Congress

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 05.17.16

* Does anyone have any idea what Merrick Garland should be doing right now? If so, give him a buzz -- he needs your help. [The Onion] * Interview with a restaurant lawyer. See, you can specialize in anything. [First We Feast] * If law professors act like divas, should they get tenure? Does it matter how much the publish? [Tax Prof Blog] * Advice for those interested in becoming a legal writing specialist. [Reboot Your Law Practice] * Surprised by the Supreme Court punting on Zubik? You shouldn't be, it was entirely predictable. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Thanks to Arizona Law, undergrads who haven't decided what to do can keep their options open with the GRE. [NPR] * This is why legislators have to be careful about what they vote for -- otherwise unscrupulous politicians will change the name of a bill to make it look like it provides support for a potential pandemic, when it does nothing about it. [The Slot]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 11.06.15

* The Supreme Court announced today it will take up yet another challenge to the Affordable Care Act, this time on the contraceptive compromise. [Wall Street Journal] * You know all those Special Lawyer lists? Yeah, they're silly and meaningless. [Attorney at Work] * Rut-roh. Did Congress screw up and make the latest appropriations bill end a day sooner than they intended? I mean would Congress ever screw up?!?! [Notice & Comment] * Oh no they didn't! Law & Order: SVU takes on the Duggars and it is glorious. [Slate] * When Mexican Donald Trump gets going he cannot be stopped. [Funny or Die]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.21.15

* Nothing is f*cked here, Judge: With first-class flights, alcoholic beverages, and hotel movies already nixed, lawyers who worked on the City of Detroit's municipal bankruptcy case are now being forced to defend their multi-million dollar billables. [WSJ Law Blog] * "It's important to have different perspectives in Congress. It really adds a lot to the mix." That said, which law schools are the best at producing lawmakers? You may be surprised by some of the schools that made the list. [National Law Journal] * “Going to law school is still a great option," says the dean of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, a school whose 25th percentile LSAT scores dropped by six points year over year. Toss UA Law a pity application. [Daily Wildcat] * Per the defense in the Aurora movie theater massacre case, the prosecutor's "insistence upon the death penalty certainly seems politically motivated" -- that, or maybe James Holmes deserves the death penalty for killing 12 people. [ABA Journal] * By now, everyone's heard of the woman who's planning to "marry" her biological father and move to New Jersey. Believe it or not, incestual adult relationships are actually legal in the Garden State thanks to a legislative screw-up. [NJ Advance Media]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.08.15

* Here’s some JOLTing news: Megon Walker, the Harvard Law graduate who claims her life was ruined because the school accused her of being a plagiarist, just lost her defamation suit against her alma mater. [National Law Journal] * "You have a party like this and it's as though you're handing out hand grenades as party favors.” Jeff Lake, a California lawyer, was arrested and faces social host liability issues thanks to his kid's Playboy party. [Denver Channel] * Congress is back in session, and President Obama resubmitted his nomination of Loretta Lynch for U.S. attorney general, along with other judicial nods. She’ll be a “terrific attorney general,” so get this show on the road. [Legal Times] * “How many clinics do you have to close before the court says, ‘Enough’?” Lawyers for abortion clinics and Texas state attorneys faced off before the Fifth Circuit over the viability constitutionality of the Lone Star State’s abortion laws. [New York Times] * It’s a new year with new laws in effect, and it looks like 27 states, plus D.C., have made major moves with regard to weed, be it through the legalization medical marijuana or decriminalization of its possession. Do you know your rights? [CNN]

By Staci Zaretsky