Penn State

  • Morning Docket: 09.10.19
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 09.10.19

    * Redaction comedy: filings in the Roger Stone case inadvertently gave out Trump’s phone number. [National Law Review]

    * Law firm growth has slowed but we’re going to pretend that’s not a troubling sign. [American Lawyer]

    * California’s going to war with the NCAA and they stand a better chance than this year’s UCLA team. [KTLA]

    * Former Penn State GC faces discipline hearing before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. [Law.com]

    * Insider trading trial begins with argument that banker didn’t intend to go in on an insider trading scheme with his dad. [Law360]

    * FDA sends warning letter to Juul over its claims to be “safer than cigarettes” being potentially false as opposed to its claims to “not make you look like a douche” which are demonstrably false. [Corporate Counsel]

  • Non-Sequiturs: 07.07.17
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 07.07.17

    * Indiana Jones v. Hobby Lobby. JUSTICE ALITO delivered the opinion of the court. [Held] As applied to closely held corporations, regulations prohibiting the purchase of stolen antiquities violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which clearly states the Christian companies like Hobby Lobby can indirectly fund ISIS should the black market or stolen artifacts have relevance to their deeply held beliefs. Petitioners’ claim that it belongs in a museum is denied. [NBC News]

    * The Supreme Court lifted the injunction against Wisconsin’s “cocaine mom” law, which allows the state to send expectant mothers to jail because it claims jurisdiction over the unborn fetus. It just goes to show that it’s better to be unborn in Wisconsin than actually having to live there. [ABA Journal]

    * States are suing because Betsy DeVos is delaying Obama regulations designed to protect students from for profit colleges. Given that the head of one of these “universities” is now the President of the United States, I do wonder what good a few regulations are going to do. The fox is already in the hen house, do I really care if he opens the gate for the rest of his friends? At this point, I blame the dumb ass chickens for being such easy prey anyway. [U.S. News]

    * Man arrested for assaulting his roommate during an argument about Star Wars vs. Star Trek. We don’t know what side he was on, but I’d like to point out that the alleged assailant is black. Dear everybody who called me “oreo” in middle school: this brother here was willing to go to jail over Trek v. Wars. He grabbed the blade end of a knife with his bare hands. Please, go tell him he’s not black enough because he has a deeply held opinion about science fiction. Report back how that goes for you. [The Root]

    * Penn State football is being counter-sued by a coach who claims that there were “intolerable” working conditions. I know nothing about the veracity of the coach’s claims, but I’m pretty sure they could have forced him to diagram plays in his own blood and that wouldn’t make the top ten “intolerable things that have happened in the Penn State locker room.” [Deadspin]

    * Obviously, the big Alt-Right story this week was the CNN blackmail letter. The Alt-Right pot caught the kettle being black as night with CNN’s veiled doxxing threat. The thing that’s weird about the Alt-Right’s obsession with CNN is: they seem to be the only ones watching the network. Like, this story details CNN’s recent ratings struggles, but who is really surprised by that? CNN is not a #resistance network, and it’s not a white supremacist network. Running a network for “moderates who like to be screamed at by partisans from both sides,” seems like a good idea to who? CNN is not balanced: it just gives equal airtime to both extremes, creating a dystopian false equivalency that venerates Don Lemon’s ability to make every thoughtful person on the planet hate his guts. If CNN is the great scalp the Alt-Right wants to take, they can have it. Wake me up when they come for the NewsHour. [Breitbart]

  • Non-Sequiturs: 06.02.17
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 06.02.17

    * Michael Bloomberg has offered to pay the United States’ share to the United Nations as part of the Paris climate agreement that Trump is trying to stop. It’s a nice gesture, but it also feels like how Old World oligarchs used to pay people to look the other way instead of overthrowing the incompetent king. [Forbes]

    * Former Penn State officials, including former president Graham B. Spanier, have been sentenced to jail time in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. [New York Times]

    * Evergreen State remains on lockdown due to threats related to its “Day of Absence.” Massa don’t like it much when you lock him out. [KIRO 7]

