Supreme Court Clerks

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.02.16

* WHATCHA GONNA DO, BROTHER, WHEN HULKAMANIA SELECTS A JURY TO RUN WILD ON YOU?!?! Jury selection has started in Hulk Hogan's $100M sex-tape case against Gawker. The trial begins next week, and if he wins, his 24-inch pythons could put the site out of business. [New York Post] * President Obama met with Senate leaders yesterday to talk about his impending Supreme Court nomination, and the Republicans present held steady in their adamant refusal to hold hearings or vote on any of his prospective candidates. After all, President Trump's 2017 nominee will obviously be a far greater choice. [The Hill] * "They're just normal people. They weren't always judges." Being a federal judge with a lifetime appointment may be a "surprisingly monastic existence" at times, but the fact of the matter is that our Supreme Court justices are really just like us. Off the bench, some of them are social butterflies, and others are complete hermits. [Washington Post] * According to a recent study on federal law clerks, "judges appointed by Republicans are more likely to hire clerks who come from the left-side of the ideological spectrum," but that's likely because the pickings are slim when it comes to conservative clerks. Top law school grads tend to lean liberal, so the applicant pool is a bit skewed. [WSJ Law Blog] * K&L Gates is leaking partners, practice leaders, and executive committee members like a sieve once again, but Peter Kalis, the firm's usually outspoken chairman, hasn't said a peep about the departures yet. What's going on at the firm? If you have any information, please feel free to email us or text us (646-820-8477). [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.16.16

* Justice Antonin Scalia's sudden death was memorialized on newspaper front pages across the country, with some publications scrambling to redo their Sunday editions to reflect the news. Here's a look at how some papers handled the coverage. [New York Times] * Justice Scalia is said to have died of natural causes. Cinderela Guevara, the Texas judge who pronounced him dead by phone, only did so after she was assured “there were no signs of foul play." An autopsy will not be performed. [Washington Post] * The outcomes of several major cases that are currently before the Supreme Court are likely to be affected by Justice Scalia's unexpected death. SCOTUS watchers think this could be represent a victory for the Court's four-justice liberal wing. [New York Times] * In case you didn't take the time to research this over the long weekend, here are seven things you need to know about presidential appointments to the Supreme Court. Could the battle to replace Justice Scalia possibly lead to a record-breaking vacancy? [NPR] * Justice Scalia left behind a "fortune cookie" for President Obama in his same-sex marriage dissent when he criticized the incredibly homogeneous makeup of the current Supreme Court. Please give him what he wanted. Diversify SCOTUS. [New York Times] * Out of all of Justice Scalia's Supreme Court colleagues, it may be fair to say that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will miss him most. Her relationship with her "best buddy" was incredibly unique, and most could only wish to have a friendship like theirs. [CNN] * As the longest-serving member of the current Supreme Court, Justice Scalia was revered for leaving a historic legacy on the bench. Here's what 19 "top legal thinkers" had to say about his life and death. I was honored to be included. [POLITICO MAGAZINE] * Almost immediately after it was announced that Justice Scalia had died, some began dancing on his grave with hateful comments. You may not have agreed with his judicial ideologies, but it would be nice to show some respect for the dead. [Bloomberg View] * “It doesn’t matter if your résumé says ‘almost law clerk.’” What will happen to Justice Scalia's clerks in the wake of his death? His current clerks will likely be alright as far as their jobs are concerned, but it seems future clerks may be out of luck. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 08.03.15

* Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh likes hanging out with the Supreme Court. Harbaugh characterizes Justice Thomas as very enthusiastic. Seriously. This guy thinks someone else is enthusiastic. [Wall Street Journal Law Blog] * Darren Wilson isn't racist, everybody. I mean, he thinks black people have bad upbringings and prefers to eat out "Where it’s not a mixing pot,” but he really wants you to know he's not racist. [Gawker] * Whatever happened to the SCOTUS clerks of ten years ago? [Excess of Democracy] * How terrifying is Heien v. North Carolina? Cops are now stopping people for air fresheners and using it as a pretext to search the car... and courts are approving it. [The Marshall Project] * A Shearman & Sterling partner arrested in a DWI sweep. [The East Hampton Star] * Do you use LinkedIn Pulse to grow your brand? You probably should. [Law and More] * The true story of a prosecutor who went undercover and strapped on a wire for over 3 years to root out corruption in the judicial system. His new book is titled Operation Greylord (affiliate link). [My Fox Chicago] * Health care discrimination against the mentally ill is illegal. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. [Vox] * If you missed Lat's events at the ABA meeting over the weekend, here's a recap of one. [American Bar Association]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.20.15

* Here's a very important lesson for all of the lawyers reading this: thinking about work while you're on the way to work doesn't mean that you're actually working. This novel argument failed miserably for a Biglaw partner trying to get out of a huge insurance claim. [WSJ Law Blog] * Justice Scalia isn't very fond of the media's coverage of SCOTUS: "They don't like conservatives on the court, or anywhere else for that matter. They do a lousy job. You can't expect them to do a good job." Wow, tell us how you really feel. [Arkansas Online] * "Enough! Enough! Call Loretta Lynch for a vote. Get her confirmed. Put her in place. Let her do her job.” After months of watching his pick for attorney general wait around thanks to political gridlock, President Obama has finally had it with this sh*t. [New York Times] * Good news, associates! If you leave your law firm job for a Supreme Court clerkship, you'll likely still be able to receive that gigantic SCOTUS hiring bonus -- to the tune of $300,000 plus! -- if you return to the firm you left when it's over. [National Law Journal] * "Hard questions have to be asked at law schools whose modest reputations and forgiving admission standards do not ensure their graduates gainful employment." High LSAT scores are down, bar failure is up, and law schools still say it's not their fault. [Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky