State Judges
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In-House Counsel, Jury Duty, Litigators, State Judges
Inside Straight: Turning Lawyers Into Liars
In-house columnist Mark Herrmann asks: Why do we create rules that force otherwise honest people to lie? -
Ridiculousness, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judge Encourages Groping Victim to Curtail Social Life Because 'Bad Things Can Happen in Bars'
Puritanical judge plays the blame game with a sex abuse victim because she went to a bar. Was she asking for it? - Sponsored
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Biglaw, Election 2012, Election Law, Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Federal Judges, Job Searches, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, Politics, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Summer Associates
Morning Docket: 09.10.12
* There are only 56 days until Election 2012. Does anyone actually think that’s enough time to resolve all of the state election law battles? Even if it is, we could still be looking at a “potential disaster” in terms of post-election litigation. [New York Times]
* “It’s a horrible feeling when you keep waiting for the phone to ring and slowly realize that it isn’t…” Second-year law students are learning that waiting to see if you’re getting a summer associate position is a lot like dating — but worse. [Wall Street Journal]
* Meanwhile, law school graduates are trying to figure out what to do because the call never came. Per the BLS, the legal sector lost 1,400 jobs in August. Must be encouraging if you’re looking for a job. [Am Law Daily]
* Seventeen years after the conclusion of O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, the lead prosecutor on the case accused the late Johnnie Cochran of tampering with the infamous glove. Um, better late than never? [Reuters]
* “If you wouldn’t have been there that night, none of this would have happened to you.” Because being groped by a cop wasn’t traumatic enough, this judge wants you to know that it was all your fault. [New York Daily News]
* If you allegedly tell a judge’s clerk that his boss should “get the f**k off all [your] cases,” and then follow up by allegedly telling the judge to “straighten the f**k up,” then your next stop is probably jail. [National Law Journal]
* Fashion law goes to Fashion Week and makes it work: Fordham’s Fashion Law Institute celebrated its clinics with a presentation at Lincoln Center. Papa Gunn would be so proud. [Crain’s New York Business]
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Quote of the Day, Rudeness, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Texas
Quote of the Day: Holy Smokes, Did You Hear What He Said?
A Texas appellate judge gets reprimanded for trying to throw his weight, and using some choice verbage while doing so. -
Entertainment Law, Free Speech, Labor / Employment, Nude Dancing, State Judges, Tax Law, Texas
Stripper Law: A Potpourri of Pleadings From the Pole
Some sad news, from New York and Texas, for strippers and strip club aficionados... -
Attorney Misconduct, Contests, Crime, Guns / Firearms, Judge of the Day, Lawyer of the Day, Oral Sex / Blow Jobs, Reader Polls, Romance and Dating, Sex, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Lawyer of the Month: August Reader Poll
Who will win the title of August's Lawyer of the Month? Vote in our poll! -
Antonin Scalia, Books, Cozen O'Connor, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Supreme Court, Technology
Morning Docket: 09.05.12
* When in doubt, seek divine guidance and bet it all on black. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is going to be visiting Las Vegas this week, where he will attend a Red Mass and then head for the Strip. [Reno Gazette-Journal]
* After being limited on page length, a licensing expert opted to file a five-page cartoon brief in the Apple e-book case. This dude can retire, because he’s achieved legal baller status. [Bloomberg]
* James Hayes’s lawsuit over ICE’s alleged federal “frat house” has been sent to mediation for a possible settlement — but in real Greek life, he likely would’ve been peer pressured to de-pledge. [Washington Post]
* Bull’s-eye! Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Arthur Schack has recused himself from a personal injury case where he was alleged to have called a Cozen O’Connor partner a “piece of sh*t.” [New York Law Journal]
* The case of the missing asterisk: an Ohio Court of Appeals candidate was fined for wearing judge’s robes in her campaign flyers because she failed to indicate her judicial status or lack thereof. [National Law Journal]
* How much does it cost to cover up and then begrudgingly deal with a child sex abuse scandal? The tab thus far for Penn State University is about $17M — $4M of which went to legal services and defense. [CBS News]
* Despite Villanova Law’s admissions scandal, the dean reports that the school has admitted its “highest-quality” class ever. You know it’s hard to believe anything you say about your data, right? [Philadelphia Inquirer]
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Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Celebrities, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, State Judges, Student Loans
Morning Docket: 09.03.12
Ed. note: Due to the Labor Day holiday, we’ll be on a reduced publication schedule today. We’ll be back to normal tomorrow. A restful and happy Labor Day to all!