    * Thief stole a backpack off one of the dying heroes in the Portland attack. Looks like they caught him. [Gizmodo]

    * You’re still not allowed to protest at the Supreme Court. [Courthouse News Service]

    * Wasn’t there a Law and Order about a fertility specialist who used his own sperm instead of the donor sperm people thought they were getting? [Slate]

    * Time for some promos: If you are interested in Loving, there’s a great event centered around it at the WNYC Green Space on Monday, June 12th. [Greene Space]

    * If, on the other hand, you happen to be in San Francisco, join us on June 13th for Better Know A Circuit. We’ll be discussing the Ninth Circuit… which has been in the news recently, for some reason. [Above the Law]

    * Now for our weekly check-in with White Pride media. … Oh God, they’re still on the Kathy Griffin story. When it comes to having a persecution complex, right-wing media makes Jesus on the Cross look like a brother crying over a splinter. [Breitbart]

  • Morning Docket: 06.24.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 06.24.16

    * On the subject of raises, yesterday we heard — a mixed bag of news — from Linklaters (technically the night before), Barack Ferrazzano, Chadbourne & Parke, Pryor Cashman, Tensegrity, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, and Reed Smith. [Above the Law / 2016 Salary Increase]

    * If you’re an associate serving in your firm’s London office, I sure as hell hope you’re getting paid in dollars. [BBC]

    * UK legal experts explain why this vote isn’t legally binding. [Legal Cheek]

    * On the other hand, could this be a boon for lawyers? [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

    * Who’s on first in front of Second. [Law360]

    * Dentons global government sector co-chair leaves for boutique. As you’re statutorily obligated to say to every Biglaw lawyer moving to a small firm: “you’re not going to have the same support services… are you ready for that?” [The Am Law Daily]

    * Penn State’s former general counsel testified that at least he understood that the school needed to report Jerry Sandusky back in 2001 and told the school as much. Which is impressive, since he told the New York Times in 2011 that he’d never even heard of any allegations against Sandusky. [Fox News]

    * Former law firm executive sentenced to prison. [Atlanta Journal Constitution]

    * A deep look at the horrific side of criminal justice: a long-form account of four months as a private prison guard. Think of it as “Orange Is The New Black” without having to listen to Piper prattle on. [Mother Jones]

  • Non-Sequiturs: 05.06.16
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 05.06.16

    * Are vacancies on the federal judiciary causing a crisis in North Carolina? It does have the longest-running hole on the federal bench. [Raleigh News Observer]

    * Jodi Arias is planning a wedding from prison. I don’t know you guys, I think those crazy kids might just make it. [Law and More]

    * If racism and the death penalty can never be separated, is the only just move to eliminate the death penalty? [Slate]

    * More revelations in the stomach-turning Sandusky case. Who at Penn State knew what when? [Lawyers, Guns and Money]

    * An analysis of cases where federal clemency has been granted that identifies trends in President Obama’s decisions. [LinkedIn]

  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 08.06.15

    * A reminder to stay safe when you watch the GOP debates tonight — drinking games can seriously jeopardize your health. [Raw Story]

    * The Washington NFL team has filed a notice of appeal to the Fourth Circuit over their canceled trademark registrations as they move their failure off the field and into the courts. [Bloomberg BNA]

    * Penn State unveils a new logo. Critics call it a “hypnotized dog looking at cupcakes,” but it actually looks more like the vacant stare of someone who has seen something but refuses to tell authorities about it. [TaxProf Blog]

    * How to take good notes. Apparently, “actually take notes” is the first step. Good to know. [Survive Law]

    * Congrats to occasional Legal Cheek blogger Amy Woolfson on her Harvard Law scholarship. Welcome to our side of the pond. [Legal Cheek]

    * Dumb people can get ripped off on Craigslist. And not just when you take a “JD required” job as a catsitter. [Lowering the Bar]

    * Understand the tax implications of your student loan forgiveness program. [Lawyerist]

