Cass Sunstein

  • Non-Sequiturs: 08.18.17
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 08.18.17

    * The first letter of every paragraph in this rebuke to President Trump from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities spell out the word “Resist.” That’s putting your English degree to its highest possible use. [Politico]

    * “[The Statue to Stephen Foster] was commissioned in 1900 by a local newspaper editor who imagined Foster, ‘catching the inspiration for his melodies from the fingers of an old darkey reclining at his feet strumming negro airs upon an old banjo,’ per a 2010 City Paper article.” The “culture” some people are defending is embarrassing for y’all. [Very Smart Brothers]

    * This is why we can’t have nice things like democracy vouchers. Alternative headline: we can have democracy vouchers and catch the people who try to abuse them. [Election Law Blog]

    * The ABA is rolling out a “fact check” website for the public looking for legal information. It’s an interesting idea. I wonder if they should do it for law schools? Hmm… if only there were some body, some “accreditation association” of some kind, that could professionally fact check law schools, and deny an imprimatur of legitimacy on schools that routinely mislead their students. I’m telling you, the ABA might be onto something here. [Simple Justice]

    * I’m in the Daily Caller pooping on Roger Taney. I’m sure no minds have been changed but, hey, Dred Scott didn’t win either. [Daily Caller]

    * Cass Sunstein heroically managed to talk about infrastructure. [Bloomberg View]

    * This is probably the first day that I’ve been excited to check in with Breitbart. “Get Ready For Bannon The Barbarian,” they say. Yeah. This popcorn is so good, you guys. [Breitbart]

  • Morning Docket: 05.05.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 05.05.16

    * Florida public defender disbarred over sex and drugs with inmates. Amazingly, this is not just an update of this story about… a Florida public defender allegedly caught banging an inmate. What’s going on with these Florida public defenders? [NY Daily News]

    * Law firms know they need to radically change their model and yet haven’t done anything about it. But they’re telling GCs it’s the clients’ fault for not pushing firms harder to change. Holy blame the victim, Batman. [Law360]

    * As some of you may have heard by now, Milbank Tweed is ditching its downtown home for relatively law firm-free Chelsea. Cue Steve Winwood: “Back on the High Line again…” [Real Estate Weekly]

    * Law school rechristening its building over its namesake’s KKK ties. Political correctness run amok — remember when you could support lawless acts of terrorism against minorities and be venerated by institutions of higher learning? [CBS News]

    * Judge Alan Simon has already received a suspension after a commission found a “history of bullying and verbally abusing court staffers” and now he may be losing his job. [Law360]

    * Cass Sunstein explains the Constitution with Darth Vader’s help. As it turns out he’s got a book about it too (affiliate link). [National Law Journal]

    * A panel discusses the labor and employment implications of legalized marijuana. Pretty sure Afroman already covered these when he intoned: “I was gonna go to work but then I got high/I just got a new promotion but I got high/now I’m selling dope and I know why yea hey/cause I got high/cause I got high/cause I got high.” [Corporate Counsel]

    * A breakthrough, “gotcha” moment on cross-examination in a big case is such a holy grail achievement of Matlockian proportions that we should celebrate it whenever it happens. Skadden managed to net one in a $2.1 billion suit this week. [Litigation Daily]

    * Kirkland & Ellis offering “emotional fitness training” at its offices. Pretty sure the curriculum for Biglaw attorneys should be a primer on Wheaton’s Law and this video with the word “baseball” replaced with “law.” [Kirkland & Ellis]

  • Non-Sequiturs: 01.04.16
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 01.04.16

    * Guess what? Science says political incorrectness is an insincere sham. Sounds about right to me. [The Denver Post]

    * How are Law and Order: SVU and law school exams the same? The both desperately try to wedge current events into their same old, boring fact patterns. In related news, expect both to soon feature the issue of spousal privilege when the wife of a celebrity accused of rape is forced to give testimony against him. [The Guardian]

    * Can the Netflix show Making a Murderer actually lead to a pardon? Probably not, but it’ll make you feel better about the binge watching you did over the holidays. [Time]

    * This is why China’s new counterterrorism law is terrifying for tech companies doing business there. [Slate]

    * The ABA has released the full, school-by-school bar passage rates for 2014. Which school was the best? More interestingly, which was the worst? [Bar Exam Stats]

    * Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of the New York State Court of Appeals is retiring. He took a larger view of the law, where getting justice was not about money. [Guile Is Good]

  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 11.18.15

    * Eric Schneiderman sure is keeping busy. Now he’s investigating a troubled non-profit. [New York Daily News]

    * Legal scholar Cass Sunstein is writing a book about Star Wars. What big questions should he tackle? [New York Magazine]

    * Exploring the potential First Amendment implications for computers. [WSJ Law Blog]

    * Thank goodness she didn’t! Justice Sotomayor talks about how she nearly pulled out of the confirmation process. [Daily Progress]

    * Law firms? Slow to change? Go on… [Geek Law Blog]

    * Speaking of law firms and change, here’s some advice on updating your website. [Law Reboot]

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  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 09.04.15

    Ed. note: Due to the Labor Day holiday we will be on a reduced publication schedule today, and observing the holiday on Monday. Hope everyone has an enjoyable, restful and long weekend.

