Stephen Dillard
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 01.23.19
* “Trump is screaming. He’s so mad at Rudy.” After yet another botched interview, President Trump is reportedly “furious” with Rudy Giuliani, and word on the street is that he’s being told to dump the former New York mayor before any additional damage can be done. Best of luck, because he very obviously needs it. [Vanity Fair]
* Justice will prevail… at least until the end of the month: The federal judiciary is still clinging to life amid the government shutdown, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts just announced its final funding extension to continue operations through January 31. [National Law Journal]
* The Supreme Court’s conservative wind just low-key alerted the nation that big changes could be on the way by deciding to hear a Second Amendment case for the first time since 2010. Will the high court swing further to the right now that its perennial swing justice has retired? [Washington Post]
* Stormy Daniels’s lawsuit against President Trump could be tossed out of court because there no longer seems to be a case. “They admitted what we said all along,” ATL’s 2018 Lawyer of the Year Michael Avenatti said. “So any attempt by anyone to claim that this is not a victory for Stormy Daniels is completely bogus and nonsense and dishonest.” [TIME]
* The ABA’s House of Delegates will reconsider a 75 percent bar pass rate within two years of graduation for law schools to maintain their accreditation. This time around, the proposal could actually pass. Stay tuned, because the effort to push through a stronger bar pass standard will be taken up this coming Monday. [Law.com]
* Congratulations to Chief Judge Stephen Dillard (@JudgeDillard) of the Georgia Court of Appeals, who was recently named as the state’s Twitter laureate. Just as you take judicial notice of my birthday each year, I take editorial notice of your constant kindness. Thank you for being you! [Daily Report]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non Sequiturs: 11.18.18
* Walter Dellinger and Marty Lederman offer their analysis of the Office of Legal Counsel memo, written by Assistant Attorney General Steve Engel, on the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General. [Just Security]
* WWRMD: What Would Robert Mueller Do, in the event that he’s fired by Matt Whitaker? His options would be limited, according to Joel Cohen and Jennifer Rodgers. [The Hill]
* As for who will become the next Senate-confirmed Attorney General, here are some possibilities — including Glenn Reynolds’s picks. [Instapundit]
* Victoria Baranetsky, general counsel at the Center for Investigative Reporting, argues that the Jim Acosta case is about protecting press rights as well as due process. [Take Care]
* Facebook friends aren’t “real” friends — at least according to this interesting new opinion from the Florida Supreme Court, highlighted by Eugene Volokh. [Reason / Volokh Conspiracy]
* Managing partners don’t get no respect at law firms — and Bruce MacEwen thinks that’s a problem. [Adam Smith Esq.]
* Even though it has been out for just a few months, Westlaw Edge already has 1,500 subscribers — and if you’re thinking about getting it, tune in to this (sponsored) webinar to learn more. [Dewey B Strategic]
* Yesterday I spoke at the Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention on a panel about technology, social media, and legal ethics, featuring Judge Don Willett (5th Cir.), Chief Judge Stephen Dillard (Ga. Ct. App.), Josh Blackman, and John Browning. Check it out!
