Department of Justice
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7th Circuit, Crime, Department of Justice, Money
Inspector Javert Goes Smurfing In Indiana
You might be charged with a crime if your money smells bad. -
Antitrust, Benchslaps, Brett Kavanaugh, D.C. Circuit, Department of Justice, Laurence Silberman
A Benchslap Postscript: Mo' Words, Mo' Problems
These poor lawyers before the D.C. Circuit just can't catch a break. - Sponsored
How AI Is The Catalyst For Reshaping Every Aspect Of Legal Work
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Antitrust, Benchslaps, Brett Kavanaugh, D.C. Circuit, Department of Justice, Laurence Silberman
Benchslap Of The Day: LMAO At D.C. Cir.
This is funny. You should read it.
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Barack Obama, Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Federal Government
Despite Promises To Fight Mortgage Fraud, DOJ Basically Ignored It, Then Claimed Success With Faulty Stats
Say one thing, do another. That sounds mighty familiar. -
Barack Obama, Civil Rights, Death Penalty, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Minority Issues, Politics, Racism
Welcome To The Post-Filibuster Senate: The Bipartisan Rejection Of Debo Adegbile
Who killed Debo Adegbile's nomination to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division? Democrats -- and they were right to do so. -
3rd Circuit, Deaths, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Immigration, Judicial Nominations, Law Professors, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Morning Docket, Racism, SCOTUS, Securities Law, Supreme Court, Video games, Violence
Morning Docket: 03.06.14
* Foreclosure attorney Bruce Richardson alleges that Hogan Lovells partner David Dunn hit him with a briefcase in front of a court officer. That’s how they roll in state court. (Expect more on this later.) [New York Daily News; New York Post]
* From cop killer to nomination killer: Mumia’s the word that stopped Debo Adegbile’s nomination to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. [Washington Post]
* In happier nomination news, congratulations to former Breyer clerk Vince Chhabria, as well as to Beth Freeman and James Donato, on getting confirmed to the federal bench for the Northern District of California. [San Francisco Chronicle]
* It’s been a good week for amicus briefs. Congrats to Professors Adam Pritchard and Todd Henderson for getting the attention — and perhaps the votes — of several SCOTUS justices. [New York Times]
* How a Cornell law student got her father to foot the bill for half of her pricey legal education. [ATL Redline]
* As I predicted, the Ninth Circuit’s ruling in United States v. Maloney didn’t sweep the alleged prosecutorial misconduct under the rug by granting the government motion without comment. [The Atlantic]
* RACEISM™ alert: federal prosecutors allege that deputies to a North Carolina sheriff accused of racial profiling of Latinos shared links to a violent and racist video game. [Raleigh News & Observer]
* Speaking of mistreatment of Latinos, a recent Third Circuit decision spells good news for some immigrant communities. [Allentown Morning Call]
* Sarah Tran, the law professor who taught class from her hospital bed, RIP. [Give Forward]
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Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Health Care / Medicine
Eric Holder Goes To Extraordinary Lengths To Prove Obamacare's Viabilty
What was Attorney General Eric Holder hospitalized for? -
Crime, Department of Justice, DUI / DWI, Health Care / Medicine, Law Professors, Legal Research, Non-Sequiturs, Paralegals, Rape, Westlaw
Non-Sequiturs: 02.17.14
* Were you using Westlaw last week and saw this image? Here’s why… [Westlaw] * A federal judge is charged with DUI. And there’s video of the arrest! [American Press] * A heartwrenching poem from a law professor about discrimination. Wait, it’s not about race or gender discrimination but about not getting tenure as a legal writing professor. Yeah, that makes sense. [TaxProf Blog] * Criminal defense lawyers are part-counselor, listening to the woes of their clients. Should basic instruction in therapy be part of professional training? [Katz Justice] * The collapse of legal industry could be happening again, this time to the medical profession. [The Atlantic] * Jeez, I had no idea that the paralegal industry is enjoying such a surge in hiring. I guess it makes sense… you get all the drudgery work of a young lawyer at half the cost. [George Washington University] * A new DOJ report confirms what we all expected: Montana law enforcement officials are kind of terrible at prosecuting sexual assault cases. [Jezebel] - Sponsored
