Antonin Scalia

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.16.15

* DraftKings and FanDuel aren't going to take a knee and allow New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to rip away their gamblers clients. Both daily fantasy sites have refused to stop conducting business in New York, and have instead filed suit against Schneiderman with some hefty Biglaw backing. [WSJ Law Blog] * During a recent speaking engagement at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Justice Antonin Scalia explained why he writes such scathingly quotable dissents: "I’m writing dissents mainly for you guys—for law students. I know it will be in the casebooks." [University of St. Thomas NewsRoom] * SCOTUS granted cert in a challenge to Texas abortion laws, and some wonder how this decision will affect other states' laws. If the justices don't think these restrictions represent an undue burden, then women may as well hang up their ovaries and go home. [Reuters] * We'll have to rely on old faithful, Justice RBG, to raise the torch for women. She recently sat down for tea with Gloria Steinem to discuss women's rights. "Ruth is better at getting along with people with whom we profoundly disagree," says Steinem. [New York Times] * The "least sexy" part of a merger? If you want to know what took the Dentons / Dacheng merger so long to be formalized, Dentons CEO Elliott Portnoy says it had to do with website, logo, communications, and marketing issues. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.30.15

* "Say you'll remember me, getting groped in a nice dress..." Uh oh! This pop star seems pretty pissed! Taylor Swift has filed a countersuit against a radio DJ who sued her because he claims he was fired for inappropriately touching the singer backstage at a concert. [Rolling Stone] * Charleston School of Law has a new president, and hopefully his tenure will be less wrought with disaster than that of his predecessors. He says he'll be paid one whole dollar per year as his salary until he can turn things around. [Charleston Post and Courier] * At a speaking engagement at Santa Clara Law earlier this week, Justice Antonin Scalia proclaimed that the Supreme Court has been "liberal" throughout the entirety of his 30-year tenure. We'd like to beg His Honor's pardon; that can't be true. [WSJ Law Blog] * As this article so eloquently puts it, "[t]he Supreme Court is about to climb back into Americans' bedrooms." Today, the high court will review several petitions from non-profit groups that want to be exempted from ACA's contraception mandate. [USA Today] * Everything's bigger in Texas, including the number of firms that are trying to enter the market. To establish a presence in the Lone Star State, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton is saying howdy to some new partners and merging with Crouch & Ramey. [ABA Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.22.15

* Brush that dirt off your shoulder: Jay-Z may have 99 problems, but this copyright lawsuit about his song "Big Pimpin'" is no longer one of them. The suit filed against the rap mogul in 2007 was dismissed on standing grounds, but the plaintiff says he plans to appeal. [Los Angeles Times] * When it comes to the death penalty, Justice Antonin Scalia says that it "wouldn't surprise [him]" if the Supreme Court were to strike it down as unconstitutional. It seems that a capital punishment case could become the next SCOTUS blockbuster. [CBS Minnesota] * No one is a fan of the Securities and Exchange Commission's in-house court system, and legislation to give financial defendants the right to opt out will be introduced in Congress later this week. Would you rather face trial before a federal judge or jury? [WSJ Law Blog] * Earlier this week, a state-court judge brought a live grenade to the courthouse, but only because he wanted to have it properly disposed of by police. The jurist currently remains unidentified, which is a good thing, because this is pretty embarrassing. [CBS Los Angeles] * Jurors in New York are paid $40 per day for their service, so you may be wondering how the confused members of the jury in the Dewey & LeBoeuf (mis)trial were able to survive on only $2,920 after five months spent in the courtroom. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky