Department of Justice
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Immigration, Justice, Politics
Trump Ends DACA, In Latest Proof That Elections Matter
Bet Republicans wish they had Barack Obama back. -
Immigration, Justice
Injunction Stops Texas 'Show Me Your Papers' Law: 'Cause It's Unconstitutional, Not Just Post-Harvey Cruel
The Constitution continues to stop the racists, but for how long? - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Immigration
Ninth Circuit Thinks Government Argument Is Out Of This World
I'm pretty sure this judge isn't buying it, you guys.
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.14.17
* James Alex Fields Jr., the 20-year-old accused of ramming his car into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one and injuring numerous others, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene of an accident. [NPR]
* Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who was killed in Charlottesville this weekend, was a paralegal at a small law firm where she managed the bankruptcy department. She was described as woman willing to stand up against “any type of discrimination.” We’ll have more on this tragic news later today. [New York Times]
* After being urged by Senator Ted Cruz to “prosecute this grotesque act of domestic terrorism,” the Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the deadly white supremacy rally that occurred this past weekend in Charlottesville, as the events that unfolded there “strike at the heart of American law and justice.” [Independent Journal Review; The Hill]
* “Evidently that’s not going to happen.” Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is walking back comments that he made back in April about the likelihood of a Supreme Court justice (i.e., Justice Anthony Kennedy) retiring this summer. Maybe he’ll get his wish next summer. [Reuters]
* Classes are supposed to begin at Charlotte Law in three weeks, but according to a spokesman from the University of North Carolina system, the school’s temporary license to operate has expired. The dean of the troubled law school, on the other hand, says the license hasn’t expired. Hmm… [Charlotte Observer]
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Asians, Department of Justice, Minority Issues
As Asian Americans Become More Pivotal In The Affirmative Action Debate, Both Sides Weigh In
Two opposing viewpoints on affirmative action, from Cory Liu and Jenn Fang. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.07.17
* Well, well, well… it seems that another law school has succumbed to the allure of the GRE. Which T14 law school has decided to accept the GRE for admissions purposes? We’ll have more on the law school that hopes to reel in those sweet, sweet STEM majors later today. [Law.com]
* Make Twitter great again? Lawyers from the White House and the Department of Defense had reportedly warned President Trump about the ramifications of the transgender military ban for days before he announced the policy via Twitter without warning because he was tired of being “slow-walked.” [POLITICO]
* Rep. Maxine Waters is reclaiming her time to call Alan Dershowitz a racist. The congresswoman is upset the Harvard Law professor claimed that a D.C. grand jury will be “unfavorable” to the Trump administration in the Russia case because of its liberal leanings and “ethnic and racial composition.” [Free Beacon]
* According to Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department will federally prosecute anyone and everyone who so much as thinks about leaking classified information — but not members of the press, because they’re “after leakers, not journalists.” Perhaps he ought to relay this information to his boss. [CNN]
* Kirkland & Ellis is looking for law students to join its army of summer associates in 2018. The magic number of summers is somewhere around 245, but they “could go over.” Do you have what it takes to be one of the
fewmany, theproudprestigious? Be all you can be at K&E. [Big Law Business]* Crap, it looks like the legal profession lost a ton of jobs in July. We’re talking four figures worth of jobs — 4,300 jobs, to be exact. All in, the profession has only seen an increase of 600 jobs since January, and is still down by about 50,000 jobs since pre-recession highs in May 2007. [Am Law Daily]
* The Seventh Circuit will rehear “Making a Murderer” star Brendan Dassey’s case en banc, following a 2-1 decision that Dassey’s confession to murder was coerced and that his conviction should be overturned. Perhaps the full court won’t be as sympathetic to Dassey’s situation… [Washington Post]
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Asians, Department of Justice, Minority Issues
Asian Americans Are Being Used As A Wedge To Advance The Anti-Affirmative Action Agenda
Many Asians are actually strong proponents of affirmative action. -
Department of Justice, Justice, Media and Journalism
Jeff Sessions Vows To Make Journalists Famous By Jailing Them For Protecting Sources
Leakers are optimistic, sometimes stupidly so, that things can get better. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.04.17
* The White House announces ten new judicial nominations, including two for circuit courts (previously predicted in these pages). We’ll have more on this later. [Washington Times]
* King & Spalding joins Jones Day and Sullivan & Cromwell as a “feeder firm” for the Trump administration. [Law.com]
* Will the Trump Justice Department’s possible attack on affirmative action succeed? Law professors disagree. [How Appealing]
* Michelle Carter, the woman convicted for basically texting her boyfriend into committing suicide, gets sentenced to 15 months. [ABA Journal]
* White-collar criminal defense lawyers discuss what to expect from the grand jury convened by special counsel Robert Mueller. [National Law Journal]
* The trend continues: fewer law school graduates, better employment statistics. [ABA Journal]
* Elliot Katz, a leading lawyer in the self-driving-car space, motors from DLA Piper to McGuireWoods. [Law.com]
* If you’ll be online in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 16, join me and ABA Legal Career Central for a Twitter chat about career paths for lawyers, especially alternative careers. [American Bar Association]
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Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
The Clarence Thomas Clerk Mafia: Legal Brain Trust Of The Trump Administration
Justice Clarence Thomas: legal godfather of the Trump administration. -
Biglaw, Department of Justice, Federal Government
Departure Memo Of The Day: Chris Wray Bids Farewell To King & Spalding
Christopher Wray will deeply miss his superb colleagues (and that seven-figure paycheck). -
Department of Justice, Justice, Politics
Justice Department Attack On Affirmative Action Is The Most Predictable White Man Thing Ever
This is what happens when being white is your only talent. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.02.17
* “We have a very crappy judicial system.” Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit says the Supreme Court has far too few justices, and is calling for 10 more to be added to the high court’s ranks, as he thinks the current arrangement on the bench is “[m]ediocre and highly politicized.” Tell ’em how you really feel, Your Honor. [Chicago Tribune]
* “This is deeply disturbing.” The Justice Department’s civil rights division is planning to sue colleges and universities that engage in “intentional race-based discrimination” in their affirmative action policies — that is, discrimination against white applicants. Hmm, wasn’t this recently before SCOTUS… twice? [New York Times]
* RIP, billables: Microsoft wants to completely eliminate the billable hour by entering into alternative fee arrangements with all of the firms it works with in the future. Twelve Biglaw firms and one intellectual property firm will spearhead this movement as the company’s strategic partners. [Big Law Business]
* The Department of Education has filed a motion for summary judgment in a suit brought by the ABA over public service loan forgiveness, claiming that its forgiveness eligibility determinations won’t be final until 10 years have passed and that any eligibility letters sent thus far are nonbinding and merely advisory. How comforting for law grads drowning in debt? [Law.com; ABA Journal]
* The Senate has confirmed King & Spalding partner Christopher Wray as the new director of the FBI. During his hearings, Wray said he’d resign if he were ever asked to do something immoral or illegal, as his “commitment is to the rule of law, to the Constitution, to follow the facts wherever they may lead.” [CNN]
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Department of Justice, Labor / Employment, On The Job, Politics
President Trump Likely Terminates Employees In Violation Of The Law -- And Jeff Sessions Might Be Next
It seems President Trump isn't familiar with 'wrongful termination in violation of public policy.' -
Plaintiffs Firms, Politics
Trump Loyalty v. Trial Lawyer Loyalty
Trump's public flogging of Jeff Sessions highlights everything trial lawyer loyalty is not. -
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Politics
Attorney General Ted Cruz?
Jeff Sessions is in trouble, and Trump may be looking to Texas for a replacement. -
Department of Justice, Justice
Trump Considers Replacing Lannister Attorney General With Actual White Walker
You can always do worse, even when you're starting with Jeff Sessions. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.21.17
* Congratulations to John K. Bush, who won confirmation to the Sixth Circuit despite his controversial undercover blogging. [How Appealing]
* Team Trump is digging into the backgrounds of special counsel Robert Mueller’s all-star team of attorneys, looking for discrediting dirt. [New York Times]
* DLA Piper swallows up Liner LLP, a California-based boutique with 60 lawyers — so, DLA’s idea of breakfast. [Law.com]
* Justice Alito defends his tenure on the Supreme Court cafeteria committee (in this hilarious piece by Jess Bravin). [Wall Street Journal via How Appealing]
* Ex-Dentons associate Michael Potere, represented by a public defender, pleads not guilty to charges that he tried to extort his former firm. [Law360]
* Is the relationship of President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions damaged beyond repair? [New York Times]
* Is Charles Miller’s move to Tarter Krinsky & Drogin the beginning of a partner exodus from Kasowitz Benson — one possibly driven by the debacle of the Donald Trump representation? [New York Law Journal]
* Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law gets censured by the ABA in the wake of sex-discrimination allegations. [ABA Journal]
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Department of Justice, Federal Government, Solicitor General's Office
What's Going On At The Solicitor General's Office?
A game of musical chairs -- lots of movement into and out of the office.