Deaths
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 03.19.18
* “This is crazy.” Donald Trump reportedly had members of his White House senior staff sign nondisclosure agreements that are supposed to last beyond his presidency. This raised some brows, but dissenters concluded that the contracts weren’t likely to be enforceable, so they signed on the dotted line. Yes, crazy. [Washington Post]
* With quotes from “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” President Trump’s personal lawyer, John Dowd, said — first on behalf of the president as his counsel, and later, on behalf of only himself (oopsie?) — that it’s time for the Mueller probe to end. [Daily Beast]
* And following a tweet storm about Mueller this weekend, it certainly seems like President Trump is gearing up to fire the special counsel. Congressional Republicans are less than pleased with the president’s behavior, and have issued a few stern warnings, urging Trump not to cross the “massive red [Mueller] line,” because “that would be the beginning of the end of his presidency.” [New York Times]
* Are you ready for legal sports betting? Your bookie might not be, but America’s four major U.S. sports leagues are preparing for anything and everything that could happen as a result of the Supreme Court’s forthcoming ruling. [Washington Post]
* “What’re you in for?” “A law degree.” According to a report from the ACLU, debts “from medical bills to car payments to student loans” are being criminalized, and courts across the country are issuing arrest warrants. [Idaho Statesman]
* Christopher Tripp Zanetis, NYFD fire marshal, U.S. Air Force captain, Debevoise associate, RIP. We’ll have more on his passing later today. [American Lawyer]
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Courts
Katy Perry Killed A Nun (Kinda) And She Liked It (Probably)
Nun who opposed Katy Perry in land deal literally drops dead in court. - Sponsored
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 03.12.18
* President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims that he used his home equity line to pay off Stormy Daniels out of the goodness of his heart, and while people have been focusing on the fact that he may have violated campaign finance laws, not many have mentioned that he likely violated New York’s ethics rules, would could get him disbarred. [Slate]
* Remember the time that Judge Katherine Forrest ruined the internet with a single ruling? Several media outlets are preparing to appeal to the Second Circuit, saying the copyright decision could change the internet as we know it. [Big Law Business]
* Dean Andrea Lyon of Valparaiso Law — the school that’s not closing, per se, but will stop accepting students and is hoping to merge with another school or move locations — will be resigning on June 1. No one knows what will happen to the school, and soon there won’t even be a dean. These poor students… [Indianapolis Business Journal]
* Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a foodie, and in honor of her upcoming birthday — and because “[s]he eats real food and plenty of it” — here are a few of the Notorious One’s favorite places to dine in her hometown of New York City. [am New York]
* The February bar exam has come and gone, and with it, hundreds of jobs across the entire legal services industry. According to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 200 fewer people were employed in the legal sector last month than in January. Hopefully things improve before graduation. [American Lawyer]
* “Katy Perry represents everything we don’t believe in. It would be a sin to sell to her.” Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, 89, who had been locked in litigation with the singer and the archdioces for several years over the sale of her former convent, collapsed and died in court on Friday during a post-judgment hearing. [NPR]
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Trials
Proximate Death: How A Random Chain Of Events Can Sink A Criminal Case
Almost anything that starts the chain of events leading to death can be blamed on the person who started that chain. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 02.14.18
* “Plaintiffs’ claim to being the only ones in the world who can refer to players playing and haters hating is frivolous.” Taylor Swift has successfully shaken off an absurd copyright infringement lawsuit thanks to her lawyer’s player-hating. [THR, Esq. / Hollywood Reporter]
* President Trump has nominated 87 judges thus far, and of those nominees, 80 are white, five are Asian-American, one is Hispanic, and one is African-American. Trump’s nominees are 92 percent white, which “turns the clock back on years of work and effort that went into promoting judicial diversity.” [USA Today]
* Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! What better way for a law firm to celebrate the special occasion than to offer a free divorce? We may have more on this later. [UPI]
* Yesterday was the second anniversary of Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, and [t]hanks to [his] disruption, the Supreme Court may never be the same.” Admirers, critics, and clerks share their memories of the man, the myth, the legend. [National Law Journal]
* Elizabeth Rose, a former employee of Vice Media, has filed a proposed class-action suit against the company, alleging that women were “systemically and intentionally” paid less than their male counterparts in violation of equal pay laws in New York and California, as well as in violation of the Equal Pay Act. [Los Angeles Times]
* Judge Sandra Townes, the first African-American woman to be appointed to the Eastern District of New York, has died of cancer at 73. RIP. [New York Law Journal]
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Crime
Former Lawyer Facing Child Sex Charges Killed By Police
There was an outstanding warrant for his arrest for aggravated sexual assault on a child under age 15. -
Law Schools
T14 Law Student's Death Ruled Drug Overdose
Please don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Recovery from addiction is possible -- even during law school. -
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Learn how emerging tools will likely change and enhance the work of lawyers for years to come in this new report. -
Law Schools
University Left Reeling After Law Student Commits Suicide
It was the school's eighth student suicide in the past 18 months. -
Law Schools
Ivy League Law School Suffers Second Student Death This Academic Year
The deceased student's mother said he'd always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. -
Law Schools
The Dan Markel Case: Katherine Magbanua's New Trial Date
And a statement from the Markel family. -
Small Law Firms
Former Partner Interrupts Law Firm Holiday Party And Starts Shooting
According to reports, the partner had either been fired that same day or earlier in the week. -
Law Schools
Law Student Killed In Plane Crash On Christmas Eve
His wife and father-in-law were also killed in the tragic crash.