    * Oh yay! An attorney hits something with his car, doesn’t stop, and uses the “I’m an attorney!” line, complete with F-bombs. And he was drinking, because of course he was. [Legal Profession Blog]

    * You shoot for the stars Utah! Utah Law announced a new initiative to have 100 percent bar passage and 100 percent professional employment. [Tax Prof Blog]

    * Burn! Not only did the Ninth Circuit overturn Judge Robert Jones’s decision, they reassigned the case. [Election Law Blog]

    * A war between Harvard Law professors! Okay, it’s just a war of words, but Cass Sunstein really takes it to former Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren and law prof turned presidential candidate Larry Lessig. [American Thinker]

    * Lessons on being a lawyer you can get from watching Peggy Olson. [Careerist]

    * Here’s a horrifying fact: “Defendants who can’t make bail, regardless of their crime, are four times more likely to be sentenced to time in prison.” [Pacific Standard]

    * This is fun! A 1947 anti-union propaganda comic put out by General Electric. [Lawyers, Guns and Money]

    * Food in exchange for legal advice. Seems like a good deal. [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]

    * Moving ever closer to the day when a marriage license for a same sex couple is just a matter of paperwork — even in Kentucky. [Huffington Post]

  • American Bar Association / ABA, Cass Sunstein, Celebrities, Crime, Deaths, Federal Judges, John Roberts, Law Schools, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Violence

    Morning Docket: 08.12.14

    * “No person, no matter how high, is above the law.” It would seem Chief Judge John Roberts is unfamiliar with many of the attorneys we write about on a daily basis. [Associated Press]

    * Considering many Americans can’t name a single justice, whether the high court issues 9-0 or 5-4 opinions likely matters little, but Cass Sunstein has a study on it. [New York Times]

    * Judge Mark Fuller (M.D. AL) spent a night in jail this weekend after an alleged domestic violence incident with his wife. He paid $5,000 bond before he was released. Uhh… Roll Tide? [CNN]

    * The ABA moved forward with reforms to help students gain clinical and distance-learning opportunities. Alas, being paid for work was too controversial this time. [National Law Journal]

    * A woman who was trapped inside a law firm as a gunman opened fire before killing himself is now suing everyone for damages. You’d probably sue, too — it must’ve been terrifying. [Times-Picayune]

    * Robin Williams, the beloved actor who recently played a very disgruntled lawyer, RIP. [ABC News]

  • American Bar Association / ABA, Cass Sunstein, Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Non-Sequiturs, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Tax Law

    Non-Sequiturs: 04.01.14

    So which of these are real and which are not? * Cass Sunstein is writing listicles on the best Supreme Court justices. [Bloomberg View] * Attorney General Holder is really going to get to the bottom of these serious allegations that the IRS targeted conservative groups. [TaxProf Blog] * The ABA is ending the mandatory use of the LSAT to allow some struggling schools more flexibility in filling empty seats. [The Faculty Lounge] * The DOJ is looking into whether or not “God” has such a stranglehold on religion in America that it constitutes an antitrust violation. [The Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * A pair of Texas lawyers tussle over the rights to a motorcycle club they ran. [Texas Lawyer] * Americans in the 80s made fun of lawyers more than any other society. [Overlawyered]
  • Asians, Books, Cass Sunstein, Celebrities, Drinking, Drugs, Elena Kagan, Jed Rubenfeld, Kids, Law Professors, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Racism, SCOTUS, Student Loans, Supreme Court, Tax Law

    Non-Sequiturs: 02.03.14

    * Woody Allen’s lawyer, Elkan Abramowitz, responds to Dylan Farrow’s account of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of her famous father. [Gawker; Gothamist] * Sound advice from Professor Glenn Reynolds on how not to increase applications to your law school. [Instapundit] * What is a “nitro dump,” and will it provide information about who (or what) killed Philip Seymour Hoffman? [ATL Redline] * “Is Elena Kagan a ‘paranoid libertarian?’ Judging by [Cass] Sunstein’s definition, the answer is yes.” [Reason via Althouse] * A petition of possible interest to debt-laden law school graduates: “Increase the student loan interest deduction from $2,500 to the interest actually paid.” [WhiteHouse.gov] * Vivia Chen wonders: Is Amy Chua, co-author of The Triple Package (affiliate link), being attacked as racist in a way that it itself racist? [Time] * Yikes — journalists around the country have been receiving “a flurry of subpoenas in recent months,” according to Jeff Kosseff of Covington & Burling. [InsideTechMedia] * Congratulations to Orrick’s 15 new partners — an impressively diverse group, from a wide range of practice areas and from offices around the world. [Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe]