  • Sponsored

  • 2nd Circuit, Biglaw, Department of Justice, Education / Schools, Enron, Football, H. Rodgin Cohen, John Roberts, Law Schools, Media and Journalism, Money, Morning Docket, Police, State Judges

    Morning Docket: 08.20.13

    * Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Second Circuit Judge José A. Cabranes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. Roberts must be happy; few will criticize a moderate. [Washington Post]

    * The Department of Justice plans to hire Leslie Caldwell, Morgan Lewis partner and ex-Enron prosecutor, to fill Lanny Breuer’s shoes. Way to leak the news while she’s on vacation. [DealBook / New York Times]

    * Tell us again how sequestration isn’t having an impact on the judiciary. Private federal indigent defense attorneys are going to see their already modest rates slashed due to budget cuts. [National Law Journal]

    * Sixteen lawyers will receive the New York Law Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and a list like this obviously wouldn’t be complete without the names of some of Biglaw’s best and brightest. Congrats, Rodge! [New York Law Journal]

    * Thomas D. Raffaele, the judge who was karate chopped in the throat by a police officer last summer, is now suing over his crushed larynx and similarly squashed constitutional rights. [Courthouse News Service]

    * Future gunners, unite! If you’re set on becoming a lawyer, there are things you can do to prepare your law school application, even as a college freshman. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

    * Here’s something to aspire to for the ongoing law school lawsuits: Career Education Corp., a system of for-profit colleges, will pay $10 million to settle a dispute over its inflated job statistics. [Wall Street Journal]

    * Penn State University is starting to issue settlement offers to young men who claim they were sexually abused at the hands of Jerry Sandusky, the school’s former assistant football coach. [Legal Intelligencer]

  • 9th Circuit, Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Books, Football, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Non-Sequiturs, Student Loans, United Kingdom / Great Britain

    Non-Sequiturs: 07.18.13

    * J.K. Rowling’s outing as The Cuckoo’s Calling (affiliate link) author Robert Galbraith has rendered print copies of the book scarce and a hot collector’s item. Now Rowling is hurling Cruciatus curses at her lawyers as the source of the revelation. [The Guardian] * The New York Times weighs in on the worth of a law degree debate and makes Elie’s day by labeling him “indomitable.” [DealBook / New York Times] * After the Ninth Circuit struck a tone of sanity, federal bankruptcy judges in Michigan and Tennessee remind us that law school debt is forever. [The National Law Journal] * The hottest barristers in London. Meh. Holding out for the hottest solicitors countdown. [Legal Cheek] * A lawyer should get suspended for smuggling stuff out of prison for a client. But shouldn’t the punishment be a tad more severe for smuggling a HIT LIST out of prison for a client? [Mercury News] * The Ten Competencies that law schools should teach. I’d add “understanding how to order from Seamless at 4AM,” but otherwise it’s a solid list. [Associate's Mind] * Penn State has approved a $60 million settlement in the Sandusky cases. Which is less than the football program makes in a year. [Deadspin] * Apparently, the laws and other conditions surrounding America’s oil industry make it only the fifth friendliest place to extract petroleum in the world. Thanks a bunch you granola-eating socialists. [Breaking Energy] * It’s not over yet, but the current projection for law school applicants this year is 59,200. My response to those fresh young go-getters after the jump…
  • Biglaw, Federal Judges, Football, Gender, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Tax Law, Women's Issues

    Morning Docket: 06.07.13

    * Oh, and by the way, it’s not just Verizon that the NSA is spying on. It’s every major phone and internet provider, too. They must see an amazing amount of foreign pornography on video chat. [Guardian]

    * The IRS is under siege over its conservative targeting scandal, and now a training video parodying Mad Men has surfaced with a focus on “customer service.” How incredibly ironic. [DealBook / New York Times]

    * Francine Griesing, the woman who sued Greenberg Traurig for $200M over the firm’s so-called “boys’ club” (and later quietly settled), has tips for women who want to succeed in the law. [Am Law Daily]

    * This ruling has to do with collecting fees following a law school clinic victory, but the key takeaway is that law students’ “time and effort still has monetary value.” Hear that, ABA? [National Law Journal]

    * Rutgers Law-Camden is trying to recover from “an existential threat” after its class size unexpectedly dropped by more than 50 percent. But… that’s a good thing these days. [Philadelphia Business Journal]

    * A judge dismissed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s lawsuit against the NCAA for “fail[ing] to advance the ball.” How kind of her to entertain us with some football references. [Legal Intelligencer]

Sponsored

  • Animal Law, Contracts, Football, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Rankings, Sports, STDs, U.S. News

    Morning Docket: 05.31.13

    * The Am Law 200 rankings are out, and the difference between the First Hundred and Second Hundred Biglaw firms has been described as “stark.” Check out who made the grade here. [American Lawyer]

    * Many Biglaw attorneys are sharks, but at Crowell & Moring, a firm with a duck as its mascot, at least they’ve got hearts. They’re awaiting the birth of little ducklings outside of their office. [Washington Post]

    * Spyfall, Round Two: General David Petraeus, of CIA and sex scandal fame, is joining private equity company KKR & Co. with Williams & Connelly advising on his employment agreement. [Am Law Daily]

    * Want to know at which law school you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck? Want to see which law school is best at financial efficiency? You may be surprised at some of the schools on this list. [Morse Code / U.S. News & World Report]

    * No, silly, he wasn’t being an antisocial gunner, he just wasn’t old enough to go to the bar with you. Harvard Law recently graduated one of its youngest African-American students ever. [Boston Globe]

    * A legal Hail Mary? Joe Paterno’s family, former Penn State football players, and select members of the school’s board of trustees are suing the NCAA over its Sandusky sanctions. [Legal Intelligencer]

    * A woman is suing MAC after she allegedly picked up the gift that keeps on giving from Rihanna’s lipstick: herpes! Chris Brown, don’t hurt me for implying it was from Rihanna. [New York Daily News]

  • Antitrust, Bankruptcy, Barack Obama, Biglaw, California, Department of Justice, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Education / Schools, Election Law, Football, Gay, Gay Marriage, Mergers and Acquisitions, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Morning Docket, Nude Dancing, Rape, Sports, Women's Issues

    Morning Docket: 02.21.13

    * Even though Obama wants to “make sure that [he’s] not interjecting [himself] too much into this process,” the DOJ may still suggest that the Supreme Court overturn Proposition 8, California’s ban on gay marriage. [Associated Press]

    * Anheuser-Busch InBev and the Department of Justice are cracking open a couple of cold ones to settle their differences over antitrust concerns with regard to the company’s planned purchase of Grupo Modelo. [DealBook / New York Times]

    * It looks like Steve DiCarmine is being forced to take a break from his rigorous class schedule at Parsons to testify at a Dewey bankruptcy hearing next week. He’ll be happy to hear orange is in this spring. [Am Law Daily]

    * Represented by Steptoe & Johnson, Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to misusing $750,000 of his campaign funds for personal use. Most interesting purchase: Michael Jackson memorabilia. [Blog of Legal Times]

    * When it comes to recruiting new talent, the ability to maintain a “collegial culture” is apparently a selling point for midsize law firms. And here we thought douchebaggery was the way to go. Sigh. [National Law Journal]

    * Protip: do not flash your prosecutor’s badge to bypass cover charges and lap dance surcharges at the local strip club. You’re going to get fired. We’ll probably have more on this later. [Riptide 2.0 / Miami New Times]

    * Don’t worry ladies, if you’re about to be raped, just pee or puke all over your attacker — or better yet, tell him that you’re on your period. Yeah, that’ll work. These tips are almost as good as “don’t dress like a slut.” [CNN]

    * “[T]his is a ridiculous sideshow that’s horribly unbecoming to the parties involved.” The NCAA is now suing over a new Pennsylvania law designed to keep PSU’s Sandusky fines in the state. [San Francisco Chronicle]

  • 9th Circuit, Bar Exams, Biglaw, Constitutional Law, Crime, Department of Justice, Football, Guns / Firearms, Job Searches, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Violence

