valeo North America told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that the Commerce Department violated a "foundational principle of administrative law" in concluding the company's T-series aluminum sheet was covered by antidumping and countervailing duty orders. Commerce failed to follow its "well-established legal framework" in making the scope decision, neglecting its duty as an administrative agency to provide coherent, ascertainable guidance so that regulated parties may anticipate how agencies enforce their rules and regulations," Valeo said (Valeo North America v. United States, Fed. Cir. # 24-1189).
The Court of International Trade on May 20 entered stipulated judgment in a pair of customs suits brought by Home Depot U.S.A., lowering the duty rate on the retail giant's imported residential door knobs packaged with at least one deadbolt, from 5.7% to 3.9% (Home Depot U.S.A. v. United States, CIT Consol. # 14-00122, -00123).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said on May 20 that the Court of International Trade was wrong to impose a 50% threshold in determining whether demand for a processed agricultural product is "substantially dependent" on its raw upstream iteration for purposes of assigning countervailing duties.
World Trade Organization members of the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology elected Lithuania's Raimondas Alisauskas the 2024 chair of the group and granted the World Intellectual Property Organization "observer status," the WTO announced.
Syrian businessperson Issam Anbouba remains subject to EU sanctions after the EU General Court on May 15 sustained his listing based on criteria issued in 2023 but annulled the criteria issued in 2022, according to an unofficial translation.
The EU General Court on May 15 rejected the Russian Direct Investment Fund's (RDIF's) challenge to the bloc's prohibition on investing in projects financed by the fund.
DOJ unsealed charges on May 16 against five people, including "three unidentified foreign nationals," who allegedly took part in schemes to plant information technology workers in positions at U.S. companies and "raise revenue for North Korea."