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DoD Previews New Third-Party Cyber Certification Requirements

Client Alert | 1 min read | 06.17.19

The Department of Defense is moving closer to a third-party certification to ensure compliance with its standard cybersecurity requirements – what is being called the “Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification” (CMMC). While still in the early stages of development, the CMMC would likely require all contractors subject to DFARS 252.204-7012 to obtain a certification issued by an independent third party stating that the contractor has sufficiently implemented its required cybersecurity controls. Holding this certification would be a “go/no-go” condition to compete for relevant DoD work. Although NIST SP 800-171 is the default cybersecurity standard currently required under -7012, DoD is also exploring the creation of a new standard that would govern the certification. DoD is projecting that the CMMC will start appearing in solicitations as early as Fall 2020, but much work remains to be done – including potential revisions to -7012 – and will no doubt be informed by extensive industry engagement. 

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.21.25

A Sign of What’s to Come? Court Dismisses FCA Retaliation Complaint Based on Alleged Discriminatory Use of Federal Funding

On November 7, 2025, in Thornton v. National Academy of Sciences, No. 25-cv-2155, 2025 WL 3123732 (D.D.C. Nov. 7, 2025), the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation complaint on the basis that the plaintiff’s allegations that he was fired after blowing the whistle on purported illegally discriminatory use of federal funding was not sufficient to support his FCA claim. This case appears to be one of the first filed, and subsequently dismissed, following Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s announcement of the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative on May 19, 2025, which “strongly encourages” private individuals to file lawsuits under the FCA relating to purportedly discriminatory and illegal use of federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in violation of Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (Jan. 21, 2025). In this case, the court dismissed the FCA retaliation claim and rejected the argument that an organization could violate the FCA merely by “engaging in discriminatory conduct while conducting a federally funded study.” The analysis in Thornton could be a sign of how forthcoming arguments of retaliation based on reporting allegedly fraudulent DEI activity will be analyzed in the future....

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