Terrorism
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Federal Judges, Politics
Lawyers Take Stand Against Donald Trump's Treatment Of Federal Judge
At least their dissent is noted. -
Federal Judges, Justice, Politics
Trump's Anti-Judge Tweetstorm Is Prelude For His Reichstag Fire
The next "Bridgegate" is going to be Trump blowing up the Golden Gate Bridge. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 12.29.16
* A fun new hobby for legal and political junkies to enjoy together: A Trump litigation watch list. [CNN]
* Let’s hear it for regulations! An EU law mandating that large trucks have an advanced emergency braking system is believed to have saved additional lives in the Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 12. [Washington Post]
* Burke Ramsey, JonBenet’s brother, is suing CBS — as well as experts and consultants — for defamation over a TV special that advanced the theory he killed his sister. [Entertainment Weekly]
* There might actually be some good news on the horizon for public defender offices that have seen their budgets slashed. [ABA Journal]
* A now-defunct medical laboratory is challenging the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to regulate online security. [National Law Journal]
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9/11
Debate: Should Families Of 9/11 Victims Be Able To Sue The Saudis?
Although overshadowed by the election, the ramifications of JASTA could be far ranging, especially for lawyers. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.12.16
* SCOTUS just put limits on victim impact statements. [Slate]
* The lawyers for the Paris terror attack suspect have thrown in the towel. [Huffington Post]
* Are Biglaw partners the new heroes of American capitalism? [Law and More]
* Al Gore using his experience to encourage Floridians to get out the vote. [Election Law Blog]
* A look at the competing tax plans of Trump and Clinton. [Pacific Standard Magazine]
* …And now you can be served by Twitter. [US News]
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Continuing Legal Education / CLE, Sponsored Content
5 CLEs For The Aspiring POTUS
While 25 of our nation’s 44 presidents have been lawyers, just being an attorney isn’t enough to get you elected. But taking the right CLE might help you get closer to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave... -
Biglaw, Federal Judges
Judge Garaufis v. Kirkland & Ellis And Facebook: The Transcript
There are some fun tidbits in this transcript. -
Biglaw, Federal Judges
Judge Garaufis Placated By Kirkland & Ellis And Facebook
Judge Garaufis "likes" the gaggle of lawyers that appeared before him. - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Biglaw, Federal Judges
Was This Judge's Reprimand Of Kirkland & Ellis Justified?
Everyone loves a good benchslap, but not all benchslaps are good. -
Biglaw, Federal Judges
Federal Judge Reams Junior Associate Because Biglaw Firm Refused To Send A Partner To Court
Lesson to Biglaw: don't send an associate to do a partner's job. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.22.16
* It’s not always the best law schools whose grads perform the best on the bar exam: For the third year in a row, FIU Law posted the greatest passing percentage out of all Florida law schools. Which one did the worst? We’ll have more on this later. [Miami Herald]
* “[T]he court will be looking for cases that don’t break along traditional partisan lines. IP cases fit that bill.” With only eight justices, the Supreme Court has shied away from dealing with any hot-button political or social issues this term, instead choosing to deal with business-related cases like intellectual property disputes. [Reuters]
* According to court documents, New York and New Jersey bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami now has an attorney. David E. Patton, a Sullivan & Cromwell alum who leads the Federal Public Defenders of New York and is known as a “vigorous critic of the criminal justice system,” will be representing the 28-year-old alleged terrorist. [WSJ Law Blog]
* “We believe there’s really an unmet need here in El Paso to have a law school.” Now that UNT Dallas Law School is struggling to be accredited by the ABA, it’s high time that we open yet another Texas law school. Right now, El Paso Law is just a poorly conceived idea, but it could be a poorly conceived diploma mill in the future. [Texas Lawyer]
* “We’re competing with people who have been laid off and have five to 10 years of experience.” With loan debt looming large as “the tax you pay for not having a college fund,” law students are slowly but surely adapting to the realities of the “new normal” when it comes to their post-graduation employment options. [Cleveland Scene]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.21.16
* Florida AG Pam Bondi admits she took donation money from Donald Trump when she was toying with an investigation of Trump University, but says she has no regrets about keeping the cash. “If I had returned it, you would have reported ‘Bondi accepted a bribe, got caught and returned it.” [AP]
* Could President Barack Obama sue Donald Trump over the “birther” conspiracy? If so, what would be his cause of action? He could potentially file suit for defamation, but as a public figure, he’d have an uphill battle proving actual malice and damages. [Big Law Business]
* Ahmad Rahami, the man accused of Saturday’s bombings in New York and New Jersey, has been federally charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction, bombing, destruction of property, and use of a destructive device. His bail has been set at $5.2 million. There’s been no word yet as to whether he has hired an attorney. [CNN]
* According to Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District of New York, bitcoins are, in fact, money — at least under this federal anti-money laundering statute. If you think “funds” are “pecuniary resources… generally accepted as a medium of exchange or a means of payment,” you better believe bitcoins are a form of money. [WSJ Law Blog]
* “We think that they are attempting to use civil discovery to get around the limits on criminal discovery in the criminal case.” According to Gloria Allred, the civil sexual abuse case her client has filed against Bill Cosby in California is going to be put on the back burner for a time into his criminal charges can be more fully litigated. [Reuters]
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Biglaw, Disasters / Emergencies
Suspicious Package Reported In D.C., Near Many Major Law Firms
Police just issued the all-clear, but it is a reminder of the times that we live in.
