Morning Docket: 05.10.17

* Former FBI Director James Comey found out that he'd been fired in the worst way possible. He apparently saw the news of his sudden termination on television, and originally thought that it was some sort of a prank being played on him. When you get fired and everyone in the world knows about it before you do, that takes trolling to a whole new level. Ice cold. [New York Daily News] * In other news, with Comey out of the way, President Donald Trump really wants to drill home the alternative fact that he has no connections to Russia. According to White House press secretary Sean Spicer, Trump hired a "leading law firm in Washington, D.C." to send a letter to that effect to Senator Lindsey Graham. Which "leading law firm in Washington, D.C." could it be? [NBC News] * The Law School Admissions Council has named Dean Kellye Y. Testy of the University of Washington School of Law as its new president and CEO. Testy will step down from her current position to take the lead on several new initiatives at LSAC, including increasing the frequency of when the LSAT is administered and offering free online prep materials for the exam. Congratulations! [ABA Journal] * "[W]e are reviewing all Department of Justice policies to focus on keeping Americans safe and will be issuing further guidance and support to our prosecutors executing this priority." Attorney General Jeff Sessions seems interested in reinstating harsh punishments for low-level drug crimes, up to and including severe mandatory minimum sentences. [Washington Post] * Andrew Luger was once the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, but in March, AG Jeff Sessions demanded that as an Obama-era holdover, he resign from his position. A few months have passed, and now Luger will actually have an opportunity to work intimately with the Trump administration. He's now a member of the partnership at a firm with close ties to the president: Jones Day. [Am Law Daily] * Travel bans, and SCOTUS appointments, and executive powers, oh my! Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were filled with such legal lunacy that professors at the Cardozo School of Law were inspired to create a 10-week course on Trumpism and the rule of law. Were they worried that the president would stop providing for material for them to work with? No, absolutely not. [HuffPost]

James Comey (Getty Images)

James Comey (Getty Images)

* Former FBI Director James Comey found out that he’d been fired in the worst way possible. He apparently saw the news of his sudden termination on television, and originally thought that it was some sort of a prank being played on him. When you get fired and everyone in the world knows about it before you do, that takes trolling to a whole new level. Ice cold. [New York Daily News]

* In other news, with Comey out of the way, President Donald Trump really wants to drill home the alternative fact that he has no connections to Russia. According to White House press secretary Sean Spicer, Trump hired a “leading law firm in Washington, D.C.” to send a letter to that effect to Senator Lindsey Graham. Which “leading law firm in Washington, D.C.” could it be? [NBC News]

* The Law School Admissions Council has named Dean Kellye Y. Testy of the University of Washington School of Law as its new president and CEO. Testy will step down from her current position to take the lead on several new initiatives at LSAC, including increasing the frequency of when the LSAT is administered and offering free online prep materials for the exam. Congratulations! [ABA Journal]

* “[W]e are reviewing all Department of Justice policies to focus on keeping Americans safe and will be issuing further guidance and support to our prosecutors executing this priority.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions seems interested in reinstating harsh punishments for low-level drug crimes, up to and including severe mandatory minimum sentences. [Washington Post]

* Andrew Luger was once the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, but in March, AG Jeff Sessions demanded that as an Obama-era holdover, he resign from his position. A few months have passed, and now Luger will actually have an opportunity to work intimately with the Trump administration. He’s now a member of the partnership at a firm with close ties to the president: Jones Day. [Am Law Daily]

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* Travel bans, and SCOTUS appointments, and executive powers, oh my! Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office were filled with such legal lunacy that professors at the Cardozo School of Law were inspired to create a 10-week course on Trumpism and the rule of law. Were they worried that the president would stop providing for material for them to work with? No, absolutely not. [HuffPost]


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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