* The lone ex-Dewey partner who was sued by Citibank for defaulting on his capital loan is fighting back, claiming that he was “fraudulently induced” into signing up for the plan even though the bank knew that the S.S. D&L was sinking. [Reuters]
* If you’re trying to avoid additional questions being raised about your alleged bad behavior, a resignation amid scandal isn’t the way to do it. Suzanne Barr, the ICE official accused of running a federal “frat house,” has quit her job. [New York Daily News]
* A federal judge taught the members of the Louisiana Supreme court that the year 1994 did, in fact, occur before the year 1995. Justice Bernette Johnson will now ascend to the rank of chief justice. [Times-Picayune]
* Because we’re all a little hopeless these days: given the bleak realities of our economic situation, perhaps it’s finally time to change the standard for a discharge of student loan debt in bankruptcy. [New York Times]
* “The groups that attempt to rank schools are involved in a lot of hogwash.” Even if that’s the case, people are still going to care about the University of Illinois’s rankings nosedive after the Paul Pless to-do. [News-Gazette]
* Don’t be scared by the absurd tuition rates or the abysmal job prospects, because law school is still a great investment for African-Americans — and for law schools in search of diversity, too. [National Law Journal]
* “[T]hat a lawyer would take this kind of case is shocking.” Sadly, it’s not. Angelica Marie Cecora, the alleged escort who filed a $5M suit against Oscar de la Hoya, now has to pay all of his legal fees. [New York Post]
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Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Celebrities, Constitutional Law, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Law Firm Mergers, Morning Docket, Partner Issues
Morning Docket: 08.30.12
* Apparently spring bonuses don’t make the Biglaw world go ’round after all. The annual Am Law midlevel survey is out, and satisfaction levels are up across the board. Maybe they’re happy to still be employed. [American Lawyer]
* When Dewey get to retire this used up, old D&L pun? Probably around the same time as that Howrey joke — never. Oh, and the firm asked a bankruptcy judge to approve its $70M partner “clawback” plan. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Oh mon dieu, it’s time for some law firm merger mania! DLA Piper, the second-largest Biglaw behemoth, proposed to French firm Frieh Bouhenic, and of course, the corporate boutique said “oui.” [Legal Week]
* Judicial efficiency: Judge Robert Hinkle says he’ll block Florida’s regulations on voter registration groups just as soon as an appeals court boots the state’s arguments. [Bloomberg]
* Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. will step down as judge in the George Zimmerman case after using “disparaging” language in a bail order. Zimmerman’s probably hoping that the third judge will be the charm for him. [CNN]
* Kim Kardashian settled her suit against The Gap over the company’s use of a look-alike actress in an Old Navy commercial. Sigh. She’ll keep getting paid, no matter what we do. [Hollywood, Esq. / Hollywood Reporter]
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Guns / Firearms, Judge of the Day, Screw-Ups, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judge of the Day: This Is What You Call a 'Lack of Good Judgment'
Our Judge of the Day accidentally fired a revolver in his chambers. Oops! -
Food, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Texas
Judge's Alleged Bias Spurred By Attorney's Refusal to Purchase Girl Scout Cookies
A lawyer allegedly faced a judge's wrath due to his unwillingness to purchase Girl Scout cookies... -
Legal Ethics, Money, Morning Docket, Patents, Police, Politics, State Judges, Technology
Morning Docket: 08.27.12
* Unhappy with eleventy billion dollars in damages due to Apple, Samsung will begin its appeals, perhaps even to the Supreme Court (because you know that SCOTUS wants a bite at the proverbial literal patent apple). [Wall Street Journal]
* And speaking of that jury award, jury foreman Velvin Hogan had this to say about it: “We wanted to make sure it was sufficiently high to be painful, but not unreasonable.” Yeah, because a billion dollars in damages isn’t unreasonable at all. [Reuters]
* Do judges with lawyerly license plates avoid traffic infractions instead of getting tickets? The New York Commission on Judicial Conduct is investigating this issue of epic importance. [New York Law Journal]
* If bill collectors are threatening to sue you over your credit-card debts, you better pray that your case lands on Judge Noach Dear’s docket, because in his courtroom, “it’s dismiss, dismiss, dismiss.” [New York Post]
* Hippies can file lawsuits, too: Burning Man starts today, but the event’s organizers claim that its Nevada venue is pursuing a new theme in view of a “drastic increase in fees” — burning money. [All Things Digital]
* Protestors should be allowed to act however they want when carrying prohibited machetes in Republican National Convention event zones. This was the first, and definitely the coolest, RNC arrest made. [ABC News]
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Drugs, Judge of the Day, Sex, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Ex-Judge of the Day: Hey Baby, Wanna See What's Under These Robes?