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Barack Obama, Biglaw, Celebrities, Department of Justice, Elena Kagan, Eric Holder, Fabulosity, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Joe Biden, Parties, Partner Issues, Politics, Samantha Power, SCOTUS, Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks, White House Counsel
18 Legal Celebrities At The White House State Dinner
Who were some of the famous lawyers at Tuesday night's White House State Dinner? -
Department of Justice, Job Searches, White-Collar Crime
As Snow Blankets The East Coast, The Freeze At DOJ Is Over
The government can finally start staffing up. What does this mean for the legal world? -
Biglaw, Clerkships, D.C. Circuit, David Boies, Department of Justice, Fabulosity, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Hillary Clinton, Litigators, Litigatrix, Media and Journalism, Politics, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks, U.S. Attorneys Offices, White House Counsel
Boies Schiller Expands In D.C. By Hiring Young Legal Superstars
Who is the latest legal eagle to feather her nest at the elite litigation firm? -
2nd Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Antitrust, Canada, Department of Justice, Job Searches, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Technology
Morning Docket: 02.11.14
* The DOJ lifted its three-year hiring freeze yesterday. There are thousands of jobs out there waiting for the perfect applicant. You know what that means: apply to EVERY SINGLE JOB and see what sticks. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Sorry, Apple, but it looks like you’re going to have to keep that pricey e-books antitrust monitor after all. The Second Circuit just nixed the company’s bid to ditch Michael Bromwich of Goodwin Procter. [Reuters]
* It looks like the ABA is going to move toward allowing paid externships for law students — because being paid to work is smarter than paying to work. Oh good, we’re glad someone finally realized that. [National Law Journal]
* Cleveland-Marshall’s solo practice incubator will be up and running in March. Ten lucky grads will pay rent to their law school to learn what they should’ve when they were still paying tuition. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
* If you think you’ve got it bad as a 3L here in America, think again. Canadian 3Ls in Ontario are looking at a 79 percent increase in articling and licensing fees, bringing the grand total to almost $5,000. [CBC News]
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Department of Justice, White-Collar Crime
Unsealing The Trial Penalty?
Kevin Ring's lawyers want the world to see the presentation he was given by DOJ. The DOJ does not want you to have any clue what they told him.
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Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
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6th Circuit, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Legal Ethics, Travel / Vacation
Was This 'Judicial Giant' Toppled By An Ethics Investigation?
How much did the judge agree to pay back to the federal government in travel expenses? A six-figure sum.... -
Barack Obama, Constitutional Law, Department of Justice, Election Law, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Health Care / Medicine, Law Schools, Morning Docket, S.D.N.Y., SCOTUS, Shira Scheindlin, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 12.24.13
* People have “greatly underestimated how powerful a jurist Justice Sotomayor would be,” and now that one of her concurrences flies directly in the face of Obama’s NSA tactics, we’ll get to see how powerful she really is. [MSNBC]
* Here’s a fun end-of-the-year roundup: President Obama’s Top 10 Constitutional Violations of 2013. Fifty internet points shall be awarded to the first person who correctly guesses how many are related to Obamacare without looking. [Forbes]
* Following Judge Shira Scheindlin’s stop-and-frisk spanking, the Southern District of New York changed its rules on case assignments in order to increase transparency. Related-case judge-shopping just got a whole lot harder. [New York Times]
* Wiley Rein is defending its fee request in the Voting Rights Act case, and says the Department of Justice is “[tying] itself in knots” trying to find a way to get out of paying the piper. Harsh. [Blog of Legal Times]
* These are four ways you can overcome a low GPA when applying to law school, but really, the best way to overcome a low GPA is to not apply at all. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
* “I am not trying to bring down the NSA, I am working to improve the NSA.” Now that he’s unleashed all of America’s deep dark secrets, Edward Snowden just wants to Google like a regular guy. [Washington Post]
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Antonin Scalia, Biglaw, Department of Justice, Election Law, Gay Marriage, Holidays and Seasons, Non-Sequiturs, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 12.23.13