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How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 12.27.17
* Is SCOTUS walking back its landmark commitment to equal rights for the LGBTQ community? Considering what could happen in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case and the high court’s refusal to grant cert in Pidgeon, it seems like it. It’s not as if this hasn’t happened before. ::coughBrownvBoardcough:: [New Republic]
* A federal judge ruled that an American ISIS suspect who’s been detained as a “enemy combatant” in Iraq for the last three months is, in fact, entitled to a lawyer, and called the Trump administration’s quest to deny counsel in this case “both remarkable and troubling.” [New York Times]
* Everything really is bigger in Texas: According to the ABA, there are just 0.8 percent more first-year law students this year than last year, but entering classes at law schools in the Lone Star State were 4 percent larger than they were last year. Hopefully all these students will be able to lasso themselves jobs. [Texas Lawyer]
* Lawsuits have been rolling out ever since Apple admitted that it was slowing down iPhones with older batteries, and one of them was filed by two students who currently attend USC Law and hope to get the suit certified as a class-action. This is an absolutely awesome use of winter break. [RT]
* Which states are likely to legalize marijuana in the new year? Vermont, New Jersey, and Michigan may soon end their prohibitions on cannabis, either through legislative means or by puff-puff-passing a voter referendum. [Forbes]
* If you’re a journalist with three years of experience and cover the legal profession in your reporting, consider applying to be a fellow at Loyola Law School’s annual Journalist Law School. There is no cost to attend. The application deadline is February 9, 2018. [Journalist Law School]
* Judge Thomas Griesa, the Southern District of New York jurist who oversaw the Argentine debt battle in federal court, RIP. [New York Law Journal]
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Law Schools
The Dan Markel Case: The Latest Developments
As another year draws to a close, the killers of Dan Markel have not yet been brought to justice. -
Law Schools
Death And Law School Finals
Remember that finals, despite this metaphor, aren’t death. Your grades can’t kill you. -
9th Circuit, Deaths
The Ninth Circuit's Liberal Lion Has Died
There will never be another judge quite like Harry Pregerson. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 11.22.17
* After about two weeks of silence, President Trump has finally spoken out about the sexual misconduct allegations that Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore is facing. Seeming to indicate support for the accused child molester, the president said, “Roy Moore denies it. That’s all I can say,” before he ripped into Moore’s opponent. [AL.com]
* “Practically every law school in the country is offering more tuition discounts or scholarships than they did pre-2010.” Now is apparently a great time to apply to law school, if only because it’ll wind up being cheaper than it’s been in years. [U.S. News]
* Biglaw is getting in on the green rush in Canada ahead of its nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana. Dentons, Cassels Brock, and Stikeman Elliott each have roles as counsel in a huge cannabis deal in the Great White North. [Am Law]
* Another federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from banning transgender people from serving in the military, ruling that the ban “cannot possibly constitute a legitimate governmental interest.” We can’t wait to see the president’s angry tweets about this. [Reuters]
* When it comes to parental leave at Biglaw firms, staff members are really getting the short end of the stick. In fact, at some firms, hourly staff members aren’t even considered for parental leave benefits. [Big Law Business]
* Judge William M. Hoeveler, legendary jurist (S.D. Fla.), RIP. [Miami Herald]
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Deaths
Prominent Texas Lawyer Dies After Battle With Mental Illness
Our thoughts and condolences go out to Steve Mostyn's colleagues and family at this difficult time. -
Health / Wellness
The Legal Community Has Lost A Recovery Warrior
He helped many lawyers and law students over the course of his life, and his wisdom will never be forgotten.