Birth Certificate

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.28.17

* Very interesting piece by Mark Joseph Stern on Justice Neil M. Gorsuch's dissent in Pavan v. Smith (aka the "LGBT parents on birth certificates" case). It seems to me that Justice Gorsuch's statement is technically correct -- the Arkansas Department of Health (1) was okay with giving the named plaintiffs their birth certificates and (2) conceded that in the artificial-insemination context, gay couples can't be treated differently than straight couples (see the Arkansas Supreme Court opinion, footnote 1 and page 18) -- but it's either confusing, at best, or misleading and disingenuous, at worst (the view of Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, counsel to the plaintiffs). [Slate] * Speaking of Justice Gorsuch, Adam Feldman makes some predictions about what we can expect from him in the future, based on his first few opinions. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Professor Rick Hasen has made up his mind on this: "Gorsuch is the new Scalia, just as Trump promised." [Los Angeles Times] * The VC welcomes a new co-conspirator: Professor Sai Prakash, a top scholar of constitutional law and executive power. [Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * Now that Harvard Law School will accept GRE scores in lieu of LSAT scores, what do law school applicants need to know about the two tests? [Law School HQ] * And what do Snapchat users need to know about the app's new "Snap Map" feature? Cyberspace lawyer Drew Rossow flags potential privacy problems. [WFAA]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.09.16

* President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of labor, fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, is a critic of the Obama Administration's regulation in this area (and he's a former litigator, interestingly enough). [Washington Post] * Judge Bill Pryor (11th Cir.), a top SCOTUS contender in a Trump Administration, is beloved by conservatives -- but confirming him could be a battle. [Bloomberg BNA via How Appealing] * The Arkansas Supreme Court rules that married lesbian couples can't put the names of both spouses on their children's birth certificates. [WSJ Law Blog] * SEC enforcement chief Andrew Ceresney will leave the agency by the end of this year; where might he wind up? [Law.com] * Governor Andrew Cuomo met with the feds in connection with the corruption case brought against some of his former aides. [New York Times] * Michael Jordan's latest court victory -- in an IP case in China. [Bloomberg] * Alabama prisoner Ronald Smith is executed after the Supreme Court denies a stay, leaving SCOTUS review of the state's unique "judicial override" system for another day. [New York Times via How Appealing]

Barack Obama

Obama Releases Long Form Birth Certificate

I hope you are happy, Birthers. In an amazing concession to the lunatic fringe in America, President Barack Obama has released his “long form” birth certificate from Hawaii. Actually, check that, using the word “released” adopts the narrative of the crazies. It’s more accurate to say that the President of the United States successfully begged […]