Oral Argument
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Courts
The Road To The White House Goes Through The Supreme Court
They have experience with multiple branches of government. -
Courts
Oral Arguments Are Often Not Needed Since Many Judicial Decisions Are Predetermined
Sometimes, it seems like a waste of time to orally argue cases if judges have already decided matters on the papers. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Courts
Sonia Sotomayor Has Thoughts On Conservative Justices' Plans To Cancel Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness
Conservatives on the Supreme Court seem 'skeptical' about Biden's debt relief plan.
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Courts
These Presidents Sure Know How To Argue
These guys have a lot of experience in the federal government. -
Biglaw
Partners Shouldn't Invite Associates To Oral Arguments In Order To Boost Their Egos
Sometimes, the associates don't learn much about lawyering, aren't billing, and will have a hard time making up for lost time. -
Courts
Lawyers Should Sometimes Speak Less During Oral Arguments
By speaking less, lawyers may be less of a target for questions, and might look stronger than their adversaries who are unable to adequately answer hostile or challenging questions posed by a court. -
Courts, Supreme Court
The Supreme Court's Successful New Approach To Oral Argument
Let's hope that SCOTUS sticks with these reforms post-pandemic. -
Courts
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Didn't Always Earn High Grades At The Supreme Court
One justice in particular didn't find her to be very notorious. - Sponsored
How AI Is The Catalyst For Reshaping Every Aspect Of Legal Work
Findings from the "Future of Professionals Report," based on a survey of 1,200 professionals from North and South America and the UK. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.07.19
* It’s back to work for the justices of the Supreme Court as the October Term 2019 gets started today, with major cases on LGBTQ rights, immigration, abortion, guns, and religion scheduled to be heard over the course of this year. Here’s a good summary of five cases to watch. [New York Times]
* Are appellate advocates ready for a kinder, gentler experience before the Supreme Court? They’ll now receive two minutes of uninterrupted time at the beginning of oral arguments. This is a “dramatic change” of pace for the high court. [National Law Journal]
* According to Mark Zaid, the lawyer for whistleblower #1, there are now two whistleblowers on President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, and the second one reportedly has firsthand knowledge of some of the allegations detailed in the original complaint. [ABC News]
* “All of you know your Constitution. The way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority with me as majority leader.“ Sen. Mitch McConnell is promising to end the impeachment proceedings against Trump in his latest campaign ads. [Louisville Courier Journal]
* Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes hasn’t paid her lawyers in more than a year, and now they’ve asked a judge to let them off her case. “It is unfair and unreasonable to require Cooley to continue representing Ms. Holmes in this action,” her disgruntled attorneys wrote in their motion. [Mercury News]
* “[If] I cannot keep my oath of office, I’d rather die than live without honor.” A judge in Thailand shot himself in court in an apparent attempt to take his own life after acquitting men of murder charges whom he’d reportedly been pressured to convict. [The Guardian]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 02.27.19
* Cooley Law’s most infamous graduate goes down: Following his guilty pleas on federal felony charges — some of which were allegedly related to his work for Donald Trump — Michael Cohen has been disbarred. [New York Law Journal]
* Meanwhile, Michael Cohen is going to be testifying today before the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL 1st District) allegedly took it upon himself to tamper with the witness via tweet. [Tampa Bay Times]
* Here’s Michael Cohen’s opening statement, where he states, “For the record: Individual #1 is President Donald J. Trump.” [CNN]
* “Is your oath of office to Donald Trump or is it to the Constitution of the United States? You cannot let him undermine your pledge to the Constitution.“ The House of Representatives voted to overturn Trump’s national emergency declaration at the southern border. Next stop, the Senate… [New York Times]
* The D.C. Circuit unanimously upheld the validity of Robert Mueller’s appointment as special counsel. This is the first time that a federal appellate court has weighed in on the appropriateness of Mueller’s role in the Russia probe. [National Law Journal]
* High school and college students have been waiting in line for days holding places for people to watch today’s oral arguments at the Supreme Court. The price of justice in America is high, and they’re being paid top dollar to camp out in front of the high court. [CNBC]
* A Virginia police officer accidentally fired his gun during a traffic stop involving two students from William & Mary Law. According to reports, a bullet ricocheted off the ground and struck the car’s door, but thankfully no one was injured. [Flat Hat News]
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Courts
Lawyer Delivers Oral Argument Before Supreme Court While Wife Is In Labor
And no, it wasn't a labor law case. -
9th Circuit, Federal Judges, Legal Ethics
Ninth Circuit Judges To Lawyer: Lying In Court Is Wrong, Mkay?
