Morning Docket: 05.13.08
* Yesterday at the Supreme Court: South Africa damages case will go forward (because SCOTUS has no quorum -- four justices recused); 8-1 ruling holds that federal magistrate judge may preside over jury selection in a felony trial, with defense counsel's express consent; cert granted to appeal by Virginia death row inmate. [SCOTUSblog]
* Clear Channel buyout being renegotiated; litigation will settle. [DealBook / NYT; WSJ Law Blog]
* Emperors Club booker expected to plead guilty to money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit interstate travel in aid of racketeering. [New York Times]
* The shady business of litigation finance. [Daily Business Review]
* Jury selection begins in R. Kelly kiddie porn case. [CNN]
* Earthquake in southwest China leaves 12,000 dead, with thousands more still buried under rubble. [New York Times]
(2) Comments
this sucks
What's up with S&C needing help to shore up the Cablevision-Newsday deal?
From AmLaw:
Corporate finance partners John Mead and Robert Downes led a team from Sullivan & Cromwell that provided corporate finance and antitrust advice to Cablevision . . . . "Cablevision has been keeping us very busy and it was quite a sprint getting this [deal] done," says Downes, noting that the firm was so swamped that Cablevision brought in New York's Hughes Hubbard & Reed to serve as lead M&A counsel.