Who Cares If Gitmo Detainees Starve to Death?
Is forced feeding a form of torture? What does President Obama think?
Non-Sequiturs: 12.02.13
* A guy sued the Washington Metro for injuries incurred by slipping in a banana peel. Security camera footage unraveled his story when it revealed he wasn’t a Looney Tunes character. [Washington Post] * A sports law practice sprung up in Qatar in advance of the 2022 World Cup. Have fun in 2023, folks! [Forbes] * Courts are starting to employ link shortening for URLs. That should free up some space under the page limits. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * The feds have a sophisticated spy system at Gitmo that may be used to eavesdrop on defense lawyers, which is a shock to pretty much nobody. [Vocativ] * Kash Hill joins the discussion on delivery drones. [Forbes] * Walking out on the law firm life is a bold move. This is pretty much how it goes down for everyone who does it. [Big Law Rebel] * Cops in Rochester arrested three black kids for waiting at their bus stop. [Gawker] * As we noted on Friday, the Jackie Chiles Law Society held a mock trial and convicted Harry Potter. “Who told you to put the Butter Beer Balm on!?” Video after the jump (note that the clip plays automatically, so don your headphones if necessary).
The Trump Gold Card: A New $1 Million Pathway To A U.S. Green Card
A new proposal would let wealthy foreign nationals secure an opportunity for a U.S. green card with a $1 million 'gift' to the government, sparking legal and ethical debate.
Morning Docket: 06.18.13
* Just like he said in 2008, President Barack Obama says that he’s going to close Guantanamo Bay, and this time, he means it. No, really, he appointed a Skadden partner to handle it, so we know he means business now. [Blog of Legal Times] * The Supreme Court just invalidated Arizona’s proof-of-citizenship voter registration law, so of course Ted Cruz wants to add an amendment to the Senate immigration reform bill to require citizenship to vote because, well… duh. [Politico] * According to a Pew Research survey, a majority of Americans think Edward Snowden should be prosecuted for his NSA leaks. It’s also likely that same majority don’t even know what Edward Snowden leaked. [USA Today] * It looks like Jon Leibowitz, the FTC’s ex-chairman, got some great birthday presents this week. Davis Polk partnership and a SCOTUS victory aren’t too shabby. [DealBook / New York Times] * They don’t give a damn ’bout their bad reputation: malpractice claims filed against attorneys and firms were up in 2012, and some say mergers and laterals are to blame. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)] * If you’re worried about your low GPA when applying to law school, you haven’t been reading the news. You’ll get in everywhere you apply. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report] * ¡Ay dios mío! The Hispanic National Bar Association is hoping that a week spent in law school will inspire minority high school students to become lawyers in the distant future. [National Law Journal]
Is It Time To Close Guantanamo Bay?
One retired admiral thinks so, and a new book by a Wall Street Journal reporter provides supporting evidence.
Non-Sequiturs: 04.04.11
* Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be tried by a military commission at Guantanamo, but John Yoo is still not satisfied. He wants to capture people and hold them indefinitely without trial proof that the Obama Administration can conduct terror trials successfully. Obviously, the elegant solution is to make KSM live in Yoo’s basement until one […]
Is Paul Weiss in Bed With Terrorists?
Leading law firm attacked in controversial WSJ op-ed.
That’s the question essentially posed in a barn-burning op-ed piece in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, written by Debra Burlingame and Thomas Joscelyn. Burlingame is the sister of Charles Burlingame III, pilot of the American Airlines plane that was crashed at the Pentagon on September 11; Joscelyn is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense […]
Why Your Practice Is Burning Money And How You Can Do Better
Our expert panel explores common sources of profit leakage along with practical steps for improvement.
Morning Docket 03.04.10
* Good news: There’s going to be lots of in-house hiring. Bad news: It’ll probably lead to Biglaw firing. [Corporate Counsel] * Sounds like this guy was thinking with his cock instead of his noggin. [Courthouse News Service] * Liz Cheney attacks Eric Holder’s “Department of Jihad” for harboring terrorist sympathizers, i.e., attorneys who argued […]
Musical Chairs: Greg Craig Out as White House Counsel, Bob Bauer In
The rumors circulated back in August, but now it looks like it’s finally happening. From Marc Ambinder, shortly before 11 on Thursday night: Sources in government say that White House Counsel Gregory Craig has decided to resign, and that the president’s personal lawyer, Robert Bauer, will take his place. A formal announcement is slated next […]
Morning Docket: 10.08.09
* At the Supreme Court, much ado about a cross. [Washington Post (Robert Barnes); Washington Post (Dana Milbank)] * Former Heller Ehrman partners deny that the firm was insolvent in 2007. [Am Law Daily] * The new Honduran government, which came to power through a coup, has hired lawyers and law firms — including Lanny […]
Much Better Than Document Review: Bingham Associate Testifies Before Congress
We like to highlight examples of Biglaw associates who get to do especially interesting or high-profile work. E.g., Lindsay Harrison, the Jenner & Block associate who argued a case — and won — before the U.S. Supreme Court. Most lawyers tuned in to Congress yesterday were listening to Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings (even if […]
Introducing LexisNexis Protégé™ in Lex Machina®
Lex Machina harnesses generative AI capabilities to revolutionize the way legal professionals interact with data to improve bottom line for their business.
Morning Docket 5.22.09
* Republicans slam Obama for his “empathy” standard for his SCOTUS nominee, citing an earlier speech on the Senate floor emphasizing a different standard. [The Washington Post] * Speaking of Obama, is he “the best lawyer to occupy the U.S. presidency since William Howard Taft”? [Foreign Policy] * The Yankees held a moot court in […]
Morning Docket 5.19.09
* A word of advice to the new summer associates: Paralegals can’t be trusted. [Legal Intelligencer] * SCOTUS dismissed the lawsuit that sought to punish top Bush officials, including former Attorney General John Ashcroft, for detaining Muslims that were not involved in 9-11. [Christian Science Monitor] * Military commission trials for Guantanamo detainees present many […]
The Guantanamo Undies: Guess We’ll Never Know
Here’s a quick follow-up to our prior coverage of the mysterious Under Armour briefs that somehow made their way into the hands, and onto the loins, of Guantanamo Bay detainees. From Reuters: The U.S. military has ended an inquiry into who smuggled unauthorized underwear and a bathing suit to two prisoners at Guantanamo Bay without […]
Guantanamo Bay Perk Watch: Under Armor Briefs!
Life for detainees at Guantanamo Bay, while difficult, isn’t 100 percent grim. From yesterday’s Washington Post: Undergarments from Under Armour, the sports apparel line, offer “all-day performance, delivered in a lightweight compression fit,” at least according to the company’ s promotional material. While “unprecedented” in its ability to deliver comfort, Under Armour underwear is not […]
The Supreme Court’s Gitmo Fake-Out
After yesterday, we thought they were all done for the Term. We thought wrong. Some notable news from the Supreme Court today. Lyle Denniston of the invaluable SCOTUSblog reports: In a startling turn of events in the legal combat over the war on terrorism, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to reconsider the appeals in […]