After racking up an astounding record of high-stakes victories, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher beat out 71 other firms for the title of Litigation Department of the Year, winning the prize for the second time in a row.

The lawyers for the Native American tribes and associations that participated in a challenge of rules controlling mercury emissions from power plants are entitled to legal fees and costs for participating in the litigation, a divided D.C. Circuit said today.

The SEC on Friday charged six former top executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — including their ex-CEOs — with securities fraud, alleging that they knowingly approved misleading statements about the government-sponsored entities’ holdings of risky mortgages. Both Fannie and Freddie entered into non-prosecution agreements with the SEC and agreed to cooperate with the litigation against the former executives. See related story: SEC Suits Against Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Execs May Turn on Subprime Loan Definition (Subscription access)

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether Arizona’s tough anti-immigration law can be enforced or is in fatal conflict with federal immigration law.

Scott Simmons, whose salon lost power for four days in last month’s freak snowstorm, wants to make sure that Connecticut residents aren’t slammed again by the double whammy of a storm and extended power outages.