Above the Law

Morning Docket: 09.19.25

* Craving another law firm ranking? Of course you are! The Global 200 is here. [Law.com International]

* Trump-appointed judge calls out DOJ for making false claims to deport a bunch of children under the radar. [Washington Post]

* Tennessee Supreme Court suggests dropping the ABA for law school accreditation. Hey, maybe PragerU could step in! [Law.com]

* Law professor suspended over Charlie Kirk comments. [ABA Journal]

* After unconstitutionally pressuring ABC to suspend Kimmel, FCC chair proposes investigating The View. [Politico]

* DOJ eliminating neutral hiring process for Civil Rights Division, handing hiring authority over to Trump loyalists. [Bloomberg Law News]

* A conversation with an FBI whistleblower who raised questions about the agency’s name check program. [Whistleblower of the Week]

First They Came For Colbert… — See Also

Jimmy Kimmel’s Show “Indefinitely Suspended” After Mild Trump Joke: We may have to actually legalize comedy soon.

Trump Wants To Charge Protesters With RICO: Finding new ways to step all over the Constitution.

These Are The Firms You Don’t Want To Go Up Against: Does your firm induce fear in opposing counsel?

Biglaw Firm Sued By “Anti-Woke” Startup: The suit is to the tune of $1.7B.

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Improv For Lawyers: How Taking Improv Classes Can Make You A Better Attorney

Improv can help lawyers overcome their stage fright and fear of public speaking.

Dylann Roof’s Judge Arrested On Child Porn Charges And Denied Bond

What a dark judicial legacy.

‘Anti-Woke’ Startup Suing Biglaw Firm Because Why The Hell Not

The firm is facing allegations of malpractice.

The 5 Biggest Retirement Planning Mistakes Lawyers Make (And How To Fix Them)

Retirement planning really is about building your ultimate fallback plan — financial independence and life satisfaction insurance.

The Biglaw Firms That Strike Fear In The Hearts Of Opposing Counsel (2026)

These firms are home to the most cutthroat litigators out there.

Bridging The Gap Between Law School And On-The-Job Training

Another installment of the MoloLamken Advocacy Academy successfully concluded last month.

Trump Demands RICO For Protestors

Quick, someone ask him who RICO is!

Starting A Law Firm: A Radical Act

By choosing independence, solos upend hierarchies that deserve to be unsettled and renew and diversify the profession by creating alternative paths. 

A New Wrinkle In AI Hallucination Cases: Lawyers Dinged For Failing To Detect Opponent’s Fake Citations

This may be the first judicial decision to touch on whether lawyers have a duty to detect and report their opponents’ AI-generated fake citations.

We’re In The Cancelling Talk Shows Phase Of Free Speech Crackdowns

We are inching closer to Fox and Friends being the only joke of a news source left on TV.

Inside Duke’s Approach To Building And Buying AI Tools

Duke University Health System is deploying a mix of homegrown and purchased AI tools to ease clinicians’ administrative burden and improve patient care.

Morning Docket: 09.18.25

* Rudy Giuliani owes lawyers roughly $1.3 million. [NY Times]

* Late night host Jimmy Kimmel pulled off the air after FCC threatened ABC broadcast license. So go ahead and set that First Amendment crisis clock to midnight. [Variety]

* Cadwalader losing talent, but not engaged in merger talks… yet. [American Lawyer]

* Go “anti-woke,” go broke, and then sue blaming Winston & Strawn. [Law360]

* The IPO oligopoly. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Morgan & Morgan sues Disney to use Steamboat Willie in test of public domain status. [AP News]

* Immigration judge orders Mahmoud Khalil deportation as part of crackdown on Israel criticism. [Reuters]