Civil Rights
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Asians, China, Civil Rights, Crime, New York Times, Quote of the Day, Torture, Violence
Quote of the Day: The Law Is Serious Business (Seriously)
Famed Chinese civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng has come to America to study law… -
Biglaw, Christopher Christie, Civil Rights, Department of Justice, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Health Care / Medicine, Insurance, Law Schools, Layoffs, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Politics, Staff Layoffs
Morning Docket: 05.11.12
* Dewey seriously have one chairman again? Good Lord, this law firm is literally falling apart! Martin Bienenstock had “no plans to file bankruptcy” because he knew he was taking the first life raft off this sinking ship. [WSJ Law Blog]
* When Dewey WARN people? When it’s already too late. In case you missed it last night, the firm was served with its first suit following its en-masse layoffs. The more the merrier, because it’s a class action. [Bloomberg; WSJ Law Blog]
* Elizabeth Warren can’t decide whether she’s white or Native American. Apparently it depends on her geographic location, because she was white at UT Law, but a minority while at Penn Law. [Boston Globe]
* Racial profiling still ain’t easy, but Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio “will fight this to the bitter end.” The Department of Justice has filed a civil rights suit against the no-nonsense Sheriff and his department. [Associated Press]
* New Jersey Governor Chris Christie must be gearing up for his inevitable 2016 presidential run, because yesterday he vetoed an online insurance marketplace required by the Affordable Care Act. [New York Times]
* Syracuse Law recently broke ground on a $90M building that will serve as its new home. May political plagiarizers continue to grace the law school’s halls for years and years to come. [National Law Journal]
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Admin, Civil Rights, Holidays and Seasons, Public Interest
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Yesterday, January 15, was the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the great American civil rights leader and Nobel laureate. As noted on the Nobel website, Dr. King was just 35 years old at the time he was honored, making him the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. Please take some […]
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Civil Rights, In-House Counsel, Letter from London, Politics, Religion, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Letter from London: What Would Jesus Do?
It’s been a bad few days for the Church of England. First, it gets slammed for siding with the bankers, rather than the protesters, after its flagship venue, St Paul’s Cathedral, finds itself at the heart of Occupy London. Second, a change to the U.K.’s ancient royal succession laws strikes a blow for its great […] -
5th Circuit, Benchslaps, Civil Rights, Ridiculousness, Texas
Benchslap of the Day: Shouldn't Cheerleaders Know How to Spell?
Judge Jerry Smith of the Fifth Circuit had some harsh words about a cheerleading-related litigation: "[T]his is nothing more than a dispute, fueled by a disgruntled cheerleader mom, over whether her daughter should have made the squad. It is a petty squabble, masquerading as a civil rights matter, that has no place in federal court or any other court." -
Admin, Civil Rights, Holidays and Seasons, Public Interest
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Today we honor the birthday of the late great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 (so he would have been 82 today). The holiday of MLK Day is observed on the third Monday of January. Legislation for a holiday honoring Dr. King was first introduced […] -
Civil Rights, Drinking, Labor / Employment, Religion
Race/Religion Baiting Question of the Day: Muslim Truck Driver Objects to Trucking Beer
Truck driver Vasant Reddy is not living the high life. Reddy, a Muslim, refused to transport a shipment of Miller Lite as part of his duties. He claims he was forced to resign because of adherence to his religious beliefs. Normally refusing to deliver something would seem to be a pretty big problem if your […] -
Biglaw, Civil Rights, Gay, Job Searches, Lesbians, Rankings
Almost 100 Biglaw Firms Are Perfectly Gay
The Human Rights Campaign has released its annual Corporate Equality Index, which assesses corporate America’s progress towards equal treatment of the LGBT community. It’s a pretty great day to be gay and searching for career advice. Gawker has a list up right now on the top ten gay colleges, and the Human Rights Campaign is […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Alt Transport, Civil Rights, Minority Issues, Racism
Does Our Nation’s Transportation Policy Violate the Civil Rights Act?
