Samuel Alito

  • Morning Docket: 03.08.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 03.08.16

    * This peeping Tom better have a big bankroll: A jury awarded sportscaster Erin Andrews $55 million in her case against a stalker who recorded unauthorized nude videos of her in a hotel. Defense attorneys seem peeved that she won since her “career skyrocketed” and wasn’t completely destroyed by the incident. [NBC News]

    * “[W]e are sort of reaching the height of the most frustrating part of this process for those of you who are trying to cover it.” Even if the judges purportedly being vetted for a Supreme Court nomination had visited the White House to speak with President Obama, the public would never know it thanks to the strict secrecy protocols involved. [CNN]

    * Despite the fact that most Supreme Court justices don’t themselves read the numerous amicus curiae briefs filed in support of the cases being heard before the high court, according to a new study, it takes an “amicus machine” — including amicus wranglers and whisperers — and a lot of hard work to get them into shape. [New York Times]

    * Uh-oh… some 4-4 ideological splits may be in our future this Term. In the wake of Justice Scalia’s death, Justice Alito and Justice Thomas seem to have decided to team up to stabilize the Supreme Court’s conservative wing, joining in each other’s dissents from the majority’s unsigned opinions in otherwise routine matters. [WSJ Law Blog]

    * February may have been a great month for those with Leap Day birthdays, but it was pretty terrible for the legal profession. Per the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, 1,500 jobs were lost last month. In other news, we’ve not yet fully recovered from the recession in terms of employment numbers. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

  • Morning Docket: 01.28.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 01.28.16

    * Now that Rudy Giuliani’s in the news again thanks to his departure from his namesake firm, he’s letting his opinions be known on all sorts of things relevant to lawyers and law students. In fact, he thinks law school should be four years long. Go back into the woodwork, Rudy. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

    * After a decade on SCOTUS, Justice Samuel Alito hasn’t strayed from his conservative roots like some of his colleagues. He “has been every bit as conservative as conservatives could have dreamed — and as liberals would have feared.” [ABA Journal]

    * Prior to Martin Shkreli’s arrest, prosecutors obtained a secret order nullifying attorney-client privilege in communications between the pharma bro and his Biglaw attorney. Per records, this case has been ongoing since before he outed himself as a d-bag. [Reuters]

    * “Whether I want to marry or not, it should be my right to decide.” China’s first-ever lawsuit challenging its ban on same-sex marriage is expected to be heard in court today. In a country as conservative as China, this could be revolutionary. [New York Times]

    * Shake those pom-poms, because the New York Jets have reached a settlement with the team’s cheerleaders in a lawsuit filed over alleged wage theft. The J-E-T-S will pay out $324,000, making it the fourth NFL team to settle such a suit. [New York Daily News]

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  • Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 06.29.15

    * The Dissent World: This is what happens when justices start being real… and stop being polite. Conservative SCOTUS justices weren’t interested in playing nice last week in their dissents. Just how much “personal dissension” is there among their ranks? [POLITICO]

    * “I knew I was a workaholic and law wasn’t for me, but the circus is.” A law school graduate who only goes by Paz is now working as a world-class juggler. Law school career services officers would really like to know if this is considered a J.D. Advantage position. [Grand Forks Herald]

    * A new nickname is being bandied about for John Roberts: “Umpire in Chief.” During his confirmation hearings, he said judges should be more like baseball officiants, and you could say that last week, all he was doing was calling balls and strikes. [New York Times]

    * SCOTUS may have issued a landmark ruling on gay marriage, but that doesn’t mean the fight is over as far as gay rights are concerned. Protip: Next time you make a historic decision, let lawyers know what level of scrutiny is being applied. [National Law Journal]

    * Some think what SCOTUS did with gay marriage was “simply putting its imprimatur on a practice that was already legal in more than two-thirds of the states.” People wonder whether the highest court will do the same with marijuana legalization. [24/7 Wall St.]

  • Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 01.16.15

    * Fewer people are applying to law school. According to LSAC, the number of would-be lawyers who submitted applications is down by 8.5 percent compared to last year. Serious question: How low can we go before all schools are officially in crisis mode? [WSJ Law Blog]

    * You’ll never believe how this guy paid off his law school debt. His parents got a home refi loan, and with the money ($210,000), their son got rid of his student loans. Now he’ll pay his parents’ loan for 30 years. Wow. [Business Insider]

    * Justice Samuel Alito took a break from the SCOTUS docket to receive an award named for the late Judge Edward Becker of the Third Circuit, a man who he said “tried to get federal judges to act in a more sensible way. That’s a real task.” [Legal Times]

    * “[T]hings are getting back to where they were before the recession,” so naturally, state judges — like those in California — are suing over the salary increases they were denied while the recession was in progress. Bless their hearts. [National Law Journal]

    * Hey lawyers, want to seem like you’re smart? Stop sprinkling your briefs with SAT vocabulary words. Just put on a pair of glasses and start using your middle initial more often. For the record, speaking in a pleasant voice is also helpful. [ABA Journal]