Federal Judges

  • Morning Docket: 12.27.17
    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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  • Morning Docket: 12.22.17
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 12.22.17

    * Judge George B. Daniels (S.D.N.Y.) dismissed a suit alleging that President Trump violated the Constitution’s emoluments clause when his hotels and restaurants did business with foreign governments during his time in office. The reason for dismissal? A lack of standing. [Washington Post]

    * Speaking of the president, past vetting (or lack thereof) concerns be damned, because he recently announced his latest round of judicial nominations. Thus far, Trump has had a record number of circuit judges confirmed in his first year. [CNN]

    * Simpson Thacher and Kasowitz Benson are being sued for malpractice by the former CEO of Patriot National, who claims the firms are the reason why his company went under and is on the brink of filing for bankruptcy. [Daily Business Review]

    * Co-conspirator or victim? That’s what jurors will have to decide when it comes to former Katten Muchin partner Evan Greebel, who once represented pharma bro Martin Shkreli. [New York Law Journal]

    * UCLA Law School is creating the Chris Cornell Scholarship, named for the late Soundgarden/Audioslave singer, endowed with a $1 million gift from a coalition led by his widow, Vicky Cornell. This is a wonderful way to remember an amazing artist who was an amazing human being. [Los Angeles Times]

    * It’s finally here, a listing of the Top 10 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2017. Topping the list is the woman who sued because she claimed she was “deceived” by amount of sugar in jelly beans. [U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform]

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  • Morning Docket: 12.20.17
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 12.20.17

    * Remember when President Trump attacked the federal judiciary, and Neil Gorsuch, then a Supreme Court nominee, called those statements “disheartening” and “demoralizing”? Gorsuch’s comments reportedly pissed off the president so much that his SCOTUS nomination was almost rescinded. [Washington Post]

    * After passing the GOP’s sweeping tax overhaul by a margin of 227-203 yesterday afternoon, the House will need to vote again this morning because several provisions in the bill — including its name — violate the Senate’s Byrd Rule requirements. [TIME]

    * Under would-be SCOTUS Justice Chief Judge Merrick Garland’s leadership, the D.C. Circuit will now live-stream audio of any oral argument upon request. Send your requests by email to liveaudiorequest@cadc.uscourts.gov. [Washington Post]

    * See ya, Sedgwick! Up to 15 partners and up to 65 lawyers and staff members from the failed firm will be headed to Clyde & Co, boosting the British firm’s U.S. partnership by one-third. [American Lawyer; Big Law Business]

    * What are the 20 cheapest law schools in the U.S. News Top 100? If you want to do your future finances a favor, you may have to go South. [Law.com]

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