NCAA

  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 04.01.15

    * Protesters disrupt the Supreme Court to complain about Citizens United. Just two or three more of these and Alito is sure to break! [SCOTUSBlog]

    * In completely unrelated news, TV spending in the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin has now topped $600,000. No risk of corruption there. [Brennan Center For Justice]

    * Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has, at the last minute, refused to sign a new RFRA after watching Indiana blow up its own economy over the same law. In other news, Indiana Governor Mike Pence received a delightful gift basket today this morning with the message, “Thanks for taking the hit on this one — Asa XOXOXO.” [New York Times]

    * Speaking of the RFRA kerfuffle, defending champion UConn is boycotting the Final Four in Indiana this weekend. Not qualifying for the tournament certainly helps. How about we hold off praising this “bold stance” until a team actually playing this weekend makes a symbolic show of support. [NBC Connecticut]

    * After a season of reading about cops brutalizing unarmed kids for no reason, there’s a project in Baltimore trying to get the police to better connect with teens. Anything would help. [Washington Post]

    * There’s a new .sucks domain name, more or less designed for the sole purpose of extorting money from companies and celebrities. I don’t see the problem, they extort money out of us all the time. [LXBN]

    * Cool new tech. It’s like Google Glass for transactional lawyers, designed to instantly identify and highlight key provisions. OK this is an April Fools gag, but their real product actually operates on the same principle. [Kira Specs]

    * Just because married couples can file jointly doesn’t mean they should. For that matter, just because couples can marry doesn’t mean they should. Think about it. [California Lawyer]

    * Richard Hsu talks with Guy Kawasaki, the Chief Evangelist of Canva, and former Chief Evangelist of Apple. Evangelists just in time for the holiday! [Hsu Untied]

    * What have we done? We wrote about a candidate for SBA President at the University of Miami School of Law with a cheesy campaign video and he won. And now he’s drunk with power. He’s instituting a mandatory dress code! His email is on the next page…

    Miami Law Family,

    First and foremost, congratulations to all of the newly elected Student Leaders. Today’s Passing of the Gavel ceremony was a huge success, and I look forward to working with you all during the upcoming school year.

    It is now time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. I recently surveyed a group of students about immediate issues they want the SBA to address. Without question, they felt that the biggest issue with the law school was that too many students wear flip flops and T-shirts to class. Thus, starting next Monday, April 6th, the SBA will be implementing a mandatory business casual/professional dress code for all full-time students. I know it may come as a shock, but my cabinet felt that this is a priority that needed to be addressed. We chose to make this our first order of business to demonstrate that we are here to work. This is clearly the first step to improve our bar passage rate, and I thank you for your understanding.

    I will be following up with you all later this week about upcoming SBA matters. I know you all had a nice break from me spamming your inbox, but I’m back and better than ever.

    Please see below for a detailed outline of what attire will be included/excluded from the mandatory dress code.

    Truly yours,
    Matt Deblinger
    President, Student Bar Association

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    Oh, before I forget… THANK YOU to Outgoing SBA President Sara Solano. Miss Solano did a phenomenal job as President, and she left big shoes to fill, despite being much shorter than me. As for that mandatory dress code I mentioned….. April Fools!!! 🙂

    In all seriousness- I cannot wait to work with all of the SBA E-board members, SBA Senators, administrators, and the student organization leaders. There is an SBA meeting tomorrow, 4/2/15, at 12:30PM in F309, where we will be appointing our Speaker of the Senate and discussing next year’s SBA Budget. As always, time will be allotted for general student body comments. We encourage you all to attend.

    Your Student Leaders are going to be working hard to ensure that the 2015-16 school year will be one of the most successful year’s in Miami Law’s history. You’ve elected a great group of students.

    If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas– or simply want to grab Icees & appetizers with me– please do not hesitate to call/text me. It’s my job is to serve you, but at the end of the day, I’m equally your colleague and friend.

    Here’s to a good year,
    Matthew Ryan David Deblinger
    President, Student Bar Association
    University of Miami School of Law

  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 03.26.15

    * WMU Cooley Law School wants you to know the legal job market is BOOMING! Never change, Cooley. [Cooley Law School Blog]

    * The NCAA expressed its concerns with Indiana’s new religious discrimination bill. Somehow the NCAA has the moral high ground. Huh. How did that happen? [Washington Post]

    * Judge grants motion to extend time… in verse. [Western District of Texas]

    * Do you love pre-1972 rock? So does satellite radio! Because it’s all about love and rebellion and not paying copyright royalties. [Managing IP]

    * Did this really need to be a CLE? Are we really abusing the “business casual” regime this much? This is why we can’t have nice things. [ABA]

    * Congressperson caught on tape executing the worst parking job ever. Lat’s take on this story: “Guess they don’t teach parking at Yale Law School.” [Roll Call]

    * Picking apart Better Call Saul’s take on RICO. [Foster PC]

    * If you’re looking for a hot tip for your Fantasy SCOTUS league, then scour confirmation hearing transcripts. Because Chief Justice Roberts either gave away his thoughts on the marriage equality cases. Or he coyly misled the Senate, but that never happens. [Slate]

  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 02.25.15

    * Did you want a Saul Goodman cake for your next party? Because it’s a thing. Do they make Bunsen burner candles? [Legal Cheek]

    * I’m not shy about my love-hate relationship with college athletics. It’s time for more of the hate side: the NCAA cracked down on Baylor walk-on Silas Nacita for accepting benefits deemed improper… WHILE HE WAS HOMELESS! So obviously Baylor kicked him off the team. In case you don’t perceive an SEC bias, this Big XII kid lost his scholarship, while the last time a school gave a homeless kid improper benefits, we gave Sandra Bullock an Oscar. [Lawyers, Guns & Money]

    * A first-year Washington University of St. Louis law student is taking a leave of absence to join the Illinois legislature. Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Pawnee). Of course an ambitious female public servant is from “Pawnee.” [CBS St. Louis]

    * Florida deputy shackles a mentally ill woman and then drags her by the leg shackles through the courthouse. Which, when you think about it, is probably pretty humane by Florida standards. [Raw Story]

    * An interesting profile of CrowdDefend, a new player in the legal-crowdfunding space that’s aimed more towards public interest cases. [LFC 360]

    * The phenomenon of “professional brownouts” hits lawyers hard. [Law and More]

    * Reflections from Professor Laura Appleman on a law clerk’s duty of confidentiality, triggered by Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). [The Faculty Lounge]

  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 12.31.14

    * In protest, the NYPD has adopted a policy of only making arrests “when they have to.” Shouldn’t that have been the policy all along? Maybe this petulant protest is a good thing after all. [New York Post]

    * Michigan banned college athletes from unionizing. Which makes sense because this is an amateur activity that couldn’t possibly afford to pay the students taking risks on the field. In other news, on the exact same day the state of Michigan agreed to pay $5 million a year to the guy who will yell at those same kids. [M Live]

    * Do you want a Bryan Garner Bobblehead? For charity? Of course you do. [Law Prose]

    * Boies Schiller steps into the Octagon. [Yahoo! Sports]

    * Lawyers are sneaking religion into court much more frequently these days. [What About Clients?]

    * More fallout from the California Bar Exam results. [Bar Exam Stats]

    * The D.D.C. declined to enjoin Abd Al Rahim Hussayn Muhammad Al Nashiri’s military commission trial. Professor Vladeck thinks this decision is dumb. [Lawfare]

    * While we’re on the subject of law professors dissing dumb legal arguments, Professor Barnett has some real problems with Nebraska and Oklahoma trying to use Raich to sue Colorado. [The Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post]

    * Why the f**k should you care about net neutrality? Here’s why:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8bV8IhbRrQ

  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 11.24.14

    * 2014 Moot Court rankings. Florida Coastal? Really? Good for them. [The National Jurist]

    * Young lawyers are making legal mobile apps. Great, now I’m going to start getting notifications about helping friends out with their LawVille game. [TaxProf Blog]

    * Judge sends motivational tweet, no big deal. No judge sends motivational tweet DURING A MURDER TRIAL, now there’s something! [Legal Cheek]

    * A number of law professors filed a brief supporting the NCAA in the Ed O’Bannon antitrust appeal. What do you know, there’s actually someone out there supporting the NCAA. [CBS Sports]

    * Cooley LLP is representing Immigration Judge Ashley Tabaddor in an interesting lawsuit against the DOJ. Judge Tabaddor is Iranian-American, and the DOJ ordered her off all cases involving Iranians based on her heritage. That… doesn’t sound right. [Cooley LLP]

    * Ron Collins kicks off a multi-part series on Judge Richard Posner. [Concurring Opinions]

    * English was William F. Buckley’s third language? Huh. Never knew that. [What About Clients?]

    * David and Elie appeared on Power Lunch today to discuss bonus season. Video below. [CNBC]

  • 9th Circuit, Contract Attorneys, Non-Sequiturs, Prisons, Rape, Supreme Court, Television

    Non-Sequiturs: 09.24.14

    * Quiz: Can you match the picture of the plaintiff to the landmark Supreme Court decision? [Slate] * Ninth Circuit expedites Ed O'Bannon appeal. [USAToday] * New NBC comedy about a law student who becomes a garbage man. Better job security, I suppose. [The A.V. Club] * The federal prison population declined by about 4800 inmates, giving the United States… well, still the worst incarceration rate in the world, but hey, you’ve got to start somewhere. [ABC News] * The contract attorney who sued Biglaw is living in his car and considering a career in construction. Perhaps it was a Freudian thing. [Law and More] * Some philosophy professors are concerned about an individual getting very testy with perceived critics. Anyone want to guess the individual? [Professor David Velleman Homepage / NYU] * In case you missed it, Howard Bashman’s announcement of our new partnership. [How Appealing] * Middle school convinces special needs girl to allow suspected rapist to take her into a bathroom so the school can “catch him redhanded.” She gets raped. Judge dismisses the lawsuit saying he wouldn’t “second-guess” school officials. [Al.com]
  • Sponsored

  • Anna Nicole Smith, Defamation, Football, Gay Marriage, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Patents, Supreme Court

    Non-Sequiturs: 08.20.14

    * Anna Nicole Smith’s estate finally loses its effort to secure a piece of her late husband’s estate. This whole thing was like Bleak House with boobs. [Jezebel] * Supreme Court halts same-sex marriage in Virginia. So there you go. [ABC News] * Our old friend the Affluenza kid is back in the news, but this time he’s only a footnote to the story. His father, the one who spoiled him so badly he couldn’t help himself but kill a bunch of people, has been arrested for impersonating a cop. Maybe affluenza is contagious. * The preliminary draft of the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, and Criminal Procedure are available for public comment! So what are you still doing here? [U.S. Courts] * Lawyer posts a bounty available to anyone who can help him collect on the multi-million dollar judgments he’s secured against a pilfering billionaire. “I’ve spent enough money getting judgments.” Enter Dog the Judgement Bounty Hunter. Go with Christ, Brah.[Forbes] * Adam Carolla has settled with the patent troll who was suing him claiming they invented the podcast. Details weren’t disclosed, but since Carolla had previously said he wouldn’t settle for any amount of money, I wonder how they sweetened the pot. [USAToday] * Suspended Notre Dame athletes reportedly considering a lawsuit against journalists who named them as suspects in a cheating scandal. Even though the school itself named them. If the classes they supposedly took were “Pre-Law” or “Basics of Defamation,” then I think the NCAA has a slam dunk case. [FoxSports] * The extracurriculars that help you get into law school. Debate’s still on there even if the description — at least of the form of debate most Americans practice — sounds more like what a high school drama thinks of debate instead of reality. Less extemporaneous speaking and more “massive, in-depth research and a developing a mastery of electronic research databases.” [InGenius Prep] * The lingering lawsuit over one of the most devastating hockey hits in recent memory has finally settled. The parties agreed to 5 minutes for fighting and a game misconduct. [ESPN]
  • 11th Circuit, Antitrust, China, Election Law, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 06.27.14

    * As I noted yesterday over at Redline, the defense in the NCAA trial is putting up some terrible witnesses. Here’s another example. The NCAA’s expert wrote a textbook. The NCAA might have wanted to check it out before bringing him on to help defend themselves IN AN ANTITRUST CASE. [Twitter / Stewart Mandel] * Elie and I got in a spirited discussion with Slate’s Jordan Weissmann over my edits to his piece on law schools. And it looks like some outside observers took notice. [Law and More] * The case for grade inflation. [The Atlantic] * In Wisconsin, a Scott Walker supporter allegedly voted for his boy 5 times. His defense is ripped from a Days of Our Lives script. [CBS News] * Our mates at Legal Cheek have the ideal follow-up to our World Cup guide: Which last 16 World Cup team is your law firm? As a QPR fan, I’ll tip my hat to their Harry Redknapp quote. [Legal Cheeks] * Overpreparing for a simple meeting. [What Should Law Bros Call Me] * An 11th Circuit PIP nightmare. [South Florida Lawyers] * Hong Kong lawyers protesting what they see as China meddling. Honestly can you blame China? Ever since Hong Kong let Batman just swoop in and grab that guy, you can’t really trust the Hong Kong legal system. [Reuters]

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  • Bankruptcy, Fashion, Federal Judges, Jury Duty, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Morning Docket, Sports, Video games

    Morning Docket: 06.10.14

    * Hmm, somebody didn’t review those documents quickly enough: the City of Detroit’s bankruptcy trial has been delayed for about a month’s time by Judge Steven Rhodes because the parties needed additional time to get their acts together. [Bloomberg]

    * The NCAA may have lost the battle in the Keller EA Sports video games case with its $20 million settlement offer, but it’s clearly out for blood to win the war in the O’Bannon case with its tough cross-examination tactics for the lead plaintiff. [USA Today]

    * GW Law, a school that recently increased its class size by 22 percent and allowed its average LSAT score to slip by two points, yoinked its new dean right out from under Wake Forest’s nose. [GW Hatchet]

    * The legal profession isn’t exactly diverse, and law schools want to change that — the more pictures of “diverse” students they can display on their websites, the better. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

