Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.06.17

* "They're not just preparing for a court challenge. They’re prepared to lose." President Trump has been including severability clauses in some of his most controversial executive orders and proclamations (e.g., Travel Ban 2.0, Travel Ban 3.0, and the transgender military ban). At this rate, he's on pace to use them more than all of his most recent predecessors combined. [USA Today] * Special counsel Robert Mueller filed his legal team's first expenditure report yesterday afternoon, and it's a doozy. Thus far, $6.7 million has been spent between May 17, 2017, and September 30, 2017, and contrary to popular belief at the White House, the Russia investigation is nowhere near an end. [National Law Journal] * The Justice Department is now open to regulating guns; we repeat, the Justice Department is now open to regulating guns -- or at least parts that can make guns even more deadly than they already are. That said, the DOJ has entered into a rule-making process that will redetermine the legality of bump stock devices. [CNN] * All has been quiet on the Sedgwick front for about a week, but now we've got word that "many" of the failed firm's lawyers from numerous offices -- including San Francisco-based team led by partners Bruce Celebrezze and Alexander Potente -- will be joining British insurance firm Clyde & Co in the new year. [American Lawyer] * In case you missed it, Judge Valarie E. Turner -- who allowed a law clerk to wear her robes and preside over cases -- was recently forced into retirement after admitting that she'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and "acknowledg[ing] that she [was] permanently unable to perform her judicial duties." [Chicago Sun-Times]

By Staci Zaretsky on December 06, 2017 8:37 am

Donald Trump (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty)

* “They’re not just preparing for a court challenge. They’re prepared to lose.” President Trump has been including severability clauses in some of his most controversial executive orders and proclamations (e.g., Travel Ban 2.0, Travel Ban 3.0, and the transgender military ban). At this rate, he’s on pace to use them more than all of his most recent predecessors combined. [USA Today]

* Special counsel Robert Mueller filed his legal team’s first expenditure report yesterday afternoon, and it’s a doozy. Thus far, $6.7 million has been spent between May 17, 2017, and September 30, 2017, and contrary to popular belief at the White House, the Russia investigation is nowhere near an end. [National Law Journal]

* The Justice Department is now open to regulating guns; we repeat, the Justice Department is now open to regulating guns — or at least parts that can make guns even more deadly than they already are. That said, the DOJ has entered into a rule-making process that will redetermine the legality of bump stock devices. [CNN]

* All has been quiet on the Sedgwick front for about a week, but now we’ve got word that “many” of the failed firm’s lawyers from numerous offices — including San Francisco-based team led by partners Bruce Celebrezze and Alexander Potente — will be joining British insurance firm Clyde & Co in the new year. [American Lawyer]

* In case you missed it, Judge Valarie E. Turner — who allowed a law clerk to wear her robes and preside over cases — was recently forced into retirement after admitting that she’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and “acknowledg[ing] that she [was] permanently unable to perform her judicial duties.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.