Jed Rubenfeld

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.29.18

* Robert Bowers, the suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that left 11 dead and six wounded, has been charged with 29 federal criminal counts including hate crimes and using a firearm to commit murder and 36 state criminal counts including homicide and ethnic intimidation. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those who lost their lives this weekend. [New York Times] * According to the criminal complaint filed against Cesar Sayoc, the pipe bomb he allegedly tried to mail to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was addressed to his office at a "certain law firm" -- a certain law firm that's better known as Covington & Burling. Good thing the package never made it there. [National Law Journal] * When asked to reflect on the misconduct allegations against Yale Law School Professor Jed Rubenfeld, alumni from the school are not the least bit shocked. "It was not a surprise to basically any woman in my class that this investigation is going on," said one 2015 graduate. Will the school take appropriate action? [Yale Daily News] * Partners from Allen & Overy and O'Melveny & Myers are cozying up to each other as merger talks between the two firms continue, but there may be trouble in paradise. "There is some opposition in London," said a former A&O partner, "but it’s fairly disorganised—there’s a lot of moaning but nobody leading a charge." [International] * In case you missed it, after the involuntary revocation of its accreditation, Arizona Summit Law School will eventually close its doors. But first, the school must finalize a teach-out plan for its remaining students, and when it's all over, "that would be the life of the school." What a sad little life. Farewell to AZ Summit Law. [Arizona Republic] * You might not have known it, but the Michigan State University College of Law has been operating as a private school for all these years. Soon, the school will be fully integrated into the university, and you know what that means: in-state tuition costs will be coming to the MSU Law. Congratulations! [Lansing State Journal] * RBG is my Patronus, and a course on Harry Potter and the Law is coming to a law school near you -- if you live in India, that is. The National University of Juridical Sciences will be teaching the class, and muggles students are "expected [to] have already read all the books at least twice, if not more." [The Guardian]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.20.18

* Unfortunately, this story that Yale professors felt women needed to have a physical "type" to clerk for Brett Kavanaugh isn't terribly surprising. We've been hearing these same rumblings from others -- it seems people have started to come forward and be identified (at least to the reporters) about this kind of talk. [Huffington Post] * CLOC thinks Australia is ready for its "Legal Operations moment." When is that moment going to come to the US? Because all I see are firms raising fees and in-house offering very little but muted disappointment. [Corporate Counsel] * The judge and attorneys for the WWE are pushing back against the lawyer for a 53-person class alleging the WWE ignored the threat of concussions for years. The operative term is "for years" as in "so long ago that it's time-barred." But the class is following the NFL CTE suit's lead in trying to get around that. [American Lawyer] * Papa John heading to court to battle his old company. A serious question: is it really that important to make bad commercials with Peyton Manning again? Just sit this one out. [Law.com] * Mark Cuban to donate $10 million to the advancement of women's athletics as part of a series of overarching reforms to address harassment findings within the Dallas Mavericks organization (Disclaimer that Mark's brother Brian is an Above the Law columnist). [Law360] * Trump's declared election interference a national emergency. But as you might expect it doesn't actually do much that might upset King Putin. [Lawfare]

By Joe Patrice
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 04.03.14

* Dentons still has the urge to merge with a U.S. firm, and now it’s trying to tempt Patton Boggs away from Squire Sanders with a “serious overture.” Bow chika bow wow. [The Lawyer] * Despite all the outrage over Albany Law’s faculty buyouts, some have already accepted the package offered. Looks like anything’s possible for the right price. [Albany Business Review] * Guess which law school is cutting tuition by a whole lot? Some hints: it’s in New York and it’s been selling off real estate. We’ll have more on this later. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)] * Perhaps this could be considered a gift of provisional accreditation: Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General in President George W. Bush’s administration, is now dean at Belmont Law. [The Tennessean] * Take a look at this new paper by Professors Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld on race and culture in law school admissions. Actually, it’s fake, but it’s sad that it could, in theory, be very real. [Washington Post] * Zac Efron is going to star as a Yale Law grad forced by criminals to work in the world’s largest Biglaw firm in a film adaptation of John Grisham’s book, The Associate. OMG, he’s so cute. [Hollywood Reporter] * Our thoughts go out to the families of those wounded and killed during the Fort Hood shooting. [AP]