    * Who really cares what prospective jurors wear when they show up for jury duty? The lawyers arguing that being turned away for wearing sneakers affected their clients’ rights in a case, that’s who. [WSJ Law Blog]

  • American Bar Association / ABA, Federal Judges, Gay Marriage, Job Searches, Law Schools, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Sports, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court

    Morning Docket: 06.09.14

    * If you’ve ever wondered what’s being said about Supreme Court justices during the vetting process, we’ve got a great one-liner about Justice Breyer, who’s apparently a “rather cold fish.” Oooh, sick burn. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]

    * The NLJ 350 rankings are here, and this is where we get to see the big picture about the big boys of Biglaw. In 2013, it looks like headcount grew by 3.9 percent, which is good, but not great, all things considered. Meh. [National Law Journal]

    * A Wisconsin judge is the latest to give her state’s ban on same-sex marriage the finger, and she did it with flair, noting in her opinion that “traditional” marriages throughout history were polygamous. [Bloomberg]

    * The Ed O’Bannon antitrust case against the NCAA is going to trial today before Judge Claudia Wilken. Since it could change college sports forever, here’s everything you need to know about it. [USA Today]

    * According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of those employed in the legal sector is at its lowest level since the beginning of 2014, with jobs still being shed. Welcome, graduates! [Am Law Daily]

    * UC Irvine Law has finally earned full accreditation from the American Bar Association. We’d like to say nice work and congrats, but we’re pretty sure the ABA would fully accredit a toaster. [Los Angeles Times]

  • Crime, Education / Schools, Election Law, Jury Duty, Non-Sequiturs, Police, SCOTUS, Sports, Supreme Court

    Non-Sequiturs: 02.21.14

    * The Ed O’Bannon suit against the NCAA will proceed to trial in June barring settlement. Football writer/genius Spencer Hall put it best when he described the hearing as “a judge looks at amateurism and says ‘this is bulls**t’ in legalese.” [Sports Illustrated] * McCutcheon will usher in even more campaign finance excess, but could alleviate gridlock. Plutocracies are efficient! [Election Law Blog] * Hold the phone! Coerced confessions aren’t admissible? Next thing you’ll tell us is waterboarding is illegal. Thanks Obama. [New York Law Journal] * Juror who couldn’t stop using Facebook didn’t cause a mistrial because he didn’t post any details about the case. In other news, he really needs a goat in FarmVille you guys, so if anyone can hook him up, that’d be great. (Alternative heading for this one: “11 Angry Men, 1 ‘Likes This’”) [IT-Lex] * Disbarred lawyer mistakenly allowed to serve as a judge. But only for about 16 years, so it’s all cool. [Washington City Paper] * “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the [Baby Boomer] lawyers.” [Law and More] * A California lawsuit argues that pro-teacher policies in the state are hurting education. The defendants point to the fact that California’s educational administration and funding in the state is best described as a “sh*tshow.” Experts are fighting it out with some novel metrics. [The Expert Institute] * Elie talks about the new ad for cameras in the Supreme Court and the EPA's power to regulate greenhouse gases on Legalese It! with Mike Sacks. Video embedded below... [Huffington Post Live]
  • Alston & Bird, Biglaw, Brobeck Phleger & Harrison, Celebrities, Crime, D.C. Circuit, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Federal Judges, Guns / Firearms, Heller Ehrman, Howrey LLP, Money, Morning Docket, Murder, New Jersey, Real Estate, Silicon Valley, Sports, Violence

    Morning Docket: 12.23.13

    * Judge Richard Leon’s decision in the NSA surveillance case is ripe for review by the D.C. Circuit, and given the court’s new make-up, we could see a very interesting result. Oh, to be an NSA agent listening in on those calls. [National Law Journal]

    * With seven business days left until 2014, law firms all around the country are still desperately trying to get paid. Lawyers are working hard for the money — 83.5 cents to the dollar — so you better treat them right. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]

    * Who you gonna call? Your local bankruptcy attorney. Alston & Bird, currently housed in Heller’s old digs in Silicon Valley, will head to a new office whose former occupants include Dewey, and Howrey, and Brobeck, oh my! [Am Law Daily]

    * Four were arrested in the tragic murder of attorney Dustin Friedland, and each is being held on $2 million bond. One of the alleged assailants has a history of putting guns to other people’s heads. [NJ Star-Ledger]

    * “I think it would be wise for the NCAA to settle this now.” Thanks to the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit, the world of college sports will be forever changed, so all those video games you’ve got are now antiques. [CNBC]

    * Tom Cruise settled his defamation lawsuit against a tabloid publisher over claims that he’d abandoned his daughter during the pendency of his divorce proceedings. Xenu is pleased by this announcement. [CNN]