SCOTUS
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.26.15
* Oh, the Onion… what would I do without you? Their take on gay marriage is masterful, as always. [Onion]
* Conservatives, troubled with the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, vow to move to Canada. There’s only one teeny, tiny problem with their plan… about a decade in the making. [BuzzFeed]
* Of all the arrogant, jiggery-pokery, pure applesauce, Putsch! Find out exactly how Justice Scalia would mock you in this fun insult generator. [Slate]
* Some Alabama counties have come up with a crackerjack way to avoid marrying same sex couples. [Vox]
* The only way to get to today’s historical gay marriage case was to defeat the nomination of Judge Robert Bork, and Reagan aides always suspected this would happen. [Roll Call]
* For marriage equality fans with a sweet tooth. [Ben & Jerry’s]
* Surely you jest! Justice Scalia? Intellectually inconsistent to fit a political agenda? Pshaw. [BloombergView]
* A handy guide to today’s landmark SCOTUS decision. [Legal IO]
* News you can use: what is the legal status of cursing at cops? [The Marshall Project]
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Gay Marriage, Weddings
How Gay Marriage Has Changed My Traditional Marriage
When Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced the decision in Obergefell this morning, I, like many Americans, cried. - Sponsored
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Antonin Scalia, Gay Marriage
Reading The Mind Of Justice Scalia
Justice Scalia is so mad about Obamacare and gay marriage that he's slowly devolved into Dr. Seuss.
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Gay Marriage, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Chief Justice Roberts Tries To Be Respectful, Fails
The Chief Justice dissented in the landmark gay marriage case, but seems to be forgetting something... -
Gay Marriage, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
The Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Marriage Equality Nationwide
Congratulations to Jim Obergefell and all the parties and their lawyers on this historic win. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.26.15
* Step right up and place your bets, because there are still five major cases left on the Supreme Court’s docket. With two decision days remaining, we’ve got same-sex marriage, execution methods, emissions, Congressional redistricting, and guns on tap. [WSJ Law Blog]
* A Chicago attorney was arrested this week after a kiddie porn stash was allegedly found in his home. Good thing he resigned from his firm before being arrested. He probably wouldn’t have been able to meet his billable hours requirements while sitting inside of a jail cell. [Chicago Sun-Times]
* California lawmakers passed the harshest mandatory vaccination requirements in the country — which include a ban on religious exemptions — and they’re waiting for Gov. Jerry Brown to sign the bill. Anti-vaxxers must be losing their minds. [Los Angeles Times]
* Sorry to harsh your mellow, but Lloyd’s of London is now refusing to insure marijuana businesses due to conflicts between state and federal laws as to their legality. Current policies will not be renewed, and no new contracts will be issued. [Insurance Journal]
* The ABA Journal wants to know about the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen a co-worker do while on the job or in court. This is a pretty easy answer here at ATL. I’ve seen Elie Mystal dancing around without his shirt on more times than I can count. [ABA Journal]
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Gay Marriage, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Why The Same-Sex Marriage Decision Will Likely Come Out On June 26
Will June 26 become known as "Justice Anthony Kennedy Day" for the LGBT community? -
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.25.15
* Having trouble keeping track of all of the Supreme Court’s decisions this term? And which cases are left to decide anyway? Brush up your small talk skills with this handy, interactive SCOTUS decision tracker. [USA Today]
* You always knew that Whole Foods was a ripoff. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs announced yesterday they are launching an investigation into the price of prepackaged foods, the agency said the chain “routinely” mispriced food sold by weight. The DCA commissioner called it the “worst case of mislabeling” the inspectors had seen in their careers. [Law360]
* Just in time for folks cramming for the bar exam to hit peak panic mode: 6 ways to doom yourself on the bar exam. [American Lawyer]
* Judge Frank Easterbrook helpfully defines the differences between a gun and a kielbasa. You know, in case you get confused before your next cookout. [National Law Journal]
* The Chicago Little League team that was stripped of its title amid allegations of cheating has filed suit against the Little League governing body to ensure that the rules of the game are fairly applied to all. [Yahoo Sports]
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SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Is Justice Scalia Unfit To Serve? A Published Dialogue With The Atlantic's Jeffrey Tayler
Is Justice Scalia is unfit to serve on the basis of his religious beliefs? A debate. -
Supreme Court
CNN Rouses The Ire Of The Supreme Court
A CNN intern runs into a snafu involving SCOTUS and a GoPro. -
Elena Kagan, Supreme Court
Justice Kagan Cites Precedential Authority Of Comic Book
Bookmark this post because now you know the proper Bluebooking for a comic book. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.22.15
