Racism

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.30.23

* Joe Biden criticizes Supreme Court but confirms that he's unwilling to do a single thing about it so... good talk, champ! [NY Times] * It's never RIC-O My God It Is!!! Former Ohio House Speaker gets 20 years in bribery case. [Bloomberg Law News] * Reed Smith associate who first reported racist messages posted by trial lawyer testifies at disciplinary proceedings. [Law360] * FTX sues its former attorney for allegedly aiding in fraud. [Reuters] * Divorce attorney writes incest-fueled romance novel. [Roll on Friday] * Trump's unofficial election lawyer superteam sanctions to be sanctioned for 'whole raft' of baseless claims. [ABA Journal] * Microsoft lawyer accidentally informs judge that Elder Scrolls 16 is coming in 2026, which is funny because it would require Bethesda to put out 10 non-buggy games without multiple years of delays. [Game Rant]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.29.23

* While Sam Alito rewrote laws to help oil and gas exploit more land, his wife was... making land deals with oil and gas companies. But I guess that's okay because his wife's money isn't "adjacent" to him because the couple is not physically "continuously connected." [The Intercept] * Law professor who feels persecuted because law schools hire other professors to teach classes about racism is going after a law school for having a "students of color" outreach program. By the end of the week, he's probably going to have the Supreme Court's backing on that one. [NY Post] * So many of the problems facing Ron DeSantis could be solved by taking 10 minutes to read the Constitution. [CBS News] * California's ban on using public funds to travel to states with pro-bigotry laws on the books has hurt Black academics who can't travel to conferences in those states. Which was the obvious outcome. Unless California plans to put resources behind bidding on and hosting all of these national conferences, the policy is always going to turn out this way. [Los Angeles Times] * The FTC plans to file a sweeping antitrust suit against Amazon in a few weeks. It took a lot longer to deliver than a Prime package, but it's worth the wait. [Bloomberg Law News] * UK law firms worried that ChatGPT might be writing job applications. Oh no! How will firms survive once AI learns to write "I think my greatest weakness is that I care too much about the work." [Law.com International] * "Privacy Suit Says AI Could 'Decide To Eliminate The Species.'" Or worse: cover letters. [Law360]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.02.23

* Science confirms that legal writing is terrible. [AAAS] * Maryland judge benchslapped for using Beowulf and Whistler's Mother to import racist stereotypes into an opinion. As racism goes, it's a very erudite version. Much more National Review than Daily Caller. [ABA Journal] * House Oversight Committee is probing FTC Chair for pursuing the policies she said she would pursue before getting the job. Really scrounging the bottom of the barrel these days... go back to Hunter Biden's laptop or something. At least it was interesting. [Reuters] * Speaking of Hunter Biden, he's setting himself up to be the next Second Amendment test case to erode laws barring felons from keeping arsenals. [NY Times] * Federal judge delivers tongue-lashing to Crowell attorneys suing over policies they allegedly advised the defendant on earlier. [Law360] * Dechert secures sanctions reversal in earplug trial. I SAID, DECHERT SECURES SANCTIONS REVERSAL IN EARPLUG TRIAL. Take those things out, will ya? [Law.com] * Starbucks is in Trenta trouble as labor law rulings come down. [Bloomberg Law News]

By Above the Law
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.01.23

* Biglaw continues to grow despite lagging demand. Is it bad planning or do the firms realize that this recession-that-isn't is never going to arrive? [American Lawyer] * The good news: Congress remembered that jurisdiction stripping is a real power that they have! The bad news: they're using it to clear the deck for one of Joe Manchin's pork barrel projects. [American Prospect] * Ninth Circuit swoops into ongoing sex trafficking trial before judge could allow defense lawyers to ask victims about prior prostitution arrests. Look at those go-getters on the Ninth Circuit refusing to procrastinate until there's a final judgment! [Legal Affairs and Trials] * Judge Ho wrote a whole separate opinion about the grave injustice of forcing him to use a thesaurus. [Bloomberg Law News] * Diddy sues liquor giant alleging that it squelched his brands by marketing them exclusively to Black consumers. [Law360] * An interview with Ron Klain as he transitions back to the private side of the spinning door. [ABA Journal] * Danny Masterson convicted on two counts of rape. [Reuters]

By Above the Law