Courts
Trump's Latest Circuit Nominee Graduated Law School In 2007
Is it fair to care about this judge's lack of experience? Yeah. It is.
* “It’s an extreme position to go from hateful statements to this. What would cause him to change his mind?” President Trump is a fan of calling the Russia investigation a “witch hunt” in public, but word on the street is that he’s sent private messages to special counsel Robert Mueller to express his “appreciation” for what he’s been doing. Countdown until Mueller gets fired? [USA Today]
* “Judge Roy Moore is the real deal. He’s tough, tested, and has a spine of steel.” Chuck Norris is endorsing former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore to fill the Senate seat that was left vacant by Jeff Sessions after he became attorney general. Guys, it looks like Chuck Norris can’t divide by zero anymore, so maybe it’s time for everyone to buy a Total Gym so this man can retire. [CNN]
* Just how much do Williams & Connolly partners make? The firm typically keeps quiet about compensation, but Curtis J. Mahoney, who is up for the deputy U.S. trade representative post in the Trump administration, has had to make some financial disclosures and now we know he’s made $833,000 in partnership income thus far in 2017. [National Law Journal]
* Following the release of the results of a study of female attorneys’ speaking roles — or lack thereof — in New York courts, former Southern District Judge Shira Scheindlin, who is now of counsel at Stroock, said in a powerful op-ed that law firms “must stop paying lip service to diversity and take concrete steps to change.” Perhaps one day, something will actually change. [New York Times]
* Federal prosecutors have dropped their securities fraud case against Wall Street financier Benjamin Wey thanks to an extremely unfavorable evidence suppression order issued by Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District of New York. Wey’s legal team from Haynes and Boone is obviously quite pleased with the decision. We may have more on this later. [New York Law Journal]
* “Every single racial slur you can think of for Asian Americans is a trademark right now. And almost any kind of slur you could think of for any group is a registered trademark right now. The law’s not working.” Asian-American rock band The Slants will make their debut before the Supreme Court this week, and when all is said and done, trademark law’s prohibition on the registration of disparaging marks may be forever changed thanks to their First Amendment argument. [Washington Post]
* Zachary Warren, the low-level Dewey & LeBoeuf employee who wound up being criminally charged along with the failed firm’s head honchos, has been cleared of all charges. After completing 350 hours of community service in accordance with the requirements of a deferred prosecution agreement, Warren’s indictment has been sealed, and he’s now working as an associate at Williams & Connolly. [Big Law Business]
* For all of their talk about wanting to prevent women from leaving the practice of law, many Biglaw firms that once made big promises about onsite day-care facilities have allowed those plans to fall to the wayside after being hamstrung by significant costs and liability issues. Today, about 10 law firms have set up day-care programs for attorneys’ children, and for those that have, it’s a real “distinguisher in recruiting.” [Am Law Daily]
* According to the results of a new study performed by Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court in conjunction with students at Yale Law School, while Asian-Americans are plentiful within our country’s attorney workforce, very few of them have managed to ascend to the most prestigious leadership roles in the legal profession. What could be causing this to occur? Implicit bias may be playing a role. [Washington Post]
* “[I]t would be your word against mine and nobody will believe you.” A Republican politician in Connecticut who “love[s] this new world” because he “no longer [has] to be politically correct” currently stands accused of grabbing a town employee by the p*ssy pinching a town employee’s groin. He’s been charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, and he’s scheduled to appear in court at the end of the month. [Westport Daily Voice]
* The University of Washington at Tacoma is rethinking its plans to create a law school that’s separately accredited from the one at the University’s Seattle campus. Before moving forward, UWT wants to build up its undergraduate pre-law program to make sure the demand will be there in the future. Unlike some schools, “[t]he last thing [UWT] want[s] to do is to start a law school and it not to be successful early.” [News Tribune]
R. Hackney Wiegmann, Managing Partner
Harvard Law School, JD