This oral argument transcript (or video) will make you cringe. -
Federal Judges, Gay, Weirdness
A Federal Judge's Rather Rude Joke About Lesbians
The Seventh Circuit, sitting en banc, delves into... lesbianism.
Sponsored
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Document Automation For Law Firms: The Definitive Guide
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Are Small Firms Going Big On Legal Tech?
How AI Is The Catalyst For Reshaping Every Aspect Of Legal Work
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Boutique Law Firms, Litigators, Small Law Firms
When The Court Asks A Question, Answer It
Be ready to take direction from the Court about what it wants answered, not simply the questions you wish to discuss. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 08.02.16
* Remember that Donald Trump tell-all from a former lawyer? Does the piece violate rules against the disclosure of privileged information? [New York Personal Injury Blog]
* Judge Jed Rakoff slams consumer consent to arbitration agreements as a “legal fiction.” [Law360 (sub. req.)]
* According to a HUD report, a New Orleans judge is running a home for the elderly and disabled with “dangerous health and safety risks.” [NOLA.com]
* Advice on prepping for an oral argument. [Lawyerist]
* Canadian Supreme Court justices are going to be chosen in an all new way. [The Star]
* Field-administered drug tests are not as reliable as the criminal justice system would like you to believe. [Guile is Good]
* Stuff lawyers say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GNyobx3Agk
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 07.05.16
* Tips from a Biglaw partner on balancing work and motherhood. [Big Law Business]
* But not everyone thinks that Biglaw is conducive to balancing family life with work. [Law and More]
* Which attorneys were most victorious at oral argument in front of the Supreme Court this Term? [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Legal pot growers have a looming battle with the IRS. [Slate]
* Is now the time to end the death penalty? [Guile is Good]
* RIP, Judge Abner Mikva, whose career also included work as a U.S. congressman from Illinois, White House counsel to President Bill Clinton, and mentor to Barack Obama. He died this 4th of July. [Washington Post]
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Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Partner Issues
The Questioner Versus The Answerer
The associate sends a draft brief to the partner, then swings by the partner's office to get comments; who has the upper hand? -
Supreme Court
Supreme Court Screws Over Lawyers, Bans Line-Standers
The Supreme Court offers half-hearted reform at the expense of lawyers in a cynical bid to quiet the media. -
Banking Law, Gay, Job Searches, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Rankings
Morning Docket: 11.03.14
* Two women will be making their oral argument debuts before the Supreme Court this week. One of them will be arguing two cases in the span of a month, which is absolutely insane. [National Law Journal]
* Big banks are putting aside big money for legal costs: Citi squirreled away an extra $600 million, RBS is ready to hand over $600 million, and Barclays has $800 million on tap. [DealBook / New York Times]
* In preparation for the prestige frenzy come March 2015, law schools will have about three weeks to complete their survey information for the annual U.S. News law school rankings. [Morse Code / U.S. News]
* The controversial, anti-gay Trinity Western University Law School may not be able to open after all. The B.C. Law Society just voted to overturn its prior approval of the school’s accreditation. [CBC News]
* It seems the United States isn’t the only place where recent law school graduates are struggling to find jobs. In Japan, newly licensed lawyers can’t find work either. Saitei, my friends, saitei. 🙁 [Japan Times]
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Law Schools, Oy, Rudeness, Sexism, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Women's Issues
A Law School Dean Turns A Judge's Sexist Snafu Into A Teachable Moment
A judge tells a woman lawyer that he thinks she would look good in leather. Oy.