Election 2012
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Barack Obama, China, Election 2012, Morning Docket, Police, SCOTUS, Videos, Violence
Morning Docket: 10.16.12
* Check out the absurd rules governing tonight’s presidential debate. Should make for some awesome boring-as-hell television. And yes, of course the rules document was signed by lawyers. [Gawker]
* Chinese politics is starting to adversely affect American law firms. Next thing you know, attorneys will be hiding out in the woods, drinking deer blood. Oh wait, that kind of already happened. [Asian Lawyer]
* Despite the passage of time, mentioning torture at a Guantanamo hearing is still about as awkward as… some generic Family Guy-style non sequitur. [Thomson Reuters News and Insight]
* This is a newly released video of NYPD kicking the ever-loving sh*t out of a homeless man, who was inexplicably charged with assaulting the officer who, again, beat him up on video. Inside a synagogue. Where the man was sleeping. With permission. Can’t wait to see the lawsuit that comes out of this. [Gothamist]
* SCOTUS has agreed to review the Arizona voter ID law. Oh goodie. [WSJ Law Blog]
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Election 2012, Jury Duty, Non-Sequiturs, Politics, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 10.12.12
* Even silly prime-time television shows can raise serious, interesting legal questions. [PrawfsBlawg] * Joe Biden is hilarious, Paul Ryan is Eddie Haskel, yadda yadda, but let’s not forget that judicial appointments are kind of a big deal here in this election, too. [Volokh Conspiracy] * For anyone interested in the prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) program, check out the new Path to PMF initiative, which will prepare you for the application process. [Path to PMF] * This judge is upping the ante for prospective jurors who can’t stay off the Google machine. [Tampa Bay Times] * Go see the America’s Funniest Attorney competition next week AND help fight juvenile diabetes. [Gotham Comedy Club] * Meet David Lat in the flesh — or at least hear him speak — at UC Hastings on Monday evening. [California Lawyer] After the jump, check out Lee Pacchia of Bloomberg Law interview the author of Adam Smith, Esq., on the implications of “suicide pricing”…. - Sponsored
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American Bar Association / ABA, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, California, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Election 2012, Election Law, Harvard Law Review, Law School Deans, Law Schools, LeBoeuf Lamb, Morning Docket, Nude Dancing, Partner Issues, Politics, Texas, Weddings, William Birdthistle
Morning Docket: 10.11.12
* Everyone’s happy about the Dewey & LeBoeuf settlement except the Ad Hoc Committee and its LeBoeuf retirees, who called Judge Martin Glenn’s attempt to slap them down an “insult to injury.” [WSJ Law Blog]
* While South Carolina’s voter ID law wasn’t found to be inherently discriminatory, its enforcement was still blocked because people will be unable to get their sh*t together in time for the election. [Bloomberg]
* VP debate moderator Martha Raddatz’s 1991 wedding guest list has come under fire because Barack Obama was invited. Clearly there’s a conflict of interest worth arguing about here. [Washington Post]
* This man is nobody’s “butt boy”: Tom Keefe, the interim dean over at Saint Louis Law School, will be footing a $14,212 bill for his students in the form of ABA Law Student Division memberships. [National Law Journal]
* Strippers in California, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Texas, and Nevada will be making it rain, because they just scored a $12.9M class action settlement. That’s a whole lot of “college tuition”! [Courthouse News Service]
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Conferences / Symposia, Election 2012, Election Law, Free Speech, Law Professors, Lawrence Lessig, Money, New Yorker, Politics, Seth Waxman, Ted Olson
Politics and Money: Imperfect Together?
