FBI

* A lawyer removed from Second Circuit oral arguments last month has petitioned for an en banc review of the matter he was arguing. If at first you don’t succeed… [New York Law Journal]

* An attorney argued that a Manhattan building was safe months before debris fell from a facade killing a woman on the sidewalk below. [Wall Street Journal]

* Adult film actresses have won a multi-million dollar verdict against a website that allegedly deceived them into being filmed. [Washington Times]

* Over 200 members of Congress have asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. That’s not how the system works. [CNN]

* The Kentucky Attorney General has asked the FBI to investigate the ex-governor’s pardons after he went on a pardoning spree before leaving office. [USA Today]

* A woman is suing Marriott for allegedly forcing her to sign a “no party policy” because of her race. Apparently, there ain’t no party like a Marriott party. [Fox News]

* A former White & Williams lawyer has pleaded guilty to stealing portions of settlements from insurance litigation. Hopefully he didn’t defraud his malpractice insurer. [Philadelphia Business Journal]

* A former FBI lawyer is under fire for altering a document related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser. [CNN]

* McDonald’s has been sued over allegations that it has not adequately protected employees from dangerous customers. Never knew McDonald’s are so dangerous, maybe more people should have a Happy Meal. [USA Today]

* The ex-office manager of a lawyer to the stars has been accused of embezzling millions of dollars from her former employer. [New York Post]

* An ex-assistant U.S. attorney has pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars by falsifying time cards. There is a lot of greed in the Morning Docket today! [Commercial Appeal]

* President Trump and the RNC sued over a new California law that requires presidential candidates to release five years of tax returns to get onto the 2020 primary ballot. We were wondering when this “naked political attack against the sitting president of the United States” would happen. [New York Times]

* Former FBI agent Peter Strzok has filed suit against the Justice Department over his firing, claiming that being dismissed from the investigative agency for sending text messages disparaging Donald Trump violated his constitutional right to private political speech. [Wall Street Journal]

* From the demise of your favorite toy store to the destruction of one the most recognized luxury stores, Kirkland & Ellis is making a killing when it comes to representing the death of our brick-and-mortar retail economy. [American Lawyer]

* William Brown, a former Navy SEAL who currently works as an associate at McCarter & English, recently led the first-ever sanctioned swim across the Hudson River with 30+ other SEALs to raise money for veterans. Congrats! [Big Law Business]

* Meet Jeffrey Morgan, one of the lucky few lawyers to have had his federal student loans discharged through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Unfortunately, he still owes $67,987.09 in private student loans. [MarketWatch]

* President Trump claims that the FBI and the DOJ will be investigating the Jussie Smollett case because it’s an “absolute embarrassment to our country.” Meanwhile, in more realistic news, Chicago wants the Empire actor to pay $130,000 to cover the costs of the officers who worked on the case. [Wall Street Journal]

* According to Diane Feinstein, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, “the blue slip is essentially dead.” May the century-old tradition rest in peace. [Big Law Business]

* Jessie Liu, Trump’s pick for third-in-command at the Justice Department upon the recommendation of Attorney General William Barr, has withdrawn from consideration after facing conservative opposition for her association with the National Association of Women Lawyers, an organization she once led. [Reuters]

* C. Allen Parker, the former Cravath presiding partner who brought Biglaw the $180K salary scale and left the firm to become general counsel at Wells Fargo, will now serve as interim CEO and president at the troubled bank. Best of luck… [Corporate Counsel]

* In case you missed it, the NRA is planning to oppose renewal of the Violence Against Women Act due to provisions that would prevent people who have committed domestic abuse from obtaining firearms. That’s just swell. [The Hill]

* Roberta Kaplan, the founding partner at Kaplan Hecker & Fink who represented Edith Windsor in the landmark Supreme Court case that obliterated the Defense of Marriage Act and co-founded the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, will be speaking at Harvard Law’s 2019 Class Day Ceremony. Congratulations! [Harvard Law Today]

* “BREAKING: President Donald Trump repeatedly mocks Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault.” When I got this alert on my phone last night, I couldn’t help myself but to blurt out, “F**k that guy.” That’s our president! Not sure why I expected more. [NBC News]

* According to Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate will vote on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh just as soon as the F.B.I. wraps up its investigation — which could be as early as sometime today. Gee, it’s almost as if they don’t care about what the results are. [New York Times]

* In the meantime, more than 500 law professors have signed onto two letters that will be presented to the Senate, each condemning Kavanaugh’s “lack of judicial temperament” and “lack of respect for our democratic institutions and women in positions of power in particular.” At least they’re trying. [Guardian]

* Sedgwick closed up shop sometime around the beginning of 2018, and the failed firm finally got around to filing for bankruptcy, and the court documents read like a Greek Biglaw tragedy. We have have more on this later. [Law360 (sub. req.)]