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 12.08.17
* ICYMI: Texas Supreme Court Justice and Fifth Circuit nominee Don Willett saved a man from choking to death at a Chik-fil-A about a week ago. Chief Judge Stephen Dillard of the Georgia Court of Appeals had this funny little quip about Willett’s heroism: “This Day in Judicial ‘Activism.'” [Houston Chronicle]
* If you want an easy way out of your Biglaw job, just follow these easy tips for how to behave at your firm’s holiday party. [American Lawyer]
* Lanny Davis has an interesting take on all of the reasons why — much to Donald Trump’s chagrin — the DOJ is not the president’s own personal law firm. [The Hill]
* Biglaw firms are swooping in like vultures to pick apart Sedgwick’s decaying carcass. The failed firm’s London office only has one partner left. [American Lawyer]
* “This is embarrassing, Mom. You look homeless.” A Detroit lawyer has founded a nonprofit law firm and she’s currently working and sleeping in an outdoor hovel during her “campout for justice.” She hopes to raise money to help more clients. Here’s her GoFundMe page. Donate bonus cash to a good cause! [Detroit Free Press]
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Federal Judges, Politics
Federal Judicial Nominations: A Quick Recap
The August recess offers a good opportunity to evaluate the state of play in judicial nominations. -
Federal Judges, Politics
Circuit Court Nominees In The Trump Administration: The Latest News And Rumor (Part 2)
These highly qualified women and men should be swiftly confirmed to the federal bench. -
State Judges, Television
This Judicial Citation To 'Cheers' Will Make Your Day
It's always nice to see a judicial opinion with a little flair. -
SCOTUS, Supreme Court
'Jiggery-Pokery' Sparks #scalia4kids, Breaks The Internet
Last night, I invented a hashtag and Twitter took off and ran with it. Here are some of the best. -
Copyright, Department of Justice, Football, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 05.20.14
* The best part of the DOJ’s charges against the Chinese hackers is definitely the fact that we now have a “Wanted” poster for “Wang Dong.” Third graders of the world, go ahead and snicker. [What About Clients] * This is a literal way of sticking it to the banks — man arrested for attempting to have sex with an ATM machine. He was charged with public intoxication. And solicitation… goddamned $3.00 out of network charge. [The Smoking Gun] * A new NFL lawsuit alleges that the NFL illegally used painkillers to cover up injuries. This story is brought to you by the letters D, U, and H. [Sports Illustrated] * In an interview, the admissions dean of the University of Texas says the school “extend[s] opportunities to students who aren’t 100% perfect on paper.” No kidding. [Tipping the Scales] * Australian lawyers are trying to argue that their cease and desist letters are copyrighted and cannot be republished. Professor Volokh explains why that’s not a viable argument in the United States. We. Totally. Concur. [The Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * A transwoman was denied a requested name change. The judge? The former counsel to Liberty University. Of course. [GayRVA] * Twitter icon Judge Dillard cited Wikipedia in a decision. Didn’t Keith Lee just have an article about that? [Court of Appeals of Georgia] * More analysis of Gaston Kroub’s look at Biglaw’s Scarlet Letter. [Law and More] * The DOJ announced that LSAC will pay $7.73 million and institute systemic reforms over its ADA violations. If only the DOJ could get on top of LSAC’s problems securing your private personal information. [U.S. Department of Justice (press release)] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Google / Search Engines, Legal Research, Lexis-Nexis, LexisNexis / Lexis-Nexis, Small Law Firms, Technology, Westlaw, Wikipedia
Is Wikipedia A Reliable Legal Authority?
Small-firm columnist Keith Lee looks at how widely courts are citing Wikipedia. -
Alex Kozinski, Celebrities, Federal Judges, Quote of the Day, State Judges, Twittering
Best Parenthetical Ever?
A judge's clever homage to celebrity ridiculousness. -
Books, State Judges
A Fun Little Footnote
Don't skip over the footnotes. That's where all the fun is! -
Quote of the Day, Sex, State Judges, Stephen Dillard
Quote of the Day: Dueling Definitions of 'Dominatrix'
See The Compact Oxford English Dictionary 486 (2d ed. 1991) (defining “dominatrix” as a “female dominator; mistress, lady”); see also Urban Dictionary (retrieved on Aug. 23, 2011) (defining “dominatrix” as, inter alia, “a woman who controls her partner mentally and physically, usually in a sexual way,” and “is stereotypically pictured as wearing stiletto boots, [a] […] -
Clarence Thomas, Non-Sequiturs, Stephen Dillard
Non-Sequiturs: 10.20.10
* Ginni Thomas cancels a radio appearance in the wake of the controversy over her phone call to Anita Hill. [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times] * Consistent with its name, TheDirty website takes the view that you can’t keep (nude photos of) a good woman down. [The Not-So-Private Parts / Forbes] * Congratulations […]