“New York is a great city to live in if you can afford to get out of it,” wrote American author William Rossa Cole. The same thing works the other way around too. The wealthier you are, access to the city becomes easier. Manhattan (the city’s richest and whitest borough) is abundantly better connected to […] -
Civil Rights, Food, Lawsuit of the Day, Minority Issues, Racism, Weirdness
Lawsuit of the Day: White Man Claims BBQ Joint Violates His Civil Rights
This one is going to get really weird, really quickly. See if you can spot the civil rights violation. Issue 1: City council of Alexandria, Virginia, approves a permit for a new barbecue restaurant. Issue 2: The restaurant will have an open-air, gas grille. Did you see the potential violation? No? Well, you’re just not […] -
9/11, Civil Rights, Real Estate, Religion
Allahu Akbar! Mosque Near Ground Zero Clears a Final Hurdle
Who knew that zoning law and land use could be so controversial? A proposal to build a Muslim center and mosque just two blocks away from Ground Zero has become a huge issue here in New York — and, in fact, around the country. Opponents of the project — originally known as Cordoba House, but […] -
9th Circuit, ACLU, Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Crime, Privacy
A Brave New Genetic Database
While in journalism school, one of my “assignments” was to hang out at New York’s night court (open until 1 a.m. every night), observe the proceedings, and then write about them. It was less exciting than Judge Harry had led me to believe, but was an interesting night replete with drug addicts, prostitutes, and a […] -
Admin, Civil Rights, Holidays and Seasons, Public Interest
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Today we remember the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the pioneering civil rights leader. Dr. King’s birthday was actually on January 15th, but the holiday is observed on the third Monday of January each year. If you’re not at work, we hope that you are enjoying the day off. If you are at […]
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Civil Rights
Tales from Gitmo: The Guantanamo Lawyers
President Obama recently announced that Guantanamo Bay will not be closing in January – reneging on a promise he had made to close the detention center within a year of his taking office. This did not come as a surprise to the many lawyers who have provided counsel to the detainees in Cuba. At a […] -
Biglaw, Civil Rights, Gay, Job Searches, Lesbians, Rankings
Biglaw Is Good to Gays
Let’s give credit where credit is due. The Human Rights Campaign has released its annual Best Places to Work list. It shows that law firms are great when it comes to creating a non-discriminatory environment for gays and lesbians. The ABA Journal reports: In 2006, the first year law firms were included in the Human […] -
9th Circuit, Bankruptcy, Civil Rights, Department of Justice, Morning Docket
Morning Docket 2.9.09
* The U.S. government may force GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy to ensure re-payment of the $17.4 billion bailout to taxpayers. [Bloomberg] * A hearing today before the Ninth circuit in San Francisco will provide insight in to the administration’s views on extraordinary rendition–the secret transfer of a terror suspect from one state to another. […]
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Admin, Civil Rights, Holidays and Seasons, Public Interest
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Today we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the pioneering civil rights leader. If you’re not at work, we hope that you are enjoying the day off. (We are around, but will be posting less than usual.) If you are at work, be proud. We’re pretty sure that equal opportunities to be […] -
Antonin Scalia, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Books, Civil Rights, Google / Search Engines, Morning Docket, William Rehnquist
Morning Docket 11.18.08
* Change you can believe in? It looks like Obama has recruited a few “washington insiders”: 8 of the 10 top lawyers he has hired for his transition team are veterans of the Clinton administration. [Bloomberg.com] * After his hunt yesterday, Justice Antonin Scalia told a room full of big-time Texas lawyers that he disagreed […]
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Civil Rights, Department of Justice, Lawsuit of the Day, Shanetta Cutlar
Lawsuit of the Day: Clevenger v. Cutlar
If you’ve been reading ATL for a while, you may recall our copious coverage of Shanetta Cutlar. She’s the high-powered chief of the Justice Department’s Special Litigation Section, and she has a reputation — perhaps deserved, perhaps not — for being challenging to work for. In case you don’t remember Ms. Cutlar, this message from […] -
Civil Rights, Racism, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Theater
ATL Theater Review: Thurgood
If you’re in New York today (Sunday) and looking for something to do in the afternoon, consider checking out Thurgood. It’s a one-man show about the life of Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), starring Laurence Fishburne (best known as Morpheus of The Matrix, but with a long list of other film and theater credits). It’s an […]