* Hughes Hubbard & Reed is doing its part to help fulfill wishes made in children’s letters to Santa at a time when the Post Office’s Operation Santa program is in desperate need. So to all you other Biglaw firms, the ball’s in your court. [USA Today] * Judge Timothy Black cited Justice Scalia’s dissent to reject Ohio’s gay marriage ban. I’m sure this is a cite that warms the justice’s heart. [Associated Press] * Professor Pam Karlan is off to become Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Voting Rights. Here’s the last article of the preeminent voting rights expert in her old role as a commentator at the Boston Review describing strange SCOTUS bedfellows. Good luck in the new job! [Boston Review] * Good news for Florida lawyers! The Florida Bar has revoked its opinion banning LinkedIn endorsements and recommendations. Go back to patting each other on the digital back. [IT-Lex] * Realtors are getting sued for using a home as a sex pad. Strangely enough, this isn’t even the first time we’ve talked about this at Above the Law. [New York Magazine] * Do you have to work over vacation? Probably, but it’s worth researching. [TaxProf Blog via Corporate Counsel] * We shouldn’t have been so surprised by the affluenza defense because North Texas is basically one big monument to the concept. [New York Times] * Here’s an infographic showing the most popular TV show set in each state. What legal shows make the list? [Business Insider] * The top 10 most ridiculous lawsuits of the year. Apple porn guy clocks in at a mere number 10? Outrage! Bigger outrage: they ultimately link to the HuffPo write-up of… the original Above the Law piece. Why no direct link, hm? Video embedded after the jump… [Faces of Lawsuit Abuse] -
Department of Justice, Eric Holder, White-Collar Crime
Prison, Federalizing State Crime, And Drones -- All That And More In The Inspector General's Year-End Memo
A peek inside the Department of Justice. -
2nd Circuit, Benchslaps, Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Jed Rakoff, Media and Journalism, S.D.N.Y., U.S. Attorneys Offices, Wall Street, White-Collar Crime
Judge Rakoff Rips The Government For Dropping The Ball On Financial Crimes
Prosecutors have more or less looked the other way when it comes to the activities that sparked the financial meltdown. Judge Rakoff offers his explanation of what's gone wrong. -
Clerkships, Department of Justice, Fabulosity, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, J. Harvie Wilkinson III, Merrick Garland, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Congratulations To The 2014 Bristow Fellows
Which law schools and lower-court judges send the most people into prestigious Bristow Fellowships at the U.S. Solicitor General's Office? -
Antonin Scalia, Biglaw, Canada, Department of Justice, Election Law, Gay, Jed Rakoff, Law Professors, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Native Americans, Partner Issues, S.D.N.Y., SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Wall Street
Morning Docket: 12.17.13
* Despite his hatred of 3L classes like “Law and Unicorns,” Justice Scalia believes that the third year of law school is necessary — perhaps a necessary evil, but still necessary. [Memphis Daily News]
* “[T]his excuse — sometimes labeled the ‘too big to jail’ excuse — is disturbing, frankly….” The eminently quotable Judge Rakoff is at it again, this time with harsh words for the DOJ. [New York Times]
* According to the latest survey from Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group, managing partners think that 2014 will be better than 2013. This means bonuses will be the same next year. [Am Law Daily]
* Attorneys from Wiley Rein are fighting for $2 million in fees in the wake of their SCOTUS win in the Shelby County Voting Rights Act case. The firm’s quest has been called “absurd.” [National Law Journal]
* “The record is utterly devoid of any evidence of criminal intent or intentional misconduct.” It turns out that Guy Lewis and Michael Tein, the attorneys accused of malpractice by the Miccosukee Indians, weren’t bad after all. [Daily Business Review]
* Rather than pegging its value at $1 million, a professor from a fourth-tier law school is promoting the “non-economic value” of a law degree. Can “cultural capital” repay your loans? [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* “[N]o law school in Canada should be allowed to weed out gay students.” Too bad. Trinity Western University, the law school that bans gay “sexual intimacy,” received preliminary approval. [Globe and Mail]
* Law school specialization and you: follow these three simple steps to help you decide which niche you’ll be unable to find a job in after you graduate. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]