Indiana

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.24.15

* Most Biglaw firms are downsizing their office space, but Ropes & Gray just inked a deal to increase the size of its New York office by 40,869 square feet. It'll occupy more than 300,000 square feet in Rockefeller Center. Hope the firm has lawyers to fill it! [Commercial Observer] * Yikes! Thanks to a string of lateral hires by Buchanan Ingersoll, the newly formed Philly office of Novak Druce appears to have been left without a single lawyer. The firm decided to "refrain from commenting" on the departures. [Legal Intelligencer] * The same jury that found James Holmes guilty of several counts of murder in the Dark Knight movie theater massacre completed the first phase of sentencing and decided that aggravating factors existed for him to incur the death penalty. [Los Angeles Times] * A former court clerk in Indiana is suing because she claims she was fired for refusing to process same-sex marriage licenses, even though doing so went against her "sincerely held" religious beliefs. We may be seeing a lot more of these in the future. [Indy Star] * Per Texas prosecutor Warren Diepraam, medical examiners have ruled that Sandra Bland's death was a suicide by hanging, and he has "full faith" in the autopsy results. The community remains outraged, and investigation into the case is ongoing. [NBC News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.09.15

* According to Justice Jeanette Theriot Knoll of the Louisiana Supreme Court, the SCOTUS decision in Obergefell was not only "horrific," but it was also “a complete and unnecessary insult to the people of Louisiana." Gee, tell us how you really feel. [Slate] * The First Church of Cannabis filed a discrimination suit against Indiana and Indianapolis, claiming laws against marijuana use and possession are infringing upon its members' beliefs. We're sTOKEd to see the outcome here. [Indianapolis Star] * In case you missed it yesterday, a federal judge upheld the TTAB's prior ruling on the Washington Redskins' name, and ordered that the team's trademark registrations be canceled. The team is going for a Hail Mary at the Fourth Circuit. [Washington Post] * Ex-associate Elina Chechelnitsky's sexual harassment and gender bias lawsuit against McElroy Deutsch, filled with allegations of better bonuses for men and creepy flirtations, was settled out of court. You go, girl. [New Jersey Law Journal via ABA Journal] * Crowell & Moring recently dropped a suit against a former client that had allegedly failed to pay almost one million dollars in legal fees. There's no word on whether the conflict was ever resolved, but if it wasn't, it's nice to see the firm isn't hurting for cash. [Legal Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Nauseating Things

Non-Sequiturs: 04.03.15

* Nationwide Layoff Watch: Steptoe & Johnson (no, not that Steptoe, the other one). [ABA Journal] * Personally I prefer my coffee with whole milk, thank you very much. [CBS Minnesota] * And I wouldn't get violent over salsa -- but guacamole is another story. [Lowering the Bar] * Attending CLE while intoxicated: grounds for suspension, or brilliant idea? [Legal Profession Blog] * Professor Steve Sanders on Indiana RFRA's "political jiu jitsu: all the force and passion that had impelled the RFRA forward suddenly got turned against its proponents, to devastating effect." [Huffington Post] * What's your favorite word of legalese? [Library of Congress]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.30.15

* Talk about a Friday news dump! In case you missed these high-profile rulings, Amanda Knox was acquitted of murder charges in Italy (for the second time), and Ellen Pao lost her discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins. [WSJ Law Blog] * Use this slideshow to compare how North Carolina law schools are doing in terms of job placement. Duke was on top, and NCCU was dead last. Bonus: There were very few school-funded jobs to strip out of the data -- the numbers were just that bad on their own. [Triad Business Journal] * LSAC doesn't want to to adopt new disability accommodations for the LSAT because they "show a complete disregard for the importance of standardized testing conditions." It'd rather show a complete disregard for applicants' disabilities. [National Law Journal] * Widener? I hardly know her! Thanks to the ABA, this saying has new meaning in legal circles. With the law school regulator's blessing, Widener Law's Delaware and Harrisburg campuses will officially become two separate schools effective July 1. [News Journal] * Following blowback over the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Indiana Governor Mike Pence says he'll push for legislation clarifying that the controversial law isn't intended to support discrimination against the LGBT community. Suuure. [Indy Star]

By Staci Zaretsky
Asians

Morning Docket: 11.20.14

* Deep in the heart of Texas, a judge refused to dismiss Gov. Rick Perry’s felony case over a silly technicality in the underlying paperwork concerning the special prosecutor’s oath of office. [CNN] * This lawyer got a spanking for including a noncompete in an associate’s contract that said he wouldn’t be able to practice the same type of law for two years. [Legal Profession Blog via ABA Journal] * UVA Law came in at #7 in the Graduate Programs ranking of the 50 best law schools, but the the school doesn’t “focus on year-to-year fluctuations in rankings.” Keep those collars popped high. [Cavalier Daily] * “I’m hopeful that we’ll get our Tracy back, the guy everyone loves.” Tracy Morgan’s lawyer says the comedian’s crash with a Wal-Mart truck this summer has left him with a traumatic brain injury. [Bloomberg] * After its giant, website-crashing sale debacle earlier this month, someone decided to file a class-action suit against Sephora for discriminating against Asian customers whose accounts were blocked. [Reuters]

By Staci Zaretsky