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.02.16
* Dentons asks its European partners to kick in more money. Is this no big deal or something they should be verein worried about? (Ugh.) [Legal Week]
* Melania Trump is suing the Daily Mail over escort stories. [Law360]
* Judge Rakoff sides with Beyoncé in “Lemonade” suit. He stated the result and added that “a memorandum explaining the reasons for this ruling will issue in due course, at which time final judgment will be entered.” All the greats build hype before their next opinion drops. [Hollywood Reporter]
* After Brock Turner, California passed a new rape law… and it could backfire badly. [Rolling Stone]
* USC linebacker accused of raping a woman twice and sending pictures of it to her ex. [Deadspin]
* “So you want to sue your firm.” [Law.com]
* For your long weekend, here’s a deep dive into the tale of the pair of lawyers who lost a massive civil suit over framing a PTA rival. [LA Times]
* Suicide bombing kills 12 at Pakistani courthouse. [BBC]
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Technology
Judge On Whether Twitter Is Legally Liable For ISIS Attacks: Hahahahahaha, Nope.
There were 230 problems with this suit. -
Biglaw, Disasters / Emergencies, Law Schools
The Tragedy In Orlando: The Legal Community Responds
Statements from law firms and law schools in response to the Orlando shooting. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.12.16
* Gauging the importance of Supreme Court decisions this Term based on media coverage. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Georgia is changing state law because UGA’s football coach thinks it might help the team cover up a scandal and somehow the legislature thinks this makes sense. [SB Nation]
* Did President Obama outthink himself on the Merrick Garland pick? [Guile Is Good]
* Using expert witnesses to defeat class certification… an emerging tradition. [The Expert Institute]
* Some graphics cross-referencing the laws around “burners” and global terrorism. [imgur]
* Restraining order be damned! Montgomery Blair Sibley is releasing D.C. Madam contacts for our viewing pleasure. [WTOP]
* What lawyer Scott Limmer learned from a yoga retreat. [Law Reboot]
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Deaths, Public Interest
Young Public Interest Lawyer Killed During Brussels Attacks
She was only four years out of law school. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 03.23.16
* International Biglaw firms in Brussels are “just trying to soldier on” in the wake of the terror attacks that rocked the city yesterday morning. A White & Case secretary was on the metro train that was bombed, but she managed to escape from the wreckage unscathed. All lawyers and staff members have been accounted for and are alive and well. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
* Singer Kesha has appealed the decision of a judge who declined to void her contract with Sony Music, a record label where she claims she’d be forced to work with a producer who allegedly raped her. This time, her lawyer, Mark Geragos, has likened the pop star’s situation to slavery. Hmm… let’s see how well that goes over for her in court. [Reuters]
* “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court.” For the first time since Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, the Supreme Court issued a 4-4 split decision along ideological lines. That very sentence could have a huge impact on some of the high court’s more significant cases for a year or more if Merrick Garland isn’t confirmed. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Professor Melissa Murray of UC Berkeley Law has been tapped to stand in as the school’s interim dean in the wake of Sujit Choudhry’s resignation following the news that he’d been named as a defendant in a sexual harassment suit. Law students chose Murray as their “overwhelming choice” for dean in a poll. [L.A. Now / Los Angeles Times]
* Since the GRE is regarded as an easier test than the LSAT, and at least one school will no longer require it for admission, some pre-law students may be wondering whether they should bother to take the LSAT at all. Don’t be silly. Much like the word “fetch,” the GRE isn’t going to happen. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
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Politics, War on Terror
The Only Cure For Terror Is More Terror -- According To Republicans Running For President
Trump and Cruz respond to terror in the worst possible way.