Morning Docket

* The financial crisis has everyone reeling. Here’s a good American solution: sue! [Bloomberg] * Paul Clement may have to suspend his rubber hose business for now. He and fellow former DOJ-er David Ayres are getting sucked into the Abramoff legal abyss. [Washington Times] * It’s “the fiercest battle in products liability law today.” SCOTUS […]

* The fiscal crisis continues to escalate. The Fed and Treasury Department are making historic, rapid-fire decisions every hour. But in Congress, lawmakers are just sitting around, twiddling their thumbs. [Washington Post] * John Grisham is deemed “the innocent man.” Judge dismisses libel suit against him. [Associated Press] * It’s not just Biglaw sharing office […]

* The Fed reverses course and agrees to bail out insurance giant American International Group. [Forbes] * Alaskan lawmakers file suit to stop the “Troopergate” investigation of Sarah Palin. [New York Times] * Eight lawyers are on the American Lawyer’s 2008 Lifetime Achievers list for “history-making accomplishments.” [American Lawyer] * The law against baggy pants […]

* Judge James Peck, the second-most junior bankruptcy judge in Manhattan, will handle the Lehman case, the biggest bankruptcy in history. [Bloomberg] * No vroom for snowmobiles in the national parks, rules Judge Emmet Sullivan. [New York Times] * First day of the O.J. Simpson robbery trial. But people are already totally over it. No […]

* While the vultures descend on Lehman, another big company joins the death watch. Insurance giant American International Group is looking to sell off its major assets. [New York Times] * Does $10 for unlimited monthly text messaging seem high to you? Maybe it will change. An antitrust class action suit has been filed against […]

* New York criminal defense lawyer Robert Simels has been spending too much time with the bad guys. He was arrested yesterday for trying to “eliminate and neutralize witnesses” in a drug-trafficking case. [Bloomberg] * Judge sides with the Federal Election Commission, putting the muzzle on The Real Truth About Obama. [Associated Press] * The […]

* Senators John McCain and Barack Obama will appear together today at the September 11 memorial service in New York City. [Time] * Another scandal from the employees at the Interior Department. Sex, cocaine, and gifts from energy companies. [Washington Post] * Speaking of sex scandals, toilet stall foot tapper Larry Craig wants to withdraw […]

[Ed. note: Sorry for the delay. We were experiencing some technical difficulties but now everything is under control. Wait, … what? Even Nedry knew enough to not mess with the raptor fences. Dr. Arnold? Ahhhhhhh.] * The investment bank Lehman Brothers fights to survive. [Washington Post] * SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas says the Constitution is […]

* The DOJ is prepping for its antitrust showdown with Google. It has hired Hogan and Hartson partner (and former legal Mouseketeer) Sandy Litvack for the case. [Information Week] * Berkeley tree-sitters refuse to comply with court ruling and come down for the sake of a new athletic center. Even after getting immunity for throwing […]

* Big government to the rescue. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be taken over and bailed out, with taxpayer-funded infusions of up to $200 billion. [Washington Post] * How do you get the youth vote out legally? Virginia says college students shouldn’t register to vote from their college address. If parents claim them as […]

* Senator John McCain had a tough act to follow after the electrifying Wednesday night speech by his VP pick, Sarah Palin. He accepted the nomination and promised that change is a-comin.’ [Washington Post] * Nearly 400 protesters were arrested outside of the Republican National Convention last night. For singing a Rage Against the Machine […]

* Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani were in attack dog mode during the Republican convention last night. [New York Times] * A look at the laws that govern Facebook. Being too active can get you banned, as our very own David Lat discovered. [Washington Post] * Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick heads to court today for […]

* Former Tyco execs Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, of $6,000 shower curtain fame, are back in court, looking to overturn their convictions. [Business Week] * O.J. Simpson, of glove-don’t-fit fame, heads to court in Las Vegas next week for his alleged gunpoint robbery incident. [Associated Press] * The Republican Convention rolls on. Sarah Palin […]

* The Republican Convention kicks off this week in St. Paul. They were worried about Hurricane Gustav, but Hurricane Sarah Palin has been the talk of the weekend. The Republican Veep candidate revealed that her 17-year-old daughter is a baby mama. [New York Times] *… And O’Melveny and Myers partner Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr. is […]

* The Democratic love fest peaked last night. Senator Barack Obama addressed more than 80,000 people in a Denver football stadium. Our favorite line was his take on “it’s not me, it’s you.” [New York Times] * A reporter for ABC News wasn’t feeling the love at the Democratic convention this week. Denver police arrested […]

* Barack Obama and Joe Biden accept the love of the Democratic Party. [Washington Post] * Sobering news for the lovefest: “A potential conflict of interest involving Biden and one of the nation’s biggest asbestos litigation law firms.” [Politico] * Bad Citibank! It owes 53,000 credit card customers $14 million for stealing their positive balances. […]

* Those Bratz got a spanking, but not as severe a spanking as Mattel hoped. The jury awarded Mattel $100 million, rather than the $1 billion Quinn Emanuel’s John Quinn had requested. [CNN] * U.S. District Judge John D. Bates rules Harriet Miers must testify before Congress. The big moment could come as early as […]

* Some of you might have already noticed, but a former Sidley Austin associate had a big night. [ABA Journal; MSNBC] * More reasons to dump Internet Explorer if you haven’t done so already. [Res Ipsa Blog] * Maybe instead of professional responsibility, they should teach “internet scams for dummies” in law school. [ABA Journal] […]

* A 72-year-old accountant from Minnesota challenged the IRS, and won. The accountant now wants a second Boston Tea Party. [Associated Press] * Wilmer Hale has launched a series of associate blogs as part of a new recruiting effort. [BLT: The Blog of Legal Times] * The Olympics aren’t the only thing bailing on Beijing. […]

* Federal judge grants stay of execution in Texas because the condemned man may be insane. Judge Orlando Luis Garcia chastised the state courts for refusing to hire mental health experts to assess the man’s sanity. [New York Times] * Bush administration will implement a regulation to protect anti-abortion health workers. [Washington Post] * Three […]