This ex-Judge of the Day is accused of propositioning a woman and then planting drugs on her car when she rejected him. Sounds like quite the southern gentleman...
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Quote of the Day, State Judges
Quote of the Day: In Other News, Detroit Still Sucks
Bedbugs invade a Detroit courtroom. -
Biglaw, Cozen O'Connor, Judge of the Day, Partner Issues, Pictures, State Judges
Cozen Partner Claims Judge Called Him a 'Piece of Sh*t,' Put 'Wanted' Posters of His Face With a Bull's-Eye in Courtroom
Will this judge have to recuse himself for his alleged actions? -
Election 2012, Politics, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Texas
Calling This State Judge A 'Clown' Is Insulting To Clowns
Texas judge says tax hike needed so county can be prepared for potential civil war if Obama is reelected... -
Drugs, Law Schools, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Politics, Pornography, Rape, Sam Sparks, Sports, State Judges
Non-Sequiturs: 08.20.12
* So now the judge accused of watching porn from a courthouse computer admits to watching porn on a courthouse computer. Let me just get this out of the way: if I’ve used your computer, it was probably to watch porn. [Chicago Sun-Times] * Too soon for Aurora jokes? I think it’s weird that more people believe in waiting periods for zingers than for handguns. [Tax Prof Blog] * Lance Armstrong’s suit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks. How come the only athlete that seemed to get his day in court was Roger Clemens? [Bloomberg] * Another kid is packing in his sports dreams to go to law school. Though, in fairness, one of the few things worse than the law graduate economy is probably the NHL economy. [North Dakota Inforum] * I think Republican political candidates should know by now that they only bands they are allowed to like are country music bands. If they want to like non-country music, they should get the artist’s approval, in writing. Meanwhile, liberals are allowed like all kinds of music, even music performed by people who don’t know what they are talking about. [What About Clients?] * Attorney and rape victim Shauna Prewitt has some facts about rape that apparently Todd Akin didn’t know. [xoJane] -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Breasts, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Movies, Non-Sequiturs, Partner Issues, Privacy, Racism, Screw-Ups, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 08.16.12
* A St. Louis plastic surgeon has been sued for allegedly posting topless photos of her breast augmentation patients online — with their names attached to the photos. It’s just more evidence that sooner or later everyone will be naked on the internet. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch] * Dewey have enough partners to make the Partner Contribution Plan viable? It seems that we do! [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * Wow, the miracles of technology. Now if you have a paternity dispute that you need to clear up, you don’t need to go on Jerry Springer. All you need to do is visit your local taco truck DNA testing van. [Legal Blog Watch] * You know that scary feeling when it seems you have forgotten something but you can’t figure out what it is? Well, you forgot your toddler — at the grocery store. There, fixed it for you. [Legal Juice] * Oh boy, another misbehaving state judge. This one, from Georgia, allegedly pre-signed arrest warrants and hit on a woman who appeared before him in court. Sounds like quite the stand-up dude. [Atlanta Journal Constitution] * What are the top five movies all law students should watch? Let the arguing over this list begin… [Greedy Associates] * I’m sure there must have been a legitimate reason for a federal judge to compare the civil liberties of Muslim Americans to a “hideous sea monster,” but c’mon, really? [Chicago Tribune] -
Law School Deans, Law Schools, Pro Bono, Public Interest
New York's New Pro Bono Requirement Succeeds in Pissing Off Law Schools Nationwide
Will New York's new pro bono requirement for bar admission cause law school tuition to rise? -
Divorce Train Wrecks, Legal Ethics, Rudeness, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Videos, YouTube
Allegedly 'Out of Control' Judge Faces Official Ethics Charges
A former Judge of the Day, who caught flak last month for yelling at a pastor while on the bench, now faces additional, unrelated ethics charges…