Ed. Note: A weekly roundup of just a few items from Howard Bashman’s How Appealing blog, the Web’s first blog devoted to appellate litigation. Check out these stories and more at How Appealing.
“Work on Trump’s E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case Divides Sullivan & Cromwell; Law firm’s co-chairman assured partners it would stay out of the president’s appeal of sex-abuse and defamation cases; It reversed course after being asked by Trump’s personal lawyer”: C. Ryan Barber, Joe Palazzolo, and Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal have this report.
Managing Partners are Navigating the AI Inflection Point.
New executive research from Ari Kaplan explores how law firm leaders are responding to changing client expectations, evolving economics, talent transformation, and AI governance.
“Illinois Ban on AR-15s Is Constitutional, Seventh Circuit Rules”: Megan Crepeau of Bloomberg Law has this report (subscription required for full access).
“The Conservative Justices Attached Some Major Strings to the Latest Decision On Presidential Power; The Supreme Court is not only transferring political power from Congress to the executive branch; It is also reserving a ton of political power for itself”: Madiba K. Dennie has this essay online at Balls and Strikes.
“‘Oyez, oyez.’ Supreme Court’s last official crier is dead at 102. At age 15, he began working at the court as a page. He rose to become its crier, announcing the justices’ arrival and gaveling the court to order.” Cole Reynolds of The Washington Post has written this obituary.
“Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. has transferred Judicial Conduct and Disability Complaint Number 26‑90153, regarding Circuit Judge Ryan D. Nelson, to the Judicial Council of the Fourth Circuit.” So begins a news release that the Public Information Office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued today.
From ‘Associate’ To ‘Doppelganger’: The Evolution Of The Legal AI Persona
Confronting Biglaw’s ‘snake eating its own tail’ problem.
“Supreme Court Term In Review: Zach Shemtob; The executive editor of SCOTUSblog (and [David Lat’s] husband) shares takeaways from October Term 2025, including the biggest rulings and major themes.” You can access today’s new episode of David Lat’s “Original Jurisdiction” podcast via this link.