Above the Law

Morning Docket: 09.04.25

* Federal judges blame Supreme Court’s shadow docket reversals with no explanation for undermining the lower courts and fostering false sense of bias, fueling sometimes violent attacks against the judiciary. Apparently the Chief Justice’s strategy of responding to critics with “shut up and let us rule you like gods” hasn’t really gained traction. [NBC News]

* State letting students become take on criminal defense cases after only one year of law school. [Arizona Capital Times]

* Livestreams of one judge’s courtroom become viral sensation. [ABA Journal]

* Jury slaps Google with $425 million in damages over unauthorized data collection. [Law360]

* Lobbyist calls Biglaw surrender deals “smart” because “it’s better to be someone who can work with the government than someone who just says screw you,” which is the precise definition of the swamp that was supposed to be drained. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Texas brings back the abortion vigilante law, this time aimed at pills. [Reuters]

* Former GC says she was fired in retaliation for reporting sexual assaults and antitrust violations. [Corporate Counsel]

Milbank Makes Money Moves! — See Also

They’ve Announced Bonuses!: Where the hell is everyone else’s announcements?

Former Partner Pleads No Contest To Domestic Abuse Charges: Adam P. Beckerink will be sentenced on October 20th.

Cardi B Wins In Court: Let that be a lesson to anyone else that sees her as a quick come up.

Unexpected Law School Fauna: Roaches hit University of Kentucky College of Law.

The Ring Won’t Be The Only Big Cost Toward The Marriage: Here’s your Taylor-Kelce crash course on the marriage penalty!

America’s Assault On Real History Comes For The Staff Of The Charles Lindbergh House And Museum

The Charles Lindbergh House and Museum has been permanently shuttered, the staff laid off, thanks to budget cuts.

The 5 Levers Legal Leaders Can’t Afford To Ignore

The real question for legal leadership is not whether to modernize. It is where to focus first.

And That’s Why We Lost The Election!

We now have an official list of the 45 words and phrases that liberals should avoid at all cost. But can the Dems help themselves?

Milbank Moves On Summer Bonuses While Biglaw Firms Stall On Matching

Summer bonuses are here -- just not for you (yet).

Cardi B Beats $24M Assault Lawsuit

Perhaps 'Super Completely Innocent' will be the follow-up to 'Invasion of Privacy'?

Travis Kelce’s And Taylor Swift’s Wedding Could Result In A Higher Tax Bill Due To The Marriage Penalty

Packing your reception with tax attorneys is never a bad idea.

Former Biglaw Partner Pleads No Contest To Domestic Abuse Charges Against Dead Wife

The former partner will be sentenced next month.

4 Notable Health Tech Funding Announcements In August

Health tech companies made several major funding announcements in August. Here is a list of some of the biggest funding rounds.

Morning Docket: 09.03.25

* Google avoids having to spin off Chrome. [Law360]

* Lawyers using time saved by AI for… more work. [Legal Cheek]

* Charging documents for former Biglaw associate arrested in D.C. say someone said hostile things to National Guard troops and a day later they decided it was him. We might have another no bill on our hands. [National Law Journal]

* Atlanta lawyers are jumping ship and boosting competitors entering the market. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

* Biglaw isn’t joining up with Burford. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Military lawyers repurposed as immigration judges. [Reuters]

* DOJ lawyer going after Harvard for antisemitism wrote paper from Hitler’s point of view. [Boston Globe]

1878 Is The New 2025 — See Also

The Trump Administration Is 140 Years Too Late: Can’t use the U.S. Military to execute domestic law, buddy.

The Law School Price Bubble Is Deflating: Would much rather the damn thing burst.

Publicly Wrong? Yes. Defamation?: Not so much. Dershowitz had to learn the hard way.

You Aren’t The Only One Waiting On Bar Results: Kim Kardashian is Keeping Up With The Score.

Rudy Giuliani Released From Hospital: The former mayor is recovering from a car crash.

Shining The Spotlight On Jurist’s Pre-Supreme Court Work

This is not the first time this trial has received the cinematic treatment.

From Burnout To Career Joy: How A 5-Minute Daily Practice Can Help You Recover From Career Burnout

Research shows that gratitude practices reduce stress and improve mental health, which ultimately makes you more productive, not less.

AI Exclusions Are Creeping Into Insurance — But Cyber Policies Aren’t The Issue (Yet)

The very AI tools making your firm more efficient may also be the reason your insurance claim gets denied.