Morning Docket

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.23.24

* Simpson Thacher faces anti-money laundering prosecution. [Law.com International] * Now that Arizona is a battleground state again, the Supreme Court has moved to reinstate voting law requiring proof of citizenship to register with weeks to go. [SCOTUSBlog] * Another one falls: Hunton Andrews Kurth adds non-equity tier. [Bloomberg Law News] * WilmerHale too. [Reuters] * Tom Girardi takes stand in his trial. [Law360] * Clerk helps retired attorney with dementia. [ABA Journal] * Texas lawyer killed in apparent murder-suicide. [NY Post]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.22.24

* Camp Lejeune claims top half a million. Maybe soon it won't be every late night commercial. [Reuters] * Gone fishin' -- permanently. [ABA Journal] * Oath Keepers attorney pleads guilty. [AP] * FTC must now consider whether to appeal the amateurish noncompete ban issued by the Northern District of Texas knowing that the Fifth Circuit could easily turn it into a much broader ban on all trade regulation. [Bloomberg Law News] * Ninth Circuit muses that state's anti-Trans law might actually be discriminatory. [Law360] * Major law firm merger yields major dividends. Sorta the anti-Dewey. [American Lawyer] * Utah State football coach is suing. [ESPN]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.21.24

* Trump judge strikes down FTC's ban on employer imposed noncompete agreements as a restriction on trade, calling it "arbitrary and capricious because it is unreasonably overbroad without a reasonable explanation" -- legalese for "vibes, man." [Financial Times] * When the FTC started probing the Kroger-Albertsons deal, Albertsons executives kept deleting messages. Why are lawyers letting clients do this to themselves? [Global Competition Review] * Anthropic slapped with copyright suit from authors. Unlike some past cases, they aren't claiming harm just because of the training, but because they say the company used illegally pirated copies of their works for the training. This is what happens when you forget all those Napster files on your drive. [Bloomberg Law News] * Amazon loses bid to escape over half billion in patent infringement damages. [Law360] * Bob Menendez would like a new trial. [NY Law Journal] * Lawsuit moves forward alleging that Wisconsin bar's mandatory membership makes its efforts to improve professional diversity a First Amendment violation even if fees for these initiatives are voluntary. [Reuters] * Interesting draft article: if Originalism was practically impossible in an era before the internet... how can it be the only acceptable method of interpretation? [SSRN]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.20.24

* Disney drops "watching Disney+ means arbitration" bid. [Reuters] * Judge who carried on secret long-term relationship with lawyer repping clients in his courtroom must take ethics training... over trying to skip deposition. [ABA Journal] * Billionaire and the Clifford Chance partner who helped acquit him of fraud missing after yacht sank. [Law360] * Adidas not liable for failing to appropriately disclose the risks of signing a deal with Kanye. [Bloomberg Law News] * Law firm nabs 100,000sf lease on new office space. [The Real Deal] * Judge agrees to 30-day suspension in exchange for confidentially closing 58 formal ethics counts against him. Should do wonders for public trust! [Daily Report Online]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.19.24

* Current Supreme Court has opened the door to patchwork state-by-state banking laws. Because that's how to build a global economy! [Bloomberg Law News] * How to sue NASA for fallen space debris? Seems like a one-off practice area unless some idiot tries to build personal spaceships. [Law.com] * Apropos of nothing at all, Elon Musk is closing an office over a fight with a judge. [NY Times] * George Santos expected to plead guilty. [Reuters] * Suit against firms involved in bankruptcy judge sleeping with the partner situation falls. [Law360] * Small partner pay spread models growing more rare. [American Lawyer] * The suspicious death of the "night life lawyer." [NY Post]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.16.24

* Texas AG Ken Paxton will supposedly work at a food bank as part of a plea deal in his fraud case. [Houston Chronicle] * Clients lament learning about rate hikes through letters or ebilling platforms without the courtesy of a private phone conversation. Welcome to "how everyone else in the world gets treated." [American Lawyer] * Lawyer facing discipline has a less than charitable suggestion for his professional responsibility enforcers. [Roll on Friday] * Never a great sign when the judge calls you "absolutely delusional." [ABA Journal] * TikTok continues to tell anyone and everyone that they aren't really owned by China but the message isn't coming through. Perhaps they should try a catchy video? [Reuters] * Polsinelli going big in rapid growth push. [Bloomberg Law News] * Denver Law graduate sued the school alleging retaliation after failing him over the externship that fired him. The suit went about as well as the externship -- he's now been sanctioned. [Law360]

By Above the Law
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By Barbri
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.14.24

* Judge Juan Merchan just can't quit Donald Trump. [The Hill] * Kaplan's deal with California to take over the bar exam is a go. [Law.com] * If a firm employs a secret bank account, things are probably not on the up-and-up. [Bloomberg Law] * Judge Reed O'Connor recuses himself from Elon Musk's case against advertisers. [Reuters] * SCOTUS *probably* isn't going to take up assault weapon bans. [Huffington Post] * A Trump win is bad news for the First Amendment. [Vox]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.13.24