By Staci Zaretsky
9th Circuit

Morning Docket: 02.14.14

* Virginia is for lovers — gay and straight alike. Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen (E.D. Va.) just struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage (but stayed her ruling pending appeal). Happy Valentine’s Day! [Washington Post] * The Ninth Circuit, in an opinion by Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain, issued a major Second Amendment ruling. Is it correct, and what will happen next? Professor Eugene Volokh shares his thoughts. [Volokh Conspiracy; Volokh Conspiracy] * Which leading law firms are trying to make the Comcast/Time Warner Cable monstrosity into reality? [American Lawyer] * Did a Biglaw firm make a big-time mistake by blowing a deadline to appeal a $40 million verdict? [Law360 (sub. req.)] * Speaking of screw-ups, making them in the e-discovery realm can be costly — a lesson that California is learning the hard way, to the tune of $32 million. [ACEDS] * Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin thought he’d be acquitted; he thought wrong. [ABA Journal] * George Washington wasn’t a member of the one of the 8 magic groups — but his story still illustrates the truth of The Triple Package (affiliate link), according to Washington biographer Logan Beirne. [Fox News] * Authorities have made an arrest for the package bombing that killed a retired Tennessee lawyer and his wife. [CNN]

By David Lat
7th Circuit

Non-Sequiturs: 02.13.14

* O.J. Simpson is pursuing a hunger strike because he’s looking to die. If only he knew who the real killers were, they could help him out. [Radar Online] * Dean I. Richard Gershon of Ole Miss Law thinks Elie is just wrong. [Law Deans on Legal Education Blog] * In continuing Seventh Circuit benchslappiness, Judge Richard Posner got feisty with an attorney for Notre Dame who kept interrupting him. If this lawyer keeps it up, Posner’s going to treat his client like Alabama did a year ago. [Chicago Tribune] * Comcast wants to buy Time Warner, pending DOJ approval. The DOJ wants to talk to Comcast, but they’re only available to talk between 10 and 10:15 on alternating Wednesdays. [ATL Redline] * California and New Jersey have banned gay conversion therapy programs. Is that the best way to combat these schemes? [New York Times] * A look at getting started as an entrepreneur. See, there’s hope after bailing on practicing law. [Big Law Rebel] * Daria Roithmayr of USC Law thinks The Triple Package (affiliate link), the new book by Yale’s Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld, doesn’t hold water. I mean, since when are we holding academics to writing “scholarship” as opposed to “controversy bait”? Professors need to eat, after all. [Slate] * A cop who got in trouble for bashing Obama online thought he was protected by the First Amendment. The court disagreed. [IT-Lex]

By Joe Patrice
Asians

Non-Sequiturs: 02.03.14

* Woody Allen’s lawyer, Elkan Abramowitz, responds to Dylan Farrow’s account of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of her famous father. [Gawker; Gothamist] * Sound advice from Professor Glenn Reynolds on how not to increase applications to your law school. [Instapundit] * What is a “nitro dump,” and will it provide information about who (or what) killed Philip Seymour Hoffman? [ATL Redline] * “Is Elena Kagan a ‘paranoid libertarian?’ Judging by [Cass] Sunstein’s definition, the answer is yes.” [Reason via Althouse] * A petition of possible interest to debt-laden law school graduates: “Increase the student loan interest deduction from $2,500 to the interest actually paid.” [WhiteHouse.gov] * Vivia Chen wonders: Is Amy Chua, co-author of The Triple Package (affiliate link), being attacked as racist in a way that it itself racist? [Time] * Yikes — journalists around the country have been receiving “a flurry of subpoenas in recent months,” according to Jeff Kosseff of Covington & Burling. [InsideTechMedia] * Congratulations to Orrick’s 15 new partners — an impressively diverse group, from a wide range of practice areas and from offices around the world. [Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe]

By David Lat