What should be done - if anything - about the influence of money in politics? Some thoughts from Larry Lessig, Cleta Mitchell, Ted Olson, and Seth Waxman. -
2nd Circuit, Abortion, Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Election 2012, Gay, Job Searches, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Lesbians, Morning Docket, Religion, Southern New England School of Law/Umass, Suicide
Morning Docket: 10.08.12
* Should Biglaw firms bill by the result instead of by the hour? When some of the results-oriented strategies involve reading less and writing faster to improve work efficiency, we’re not sure how well this would work in a law firm setting. [New York Times]
* Roller coaster of employment: after losing 1,400 jobs in August, the legal sector added 1,000 jobs in September. Alas, there are way more than 1,000 new bar admittees gunning for all of those paralegal and secretarial positions. [Am Law Daily]
* “They were throwing furniture at both of us.” Both sides on the Jacoby & Myers non-lawyer firm ownership case took a beating before the Second Circuit during oral arguments, but who won? [New York Law Journal]
* Come November, Floridians will vote on constitutional amendments that deal with abortion and separation of church and state. Meanwhile, half the voters won’t even read the entire ballot, so there’s that. [New York Times]
* A love triangle + an Arkansas Wal-Mart = a judicial suspension for Circuit Judge Sam Pope after an all-out brawl with… Bill Murray? Hey, at least this guy’s estranged wife got three punches in. [National Law Journal]
* Tyler Clementi’s family won’t file suit against Rutgers University and Dharun Ravi — instead, they’ll use the publicity from their son Tyler’s suicide for “positive purposes,” like supporting gay and lesbian youths. [CNN]
* “This guy is a bully, and he uses the court system to do it.” Robert V. Ward Jr., the former dean of UMass Law, had to deal with Gregory Langadinos, a serial law school litigant, and it wasn’t exactly pretty. [Boston Globe]
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Barack Obama, Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Election 2012, Law School Deans, Law Schools, McCarter & English, Mergers and Acquisitions, Morning Docket, Politics, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 10.04.12
* According to a CNN poll, 67 percent of people who watched the debate thought Mitt Romney won, while only 25 percent thought Barack Obama won. Well, either way you slice it, there was definitely one loser: poor old Jim Lehrer. [CNN]
* If Barack Obama could’ve had his way, he would’ve put Osama bin Laden on trial to display American due process and the rule of law. We suppose that now he’ll just have to take credit for being the man who ordered the kill shot. [WSJ Law Blog]
* A handful of Biglaw firms advised on the T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger, but Telecommunications Law Partners, a boutique firm, showed up to prove it could hang with the big boys. [DealBook / New York Times]
* From boutique to Biglaw? Joseph Bachelder, an executive compensation expert, shuttered his 10-lawyer firm in favor of joining McCarter & English as special counsel in New York. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Remember Ellen Pao, the former Cravath associate who sued Kleiner Perkins for sex discrimination? She now claims that the VC firm fired her. Of course, like everything else, KPCB denies it. [Bits / New York Times]
* A J.D. isn’t a hoax, but if law schools keep admitting huge classes, the degree will become one. The dean of UC Hastings Law thinks law schools should’ve reduced their class sizes a long time ago. [Huffington Post]
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Antonin Scalia, Barack Obama, Department of Justice, Election 2012, Eric Holder, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Harvard, John Roberts, Politics, Richard Posner, Sarbanes-Oxley / Sarbox / SOX, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
A Lawyer's Guide To Getting Drunk During Tonight's Presidential Debate
Do you want to get drunk during tonight's presidential debate? Of course you do! So play our drinking game. -
Election 2012, Politics, Quote of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Quote of the Day: That's Also Not a Real Answer, But Whatever, You're An Independent!
Why pick just one favorite SCOTUS justice when they're all so awesome?! - Sponsored
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Barack Obama, Biglaw, Election 2012, Money, Politics, Rankings
Which Biglaw Firms Are Opening Their Wallets to Donate to Obama and Romney?
Lawyers at Biglaw firms are opening their hearts and wallets for our Election 2012 presidential candidates. Who's ahead in terms of donations, Obama or Romney? -
Crime, Drugs, Election 2012, Football, Gambling, Gambling / Gaming, Non-Sequiturs, Sports, Violence
Non-Sequiturs: 09.26.12
* Jill and Kent Easter have pleaded not guilty to charges of planting drugs on a volunteer at their son’s school. Goddamn that pusher man! [Jezebel] * Concussion litigation expert Paul D. Anderson discusses the nitty-gritty of all those football players suing because their job may have gave them brain damage. [Legal Blitz] * In unnerving lawyer news, a Seattle litigator was arrested on accusations of sexually assaulting a masseuse at knifepoint. [Komo News] * And on the other side of the country, a Pennsylvania attorney was specifically targeted in a home invasion that left him in the hospital with gunshot wounds. What is wrong with people this week? [Philadelphia Inquirer] * This whole disastrous domestic dispute-turned-shooting could have been avoided by marrying a dog-lover instead of a cat lady. [Legal Juice] * Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson explains why he’s putting all his chips on Mitt Romney. [Huffington Post] * Here are some tips on acing your call-back interview. Seriously though, you really only need one item: a Trapper Keeper. [The Careerist] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bar Exams, Celebrities, Charles Fried, Fabulosity, Laurence Tribe, Law Professors, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Reader Polls
An Update on the Elizabeth Warren Law License Controversy
What do the experts have to say about the Elizabeth Warren law license controversy? -
Biglaw, Crime, Department of Justice, Election 2012, Election Law, Gay Marriage, Law School Deans, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Violence
Morning Docket: 09.25.12
* Will the members of the Supreme Court announce which gay marriage issues they’ll be hearing this term any time soon? With Proppsition 8 appeal and several DOMA appeals on hand, there’s certainly a lot for them to choose from. [CNN]
* It’s beginning to look a lot like Biglaw, everywhere you go: lawyers are miserable, clients are unhappy, and apparently profits per partner are all to blame. Gee, thanks for those rankings, Am Law, they were really helpful. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Instead of arguing over font size, the Department of Justice argued law yesterday during closing arguments in its attempts to convince a three-judge panel to strike down South Carolina’s voter ID statute. [National Law Journal]
* Unlike Elizabeth Warren, he’s no “Fauxcahontas”: Kevin Washburn, the dean of the University of New Mexico Law School, has been confirmed by the Senate to oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs. [Washington Post]
* If you’re going to allegedly slash someone’s face in an attempt to defend your honor, at least do it with class like this Columbia Law grad, and use a broken champagne flute as your weapon of choice. [New York Post]
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Attorney Misconduct, Bar Exams, Celebrities, Fabulosity, Law Professors, Law Schools, Legal Ethics
Does Elizabeth Warren Have a Law License Problem?