* Do you know where Kamala Harris went to law school? University of California Hastings College of the Law hopes you take a minute to google that. [Reuters] * Lawyer successfully executes the cybersquatting ploy targeting the Dem ticket -- again. [Bloomberg Law] * Generational drama: Biglaw style. [Law.com] * RFK Jr. won't be on the New York ballot come November. [Huffington Post] * Supreme Court of Utah makes the seemingly obvious call that sexual assault is not the same as "medical treatment," reviving lawsuits against an OB-GYN. [Law & Crime] * A deep dive into JD Vance's old blog posts. [Politico]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.12.24

* Harris campaign's strong ties to Paul Weiss. [Reuters] * Rudy may soon lose condo. [Palm Beach Post] * Former Twitter board member: a little birdie said Elon owes me $23M. [Law360] * Kanye needs another lawyer. [Yahoo] * Goodwin hires former Google legal ops chief as COO. [Bloomberg Law News] * Second Circuit finds racial disparities on the rise in SDNY jury selection. [New York Law Journal] * UK firm gives staff Friday afternoons off. [LegalCheek]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.09.24

* State supreme court rules that Amazon must face claims it gouged customers during the pandemic. Hey, divorces cost money! [Law360] * Nelly arrested and his lawyer cites misbehaving cop. [People] * Judge reprimanded for love letter to staffer. [Roll on Friday] * Fourth Circuit upholds assault weapons ban. [ABA Journal] * Experts: The Bankruptcy Code needs serious congressional attention for the long-term health of the economy. Congress: what if we make a $500 bill with Trump's face? [Bloomberg Law News] * Holland angry that a judge used ChatGPT in opinion... though based on the facts they'd be just as incensed if he'd used Google but "ChatGPT" is more clicky. [Law.com International] * Republican attorneys general sue to block health insurance for DACA kids. [Courthouse News Service]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.08.24

* Forget counting cards! Fake lawyer convinced casino to just hand over $750K. [8 News Now] * Biglaw starting to wonder if AI is even capable of improving the practice beyond back-office tasks -- this might be as good as it gets. [Bloomberg Law News] * Fake money purveyor FTX settles with CFTC for $12.7B real money. [Law360] * Dog and cat owners head to the Supreme Court. [Reuters] * Sidley associate prepping for the Paralympics. [National Law Journal] * LexisNexis parent sued over tracking software. [Legaltech News] * The man arrested for enjoying a succulent meal in iconic clip has passed away at 82. [The Guardian]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.07.24

* Tom Girardi opening statements sound like an MPRE hypo. [Law360] * While candidates and media flog the idea that the 9/11 plea deal is some sort of gift to the plotters, Bush administration Solicitor General Ted Olson who lost his wife in the attacks explains why the deal is the right outcome. [NY Times] * The Google antitrust ruling is a big deal for search, but it might have bigger implications for AI. [Bloomberg Law News] * Law firms in the UK prepare to be targeted by rioters. [LegalCheek] * ABA wants character and fitness to include safeguards for domestic violence victims. [Reuters] * Cooley introduces generative AI tool to power its Cooley GO offering for entrepreneurs and investors. [Legaltech News] * FBI seize congressman's phone. [Washington Post]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.06.24

* Google passes Go... does not collect $200. [Law360] * Police shouldn't lie to minors during questioning according to the ABA. Seems like maybe that mandate could be a bit broader. [ABA Journal] * Judges using their office to bully law students cleared of misconduct. [Reuters] * Navajo Nation sends its police force to try to block uranium transport crossing its land. Neal Gorsuch warming up his keyboard already. [Bloomberg Law News] * Law professors need to stop pretending this Supreme Court is engaged in "law." [Balls and Strikes] * Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the future model of the non-FedSoc justice. [The Nation] * Roberta Kaplan's new firm continues to grow. [NY Law Journal]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.05.24

* In his new book, Neal Gorsuch explains that there are too many laws. Not on women's bodies or anything... but on the important people like presidents who encourage supporters to murder the vice president. [The Guardian] * Delaware asks Elon Musk for ANY case precedent to support his $56 billion pay package. Maybe AI can hallucinate him one. [Law360] * Meanwhile, Elon is under investigation for violating personal information farming laws under the guise of a political action committee. [Reuters] * Clifford Chance tries to deal with the "Kirklandization" of the market, which is honestly better than the Skaddenization of the industry which always sounded like a painful condition. [Bloomberg Law News] * DOJ sues TikTok over childrens' privacy. [Law.com] * Justin Timberlake no longer allowed to drive in New York. This will ruin the tour. Or at least the Flushing tour. [SI Live] * Lawyer sentenced for leaving a bomb at the Chinese embassy. [Washington Post]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.02.24

* Judge tosses NFL Sunday Ticket award, deciding that the expert witnesses weren't good enough AFTER the jury agreed with them. It's not so much "instant replay" as "deciding to void the game two weeks later." [CNN] * FTC could start probing grocery chains for keeping prices aloft after inflation has receded. [Bloomberg Law News] * Sixth Circuit shuts down net neutrality because "major questions" means never having to say you have a legal justification. [Reuters] * You know term limits are a good idea based on the hysterical response. [Balls and Strikes] * South Carolina's execution menu is not cruel and unusual. You might think this is about the last meals they serve, but sadly the "menu" is the different ways the state chooses to kill people. [ABA Journal] * Most funerals don't end with a judge having to get an injunction. [Roll on Friday] * Journey band members head to chancery. How many sly references can we stick into this straightlaced article? [Law.com]

By Above the Law