* Everyone’s a winner at Nixon Peabody, especially the millennials! The firm is doing away with the corner-office model in favor of office space reminiscent of that of tech companies, where everyone’s offices — from paralegals to partners — are the same size. [Washington Post]
* A former North Dakota Law student is suing the school, as well as several administrators and professors, because he alleges they dismissed him via email in May due to problems with his application. Man, that’s almost as harsh as a break-up text. [WDAZ]
* Justice Kennedy knows a lot of people who are gay, but that doesn’t mean he’ll recognize a constitutional right to same-sex marriage just because of his circle of friends and colleagues. He’ll likely do it because he knows “how meaningful this is.” [New York Times]
* The Supreme Court is currently considering an emergency appeal out of Texas after the Fifth Circuit refused to stay a decision that would all but close the vast majority of abortion facilities in the state. Give this law the good old coat hanger, SCOTUS. [Associated Press]
* Last week, Justice Kennedy basically invited litigants to challenge the constitutionality of solitary confinement because it “exacts a terrible price.” Step right up and become one of the first to test the power of the SCOTUS swing vote on this issue. [Los Angeles Times]
* “Having a woman leader is no longer exceptional.” The number of women law school deans is on the rise. They make up 40 percent of incoming law school leadership, and currently comprise 30 percent of all law deans. Nice work! [National Law Journal]
* After pleading guilty to a felony count of vehicular manslaughter back in March, California lawyer Hasti Fakhrai-Bayrooti was recently sentenced to four years in prison for killing a cyclist while driving high on prescription drugs Xanax and Suboxone. [Daily Mail]
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Biglaw, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Biglaw Firm Suffers SCOTUS Defeat
The Supreme Court delivers some bad news to the bankruptcy bar. -
Benchslaps, Samuel Alito, Supreme Court
Samuel Alito Gets A Supreme Benchslap
Uh oh. What kind of trouble has Justice Alito gotten himself into now? -
Movies, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Television
Standard Of Review: Casting The Supreme Court
Whom would you cast to play our current Supreme Court justices? Arts columnist Harry Graff makes his nominations. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.10.15
* The number of law school applicants and applications continues to plummet, with applicants down by 2.5 percent and the volume of applications down by 4.6 percent since last year. For the love of God, students are staying away for a reason. Do some research, people. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Lawyers may be thanking their lucky stars for loan repayment programs like IBR and PAYE, but when their cancellation of debt income comes back to bite them in the ass in the form of a “tax bomb” as early as 2032, they’re going to be crying for mercy. [TaxProf Blog]
* If the Supreme Court rules against same-sex marriage, life could devolve into chaos for gay and lesbian couples. Sure, SCOTUS could do that, or “a giant meteor could fall on [your] head in the next five seconds,” but one is more likely to happen than the other. [AP]
* You had one job, Dean Cercone… ONE JOB! After recommending against accreditation back in May, the ABA convened this week to officially deny provisional accreditation to Indiana Tech Law. Its handful of students will be so disappointed. [Indiana Lawyer]
* Ex-House Speaker Dennis Hastert pleaded not guilty in his sex scandal cover-up case and was released on $4,500 bond. Interestingly enough, the judge has volunteered to remove himself due to some potential issues over his impartiality. [New York Times]
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Clarence Thomas, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Clarence Thomas Stands Alone
Justice Thomas's contrarian ways reveal how threadbare many of his detractors' most common criticisms are, according to conservative columnist Tamara Tabo. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.03.15
* C. Michael Kamps, the man who filed a pro se suit against Baylor Law with claims that he was denied admission because his GPA predated grade inflation, recently lost his bid to get SCOTUS to review his case. It’s too bad — he seems like a total gunner. [ABA Journal]
* If you thought that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the biggest celebutante justice on the Supreme Court, then you’d be dead wrong. According to Professor Rick Hasen’s research, it’s Sonia Sotomayor who’s stealing the spotlight at the high court. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Senator Elizabeth Warren, the queen of taking Wall Street to task, now has her sights set on SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White. In a 13-page letter, the politician called the former Debevoise partner’s tenure “extremely disappointing.” [DealBook / New York Times]
* Ex-House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s arraignment was rescheduled from this Thursday to next Tuesday. No reason was given for the change, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that there’s still “no attorney of record” on the case. [National Law Journal]
* Many doctors are hoping that tort reform will save them from litigating their malpractice cases, but there’s an easy alternative. In order to be sued less often, doctors should try to talk more to their patients. What a novel concept. [The Upshot / New York Times]