Gay Marriage

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By Barbri
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.29.15

* The Dissent World: This is what happens when justices start being real... and stop being polite. Conservative SCOTUS justices weren't interested in playing nice last week in their dissents. Just how much "personal dissension" is there among their ranks? [POLITICO] * "I knew I was a workaholic and law wasn't for me, but the circus is." A law school graduate who only goes by Paz is now working as a world-class juggler. Law school career services officers would really like to know if this is considered a J.D. Advantage position. [Grand Forks Herald] * A new nickname is being bandied about for John Roberts: "Umpire in Chief." During his confirmation hearings, he said judges should be more like baseball officiants, and you could say that last week, all he was doing was calling balls and strikes. [New York Times] * SCOTUS may have issued a landmark ruling on gay marriage, but that doesn't mean the fight is over as far as gay rights are concerned. Protip: Next time you make a historic decision, let lawyers know what level of scrutiny is being applied. [National Law Journal] * Some think what SCOTUS did with gay marriage was "simply putting its imprimatur on a practice that was already legal in more than two-thirds of the states." People wonder whether the highest court will do the same with marijuana legalization. [24/7 Wall St.]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.26.15

* Oh, the Onion... what would I do without you? Their take on gay marriage is masterful, as always. [Onion] * Conservatives, troubled with the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, vow to move to Canada. There's only one teeny, tiny problem with their plan... about a decade in the making. [BuzzFeed] * Of all the arrogant, jiggery-pokery, pure applesauce, Putsch! Find out exactly how Justice Scalia would mock you in this fun insult generator. [Slate] * Some Alabama counties have come up with a crackerjack way to avoid marrying same sex couples. [Vox] * The only way to get to today's historical gay marriage case was to defeat the nomination of Judge Robert Bork, and Reagan aides always suspected this would happen. [Roll Call] * For marriage equality fans with a sweet tooth. [Ben & Jerry's] * Surely you jest! Justice Scalia? Intellectually inconsistent to fit a political agenda? Pshaw. [BloombergView] * A handy guide to today's landmark SCOTUS decision. [Legal IO] * News you can use: what is the legal status of cursing at cops? [The Marshall Project]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.22.15

* Everyone's a winner at Nixon Peabody, especially the millennials! The firm is doing away with the corner-office model in favor of office space reminiscent of that of tech companies, where everyone's offices -- from paralegals to partners -- are the same size. [Washington Post] * A former North Dakota Law student is suing the school, as well as several administrators and professors, because he alleges they dismissed him via email in May due to problems with his application. Man, that's almost as harsh as a break-up text. [WDAZ] * Justice Kennedy knows a lot of people who are gay, but that doesn't mean he'll recognize a constitutional right to same-sex marriage just because of his circle of friends and colleagues. He'll likely do it because he knows "how meaningful this is." [New York Times] * The Supreme Court is currently considering an emergency appeal out of Texas after the Fifth Circuit refused to stay a decision that would all but close the vast majority of abortion facilities in the state. Give this law the good old coat hanger, SCOTUS. [Associated Press] * Last week, Justice Kennedy basically invited litigants to challenge the constitutionality of solitary confinement because it "exacts a terrible price." Step right up and become one of the first to test the power of the SCOTUS swing vote on this issue. [Los Angeles Times] * "Having a woman leader is no longer exceptional." The number of women law school deans is on the rise. They make up 40 percent of incoming law school leadership, and currently comprise 30 percent of all law deans. Nice work! [National Law Journal] * After pleading guilty to a felony count of vehicular manslaughter back in March, California lawyer Hasti Fakhrai-Bayrooti was recently sentenced to four years in prison for killing a cyclist while driving high on prescription drugs Xanax and Suboxone. [Daily Mail]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.10.15

* The number of law school applicants and applications continues to plummet, with applicants down by 2.5 percent and the volume of applications down by 4.6 percent since last year. For the love of God, students are staying away for a reason. Do some research, people. [WSJ Law Blog] * Lawyers may be thanking their lucky stars for loan repayment programs like IBR and PAYE, but when their cancellation of debt income comes back to bite them in the ass in the form of a "tax bomb" as early as 2032, they're going to be crying for mercy. [TaxProf Blog] * If the Supreme Court rules against same-sex marriage, life could devolve into chaos for gay and lesbian couples. Sure, SCOTUS could do that, or "a giant meteor could fall on [your] head in the next five seconds," but one is more likely to happen than the other. [AP] * You had one job, Dean Cercone... ONE JOB! After recommending against accreditation back in May, the ABA convened this week to officially deny provisional accreditation to Indiana Tech Law. Its handful of students will be so disappointed. [Indiana Lawyer] * Ex-House Speaker Dennis Hastert pleaded not guilty in his sex scandal cover-up case and was released on $4,500 bond. Interestingly enough, the judge has volunteered to remove himself due to some potential issues over his impartiality. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky