Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.10.17

* The confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions to serve as U.S. attorney general get underway today; here's what to watch for. [How Appealing] * Biglaw faces big challenges today, and even top law firms need to up their game. [DealBook / New York Times] * Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law (and also holder of an NYU Law degree), will serve as senior adviser to President Trump; Kushner's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick of WilmerHale, dismissed nepotism and conflict-of-interest concerns. [Washington Post] * Speaking of conflicts, it's probably a wise idea for Supreme Court justices to unload their holdings of individual stocks -- as a recent snafu involving Chief Justice John Roberts suggests. [New York Times] * Speaking of SCOTUS, the Court heard arguments yesterday in a case about a Colorado law making it more difficult for criminal defendants whose convictions get overturned to obtain refunds of fines and restitution they previously paid. [How Appealing] * Here is Chris Geidner's assessment of the where the Court is right now -- and how it might change after President Trump's first appointment, to be announced sometime after inauguration. [BuzzFeed] * And here is a detailed dossier on one of Trump's SCOTUS finalists, Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth Circuit. [U.S. Law Week / Bloomberg BNA] * What can we expect from the SEC if Sullivan & Cromwell partner Jay Clayton is confirmed as chair? Thoughts from Peter J. Henning. [DealBook / New York Times]

By David Lat on January 10, 2017 8:55 am
Jared Kushner (by Lori Berkowitz via Flickr)

Jared Kushner (by Lori Berkowitz via Flickr)

* The confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions to serve as U.S. attorney general get underway today; here’s what to watch for. [How Appealing]

* Biglaw faces big challenges today, and even top law firms need to up their game. [DealBook / New York Times]

* Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law (and also holder of an NYU Law degree), will serve as senior adviser to President Trump; Kushner’s lawyer, Jamie Gorelick of WilmerHale, dismissed nepotism and conflict-of-interest concerns. [Washington Post]

* Speaking of conflicts, it’s probably a wise idea for Supreme Court justices to unload their holdings of individual stocks — as a recent snafu involving Chief Justice John Roberts suggests. [New York Times]

* Speaking of SCOTUS, the Court heard arguments yesterday in a case about a Colorado law making it more difficult for criminal defendants whose convictions get overturned to obtain refunds of fines and restitution they previously paid. [How Appealing]

* Here is Chris Geidner’s assessment of the where the Court is right now — and how it might change after President Trump’s first appointment, to be announced sometime after inauguration. [BuzzFeed]

* And here is a detailed dossier on one of Trump’s SCOTUS finalists, Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth Circuit. [U.S. Law Week / Bloomberg BNA]

* What can we expect from the SEC if Sullivan & Cromwell partner Jay Clayton is confirmed as chair? Thoughts from Peter J. Henning. [DealBook / New York Times]

DBL square headshotDavid Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at [email protected].