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Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.17.15

* Donald Trump has been having a rollicking good time on the campaign trail as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, but he may have to take a break to testify in a trademark dispute over "Trump Your Competition." [WSJ Law Blog] * It seems that Venable has been dragged into a huge Facebook stock scam, and thanks to a former partner's alleged conduct, the Biglaw firm is now being accused of assisting a con man in a $11.3 million fraud related to the social media giant's initial public offering. [New York Post] * The Obama administration has finally made a move in the SCOTUS case filed by Oklahoma and Nebraska seeking to overturn legal weed in Colorado. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli thinks the justices would have to be high to even entertain it. [Reuters] * Trinity Western Law grads were previously banned from practicing law in British Columbia, Canada, due to the Christian school forcing students to sign abstinence pledges, but because of this recent ruling, the tides have turned. [NewBostonPost] * “This will not be the end of the road for solitary confinement reform, but we really think it’s a watershed moment.” Thanks to a $62M settlement, New York will be changing the way it deals with solitary confinement in state prisons. [New York Times] * After finding out that Justice Scalia was rejected from two of his top-choice schools, the ABA Journal wants you to reflect on your own rejections and acceptances. Where did you apply to law school, and where did you decide to go? Let us know. [ABA Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 11.05.15

* These kind of technicalities are why people hate lawyers: A judge is requiring Bindi Irwin submit proof that her father, Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin, is dead in order to collect her Dancing With The Stars money. Or, you know, he could look at the internet. [Gawker] * Law professor gets ripped for "ridiculous" stance on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. [Techdirt] * The 5 New York District Attorneys are seeking a raise, hoping to bring their salary up to a whooping $250,000. Which actually seems entirely reasonable. [New York Daily News] * Good news for the Facebook obsessed -- the Second Circuit has found "liking" something is a protected activity. [The Modern Workplace] * Oh, the shame of going to Harvard Law. [Washington Post] * Are legal tech startups lying to you? [Associate's Mind] * Exploring the disjunction between legal scholarship and legal practice. [TaxProf Blog]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.15.15

* From attorney to bag designer: the career of Annette Ferber. [Corp! Magazine] * Twitter goes head-to-head with Gawker Media over the copyright of GIFs. [io9] * Concerns about the judicial temperament of Judge Barry Williams, who is presiding over the Freddie Gray case. [Katz Justice] * All is not lost if you drop out of law school. [Law and More] * Why do attorneys struggle with customer reviews? [Technology & Marketing Law Blog] * Judge cleared of wrongdoing for posting about a case in front of her on Facebook. [Adjunct Law Prof Blog] * All the legal considerations before you host your "Love and Sex with Robots" conference in Malaysia. [Slate]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.07.15

* Dewey know what Justice Robert Stolz will do now that the jury has declared itself deadlocked on most charges? Tune in later today. [American Lawyer] * A case brought by law student turned privacy activist Max Schrems has triggered a European court ruling that Facebook won't "like." [How Appealing] * King & Spalding associate Ethan Davis talks about how he prepared for his argument yesterday before the U.S. Supreme Court. [National Law Journal] * Thanks to sentencing reform, the Justice Department will release about 6,000 inmates from prison starting later this month. [New York Times] * Speaking of the DOJ, BP will settle Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims with the feds for a whopping $20 billion. [ABA Journal] * Elsewhere in news of embattled companies, Volkswagen is turning to Mayer Brown for help in dealing with the emissions scandal that stinks to high heaven. [American Lawyer] * 50 Cent's malpractice suit against his ex-lawyers seeks 7.5 billion cents. [Law360] * When legal recruiters sue each other, things can get ugly -- fast. [American Lawyer]

By David Lat
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 09.25.15

* Well, this is one way to deal with the Free the Nipple campaign: ban sideboob and underboob. And while you're at it, legalize public boners because consistency is hard. Heh. [Vice] * The Pope's homelessness chops are on point. [What About Paris?] * This is the absolute best way to troll prestige whores. [Daily Lawyer Tips] * Is this the best recommendation letter ever? [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * This is how bigamy cases go down in the world of Facebook. [Legal Juice] * Using forensic evidence to document human rights abuses. [Pacific Standard] * What's going on with Janet Yellen? [Dealbreaker] * Interesting to legal nerds (and maybe others). The Justice Department's very influential Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) -- the division that produced the torture memos, among other things -- cranks out a lot of law professors. [Yale Journal on Regulation]

By Kathryn Rubino