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 on March 02, 2016 8:52 am

* 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]