That's the question a Cornell law professor is asking. What are Warren's possible defenses?
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Election 2012, Law Schools, Politics, Racism, Texas
Texas Politician Tells Law Student to Go To Afghanistan -- Notwithstanding The Fact That The Kid Is An American Citizen Born In Pakistan
Texas politician racially insults law student. Shockingly, this will probably have no effect on her chances at reelection... -
Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Election 2012, Jeffrey Toobin, Politics, Quote of the Day, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Television
Quote of the Day: IMHO, A Gay Polar Bear Would Make a Great Supreme Court Justice
Does Jeffrey Toobin think Obama will appoint a gay polar bear to the Supreme Court? -
A. Raymond Randolph, D.C. Circuit, Election 2012, Election Law, English Grammar and Usage, Harry Edwards, Janice Rogers Brown, Politics
Pol Dancing: D.C. Circuit Plays Words With Friends
Campaign finance statutes? Ha! The D.C. Circuit blows off your pesky "plain English" as an illusion. -
Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Election 2012, Immigration, Insurance, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Masturbation, Morning Docket, Perverts, Politics
Morning Docket: 09.19.12
* Steven Davis, D&L’s former chairman, really wants to make sure he’ll be able to use the firm’s insurance policy to defend himself, or else he’ll “suffer undue hardship.” Sorry, but after all the undue hardship you caused, nobody feels bad for you. [Am Law Daily]
* As it turns out, the Mitt “47 Percent” Romney recording may have been illegally taped, but Florida authorities aren’t investigating — a victim hasn’t come forward to complain. What, no “off the cuff” remarks this time, Mitt? [Washington Wire / Wall Street Journal]
* Even if you get disbarred, you can still go on to work for a Biglaw firm. In other news, apparently you can last about a month at Lewis Brisbois while using a stolen identity before you get fired. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
* Arizona’s governor was really excited that the injunction against SB 1070′s “show me your papers” provision was lifted by Judge Susan Bolton. She won’t be as excited when all of the lawsuits start rolling in. [Bloomberg]
* It’s probably bad if your dean resigns before the school opens. J. Michael Johnson, the ex-dean of Louisiana College School of Law, left to take a “great job offer” (i.e., not a law school deanship). [Shreveport Times]
* Good news, ladies! A serial subway “grinder” in NYC avoided jail time after ejaculating on three women in separate incidents, and now city pols are trying to make it harder for perverts to get off. [New York Daily News]
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Election 2012, Election Law
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Says Not So Fast On Controversial Voter ID Laws
Pennsylvania's controversial voter ID isn't a done deal yet... -
Non-Sequiturs, Politics, Pornography, Racism, Texas, Wal-Mart
Non-Sequiturs: 09.17.12
* Wal-Mart allegedly ripped up a woman’s hundos because a cashier thought they were fake. The bills were, in fact, real, and now the woman, who just wanted to do some Christmas shopping, is suing. Beat that, Ebenezer Scrooge! [Daily Mail] * A few weeks back, we challenged law professors to come up with 50 Shades of Grey-based hypos. This fellow took us up on it. So here you go: 50 Shades of Admin Law. [Lawprawfblog] * Hey Romney, you can take our lives health care, but you’ll never take our pornography! [Forbes] * “Now enterng the Klu Klux Klan Memorial Highway.” Yeah, I agree, that really doesn’t have such a great ring to it. [Thomson Reuters News and Insight] * If you just started your 1L year and are already thinking, “I’ve made a huge mistake,” you may still have time to escape with your bank account intact. [Texas Lawyer] * Speaking of, a recent Delaware Supreme Court opinion worked out to $35,000 per hour for winning attorneys in the case. Now the losers, Grupo Mexico, have appealed by arguing, “You guys made a huge mistake!” [WSJ Deal Journal] * Remember that HLS grad and former prosecutor who went a little bonkers in an airport Peet’s Coffee? Yeah, well, this time, the bar threw her out. [State Bar of California via Daily Journal (subs. req.)] -
Constitutional Law, Election 2012, Samuel Alito, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
On Constitution Day, Americans Like The Constitution Just The Way It Is, So Long As It Says What They Like
On Constitution Day, the day when Americans get to show how much they love the Constitution that they barely understand...