    Morning Docket: 01.31.13

    * Lanny Breuer finally announced his retirement from the DOJ. He’s going back to the private sector, and perhaps Covington and Jenner & Block will duel to see which firm gets dibs. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]

    * You may be wondering if it’s ever constitutional to testify in a drug cartel case while wearing a disguise — namely, a mustache, a wig, and sunglasses. Behold, the Ninth Circuit’s opinion! [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]

    * It may be a new year, but suing Biglaw firms never seems to get old. From Blank Rome to White & Case, here’s a thrilling roundup of all suits that have made waves in 2013, a “lawsuit-palooza,” if you will. [Am Law Daily]

    * “We are going through a revolution in law with a time bomb on our admissions books.” The entire law school dream is continuing to swirl down the drain at warp speed, and the New York Times is on it! [New York Times]

    * Is anyone actually surprised that every single one of Jerry Sandusky’s post-conviction motions was flat-out denied? If so, then it seems you may be in very serious need of a 1-800-REALITY check. [Legal Intelligencer]

    * George Zimmerman’s attorney asked a judge to delay his client’s trial because he claims the prosecution is causing problems. Also, he’d kind of like to get paid, but that’s neither here nor there. [Orlando Sentinel]

    * If you weren’t aware, there was a law firm office shooting in Arizona yesterday, and one of the wounded is Mark Hummels, a partner with Osborn Maledon. Best wishes for a very speedy recovery! [Arizona Republic]

    * When they tell you stop writing when time is called during the bar exam, you STOP FREAKING WRITING when time is called on the bar exam — unless you don’t like bar admission, of course. [National Law Journal]

  • 9th Circuit, Cartoons / Comics, D.C. Circuit, Football, Law Professors, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Pictures, Rape, Stephen Reinhardt, Trials

    Morning Docket: 01.11.13

    * “Almost anything associated with him is necessarily of concern.” Thanks to the D.C. Circuit, Osama bin Laden’s death photos may never see the light of day, no matter how many FOIA requests you file. Sorry, you’ll have to settle for the Oscar-nominated film Zero Dark Thirty. [McClatchy Newspapers]

    * Some would argue that the opinions written by Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the Ninth Circuit are like Lex Luthor’s ring in that they keep the heirs of Superman’s co-creator at bay like kryptonite. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]

    * Ay dios mio, al parecer esta es una gran noticia para la escuela! Yale Law has hired Cristina Rodríguez, an expert in immigration law, as its first Hispanic professor in a tenured position. [National Law Journal]

    * Prosecutors established probable cause in the Aurora movie theater shooting case and James Holmes has been ordered to stand trial, but his lawyers aren’t ready to enter his likely NGRI plea yet. [Bloomberg]

    * Everyone saw this coming, but that doesn’t mean they have to be any less disgusted by it: Jerry Sandusky filed a motion to get a new trial just three months after being sentenced for his sex abuse conviction. [CNN]

  • Election Law, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Parties, Politics, Racism

    Non-Sequiturs: 12.05.12

    * Look, I’m only one man, I can’t refute it every time the New York Times advertises going to law school using terrible arguments. I mean, Dealbook just let a law professor tell people that this is a good time to apply to law school… because all the smart people aren’t taking the LSAT. I just don’t know what to tell people who are persuaded by that. [Dealbook / New York Times] * Should kidnapping somebody and forcing them to repair your house after a dispute about the quality of their work be illegal? Or should we just call this “specific performance”? [Gawker] * Florida legislators throw down with the governor over early voting. Will Florida governor Rick Scott relent? Or is he going to double down on suppressing the vote? [Think Progress] * I’m really glad this didn’t happen at the Penn State Law School. I didn’t feel like being accused of baiting these sorority girls into having a racist party. [Yahoo!News via The Legal Satyricon] * What constitutes a sham Senate session exactly? [Huffington Post] * Are you a lawyer on a deferral or a fellowship looking for an interesting project to pick up? If so, check this out. [Idealist] * Are you looking for something fun to do in New York City tomorrow night? If so, check this out. [Above the Law]