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  • Biglaw, Cars, Cass Sunstein, Kids, Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 09.18.12

    * Cass Sunstein provides a calm, well-reasoned discussion about how much personal opinions about sources matter in shifting people’s beliefs. Whatever, I hate that pinko commie. [New York Times] * So you know that whole “NYC hires big scary Proskauer to evict old, folk-hero newspaper vendor”? Yeah, well, maybe let’s replace “folk-hero” with alleged “back-door dealer” and “scary Proskauer lawyer” with “former NYC attorney trying to help her city out pro bono.” [New York Magazine] * This Ohio inmate says he’s too fat to be executed. That’s nuts: his extreme obesity might actually save his life. Eat your heart out, American Heart Association.[Columbus Dispatch] * “Don’t tase me bro!” Then don’t act all crazy and try to enter the courtroom with a camera… bro. [Jonathan Turley via Legal Blog Watch] * Oh snap! The Winklevii are back, and they’re investing in a new social network… for investors. Hmmm… was kind of hoping after such an extended absence they’d have come up with something with a little more pizazz. On the upside, they still look creepily identical! [SF Weekly] * Big government is completely out of control! First they try to kill grandma, and now they won’t even let two-year-olds drive cars! I can’t take this socialist nonsense anymore; I’m moving to Canada. [Legal Juice]
  • American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Cass Sunstein, Drugs, Fast Food, Gay Marriage, Guns / Firearms, Law Professors, Law Schools, Military / Military Law, Morning Docket, Sam Sparks, Sports, Student Loans, Ted Frank, UVA Law, Violence

    Morning Docket: 08.06.12

    * From the White House to the ivory tower: Cass Sunstein is leaving OIRA to return to Harvard Law. Perhaps his thoughts on behavioral economics and public policy will be appreciated in academia. [New York Times]

    * It’s too late to apologize this time, Cesar. Greenberg Traurig has been sanctioned in the TD Bank to-do for the firm’s negligent failure to bring forth documents during discovery. [Tampa Bay Business Journal]

    * Jared Loughner is reportedly set to plead guilty in the Arizona shooting attack that killed six people, including Judge John Roll, and injured 13, including former Representative Gabrielle Giffords. [Los Angeles Times]

    * Lance Armstrong is going for the gold against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, this time with a bid to Judge Sam Sparks for a restraining order blocking the USADA from forcing the cyclist into binding arbitration. [Bloomberg]

    * “[T]his is not the time for us to become an international accrediting agency.” The ABA will remain a faulty U.S. accrediting agency, because the Legal Ed Section voted against accrediting foreign law schools. [ABA Journal]

    * Apparently Texas Tech Law has more than beauty queens. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has appointed dean emeritus and current law professor Walter Huffman to the new Defense Legal Policy Board. [KCBD 11]

    * Remember Joshua Gomes, the UVA Law student who allegedly broke into the school’s registrar office? As it turns out, there’s no more “allegedly” about it. We’ll likely have more on this news later today. [Daily Progress]

    * Law school graduates’ tales of woe are still making headlines in newspapers. Please take heed, 0Ls, and remember that you decided to discount this info if you’re told that you “should have known better.” [Oregonian]

    * If you want to eat mor chikin but the thought of supporting Chick-fil-A’s stance on gay marriage is giving you indigestion, now you can eat your fill with the assistance of Ted Frank’s chicken offsets. [Huffington Post]

  • Barack Obama, Cass Sunstein, Fabulosity, Hotties, Law Professors, Quote of the Day, Samantha Power

    Quote of the Day: She'll Be Played By Julianne Moore in 'Libya: The Movie'

    [There wasn’t] some dramatic meeting in the Oval Office where everybody tried to persuade the president not to do this, and Samantha rolled in with her flowing red hair and said, ‘Mr. President, I stand here alone in telling you that history calls upon you to perform this act.’ That’s not how it happened. — […]
  • Cass Sunstein, Celebrities, Fabulosity, Law Professors, Pictures, Politics, Samantha Power, Slideshows

    ATL World Exclusive: Paparazzi Photos of Cass Sunstein and Samantha Power!

    The world is obsessed with celebrity professors Cass Sunstein and Samantha Power, who recently left the ivory tower to take high-ranking positions in the Obama Administration. He might someday sit on the Supreme Court; she’s a winner of the Pulitzer Prize; and together, as we previously reported (see the update), they’re creating the World’s Smartest […]