* Which Biglaw firm has the strongest brand? It’s not the firm with the highest revenue, and it’s not the firm with the largest headcount, but this firm has that certain je ne sais quoi that makes clients love their attorneys. [American Lawyer]

* President Trump asked the FBI to investigate the claims of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, the first two women to accuse would-be SCOTUS justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault and misconduct, leaving out Julie Swetnick’s claims to the chagrin of her lawyer. [Wall Street Journal]

* So, just how limited in scope will the FBI’s new Kavanaugh inquiry be? Trump claims that the bureau has “free rein,” but no one who has contradicted the judge’s claims about his drinking and partying as a high school and college student are going to be interviewed. [New York Times]

* HLS is second best at feeling shame: Following student protests against Kavanaugh teaching at Harvard Law, the elite law school’s dean won’t come out and say whether the accused jurist will still have a job in legal academia come 2019. [HuffPost]

* ICYMI amid the Kavanaugh craziness, a judge ruled that the plaintiffs in Blumenthal v. Trump — the 201 Democratic members of Congress — have standing to sue the president for his alleged violations of the emoluments clause. [National Law Journal]

* That was quick! In the span of just a few days, Elon Musk settled the securities fraud lawsuit filed against him by the SEC, and the deal calls for him to pay a $20 million fine and step down as Tesla’s chairman for the next three years. [New York Times]

* A full 85 percent of companies aren’t ready for the GDPR implementation deadline later this week, meaning… well probably nothing, but let’s freak out about it anyway. [Corporate Counsel]

* Jones Day’s Dana Baiocco tabbed by Trump administration to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to end Democratic leadership on that board. So get ready for exploding bottles and nails just sticking out of stuffed animals… because “freedom.” [National Law Journal]

* DOJ tests new investigative tactic of just telling suspected criminals everything before interviewing them. [Huffington Post]

* We’re deregulating banks again because that’s historically worked out so well. [Wall Street Journal]

* South Carolina has repealed its “disturbing school” law, which was really just a vague catch-all provision to allow cops to harass and imprison black kids. [ACLU]

* Paul Manafort looks to suppress more evidence. Hey it’s worth a shot. [Courthouse News Service]

* In sad news, groundbreaking attorney Dovey Johnson Roundtree has passed away at 104. [Washington Post]

* Welcome Rudy Giuliani to the Trump legal team. Reminder that the last time he offered Trump legal advice he inadvertently built the strongest case against the travel ban, so this should go well. [CNN]

* Overshadowed by the Rudy announcement, Trump also hired married Miami duo Marty and Jane Serene Raskin. They’re actually competent criminal defense attorneys, so I don’t expect them to last long. [McClatchy]

* Alexander Hamilton earns honorary degree from Albany Law School. Upon learning he’ll have the same degree as Megyn Kelly, Hamilton decided Aaron Burr might have done him a favor. [Law.com]

* Officials have moved the “Fearless Girl” statue citing “safety” though the fear of a completely frivolous lawsuit from the sculptor of “Charging Bull” may be the real culprit. So a woman took a bold stand and will therefore be shuffled off to another office out of the way… that may be the most iconic depiction of Wall Street yet. [Dealbreaker]

* In the wake of the horrific Larry Nassar cover up, Michigan State’s GC Robert Noto nabbed $436000 in severance pay. Because accountability is important. [Corporate Counsel]

* James Comey keeps receipts. [Huffington Post]

* If you’re looking for your daily dose of wackiness, here’s a $100M lawsuit from Jason Lee Van Dyke against the man trying to get him disbarred. [Daily Beast]

* Chuck Schumer’s going to introduce a bill to decriminalize marijuana. Because it’s 4/20. Chuck Schumer is making 4/20 jokes now. [NPR]