Free Speech
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Technology
Hotel That Charged Guest $350 For A Negative Review Now Facing A Lawsuit From State Attorney General
And they would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling AGs. -
Bankruptcy
Peter Thiel's Lawyers Say They Want To Buy Gawker's Vault
But are his lawyers more worried about the millions in potential claims? - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Government
The Mooch Threatens To Sue College Student In Customarily Brilliant PR Move
America's favorite Harvard Law grad is back!
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.17.17
* The Federalist Society is proposing a court-packing scheme because that’s what the Founders would have, you know, never wanted. [Think Progress]
* A deep dive into Justice Kennedy’s likely role in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* New York may not be having a constitutional convention, but that’s not going to stop the state’s chief judge from reforming its “byzantine” court system. [New York Law Journal]
* Frugal or a failure to launch? You be the judge. [Corporette]
* One of the finest sentences of the week: “a free-speech advisory group at Ohio University ‘discussed the critical importance of transparency’ — and then unanimously voted to close its meetings to the public.” [Chronicle of Higher Ed]
* There really is nothing like Above the Law out there. [Law and More]
* Savoring the small moments that bring joy to a lawyer. We all need to find what keeps us happy and grounded. For me, it’s Trent Garmon’s writing. [Joy in the Law]
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Crime
Driving Into Protesters Isn't Necessarily Terrorism If Your Are White, Apparently
White man who plowed into protestors was arrested, but released pending further investigation. -
Technology
DOJ Subpoenas Twitter About Popehat, Dissent Doe And Others Over A Smiley Emoji Tweet
This is what those geniuses at the Justice Department do with their time. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.12.17
* Former tax partner gets two year prison sentence. Maybe he can claim a good behavior deduction. [New York Law Journal]
* Chilling report on South Carolina’s routine violation of constitutional norms. [New York Times]
* Top in-house counsel share their thoughts on forging a privacy policy. As we all know, the first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club. [Law.com]
* Austria’s racism manages to punish a law student in a shark costume. It’s the saddest moment for sharks since Left Shark. [Lowering the Bar]
* Checking in on Rogers Stevens, the Blind Melon guitarist who now works as a mid-level Labor and Employment attorney at Ballard Spahr. [Coverage Opinions]
* Experts say the Cowboys edict that the team will bench anyone who kneels during the anthem doesn’t run afoul of the NLRA… yet. [Law360]
* A conversation with Ellisen Turner, Irell & Manella’s newly minted managing partner, about race and discrimination and the added pressure that comes with being a person of color in the legal industry. [Am Law Daily]
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Constitutional Law
Wisconsin Punishes Free Speech
The goal of so-called "Free Speech" advocates has always been to limit minority dissent. - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Law Schools
This Story About Dershowitz Getting 'Blocked' At Berkeley Seems Way Overblown
Alan Dershowitz complained of censorship, but he really ran afoul of the ongoing effort to hack free speech. -
Free Speech, Law Schools
Hey Jeff Sessions, THIS Is How You Deal With Protesters At A Law School
Preet Bharara confronts protesters at law school event and does... basically the opposite of what Jeff Sessions did. -
Free Speech, In-House Counsel
Senior Attorney Fired For Cruel Commentary On Las Vegas Shooting
She deserved to get fired. She doesn't deserve to become a pawn. -
Law Schools
This Picture Says It All About That Jeff Sessions 'Free Speech' Event
Maybe Georgetown had to disinvite all those students because the room was so packed... -
Department of Justice, Justice
Jeff Sessions Promises To Use 'Free Speech' To Stamp Out Free Speech
Jeff Sessions even managed to work in a defense of hate speech, which you don't see every day.
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Sponsored
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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Labor / Employment, On The Job
The Magical World Of Unions, Or Why Colin Kaepernick’s Kneel Isn't About Free Speech
There isn't a winning scenario for the NFL in this situation. -
Law Schools
Law School Snowflakes Demand Safe Space Over Jeff Sessions Talk
Obviously we're talking about the conservative law professor here. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.18.17
* Special Counsel Robert Mueller obtained a warrant for targeted ads that were purchased by Russia-linked Facebook accounts during the 2016 election. The fact that Mueller was able to get a warrant “may be the biggest news in the case since the Manafort raid.” [Business Insider]
* Speaking of the Russia probe, yet another lawyer has joined Robert Mueller’s team. Say hello to Kyle Freeny, a former kindergarten teacher with a law degree from Harvard who transferred from the Justice Department’s money-laundering unit to contribute her talents to the ongoing investigation. [POLITICO]
* Sorry, kids, but lawyers are very, very, very expensive: Since the president has left his one-time associates high and dry, Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign advisor, has been forced to drain his children’s college fund to pay for legal representation in the Russia probe. Horrible… [Washington Examiner]
* “It’s not about the cake. It is about discrimination.” When the Masterpiece Cakeshop case is argued before SCOTUS, Justice Anthony Kennedy — the man who wrote the opinion that legalized same-sex marriage in America — will likely be the deciding vote. Will be betray his legacy for free speech? [New York Times]
* Columbia Law School is offering students credits to meet their 40-hour pro bono requirement for graduation if they volunteer for the Columbia Human Rights Law Review’s Trump Human Rights Tracker, which keeps tabs on President Trump’s actions and their impacts on human rights. [FOX News]
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Technology
Bill Introduced That Would Make Arrested Protesters Pay Police Overtime, Gov't Expenses
But remember, the REAL threat to free speech are college kids who picket Nazis. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.06.17
* Let the DACA lawsuits begin! [New York Law Journal]
* But don’t forget about the transgender ban — we’ve got a new lawsuit over that too, courtesy of Latham & Watkins. [The Recorder]
* New York AG Office secures up to 7-year sentence in Operation Vandelay Industries, which was exactly what you’d think it is. [Law360]
* Richard Spencer is trying to speak at the University of Florida now as part of the ongoing real assault on campus free speech — the deliberate efforts by Spencer and others to whip up enough protest so they can then agitate for schools to install roadblocks against organized dissent. And lawyers remain the easiest marks in the world for this con. [Corporate Counsel]
* Former CIA Director John Brennan is joining Fordham Law School’s Center on National Security. [Seattle Times]
* A profile of Edward Hanover, FIFA’s first-ever compliance officer. So all that stuff about countries buying votes and using slave labor is a thing of the past! Or, will be by 2022 anyway. [Law.com]
* The Boston Red Sox have filmed a powerful ad for the Apple iWatch. [NY Times]
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Justice
White Supremacists Sue To Invade Another College Campus
They're counting on the First Amendment crowd playing their appeasement tune. -
Copyright, Intellectual Property
The First Amendment And Copyright Law: Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Fair use is copyright's “safety valve” for the First Amendment.