6th Circuit

Morning Docket: 07.21.17

* Congratulations to John K. Bush, who won confirmation to the Sixth Circuit despite his controversial undercover blogging. [How Appealing] * Team Trump is digging into the backgrounds of special counsel Robert Mueller's all-star team of attorneys, looking for discrediting dirt. [New York Times] * DLA Piper swallows up Liner LLP, a California-based boutique with 60 lawyers -- so, DLA's idea of breakfast. [Law.com] * Justice Alito defends his tenure on the Supreme Court cafeteria committee (in this hilarious piece by Jess Bravin). [Wall Street Journal via How Appealing] * Ex-Dentons associate Michael Potere, represented by a public defender, pleads not guilty to charges that he tried to extort his former firm. [Law360] * Is the relationship of President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions damaged beyond repair? [New York Times] * Is Charles Miller's move to Tarter Krinsky & Drogin the beginning of a partner exodus from Kasowitz Benson -- one possibly driven by the debacle of the Donald Trump representation? [New York Law Journal] * Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law gets censured by the ABA in the wake of sex-discrimination allegations. [ABA Journal]

Morning Docket: 07.14.17

* The Second Circuit vacates the corruption convictions of former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Congratulations to his counsel, the high-powered litigation boutique of MoloLamken (which handled the appeal as well as the trial). [How Appealing] * And congrats to federal judicial nominees John K. Bush (Sixth Circuit) and Kevin Newsom (Eleventh Circuit), who just got voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. [Washington Examiner] * In other nomination news, the White House seems to be taking its time in announcing a Ninth Circuit nominee from Oregon. Delay may strengthen the case for frontrunner Ryan Bounds; his main competition, Chief Judge Michael Mosman, gets older by the day (turning 61 later this year). [Portland Tribune] * Meet Michael Murray, an ex-SCOTUS clerk and Jones Day alum, who is the Justice Department's new point person on pot. (Fun fact: Kevin Newsom, Ryan Bounds, and Michael Murray all clerked for my former boss, Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain of the Ninth Circuit.) [U.S. News] * Former Ropes & Gray COO Hugh A. Simons wonders: "Are Law Firms Too Sophisticated for Their Own Good?" [Am Law Daily] * Will law school applications see a "Trump Bump," as idealistic aspiring attorneys seek law degrees to join the resistance? We might have more on this later. [Law.com] * Yes, lawyers should stand up for their beliefs -- but they also can (and must) understand the arguments on the other side, as new Yale Law dean Heather Gerken explains. [Time] * The Ninth Circuit has ruled in the Case of the Tweeting Judge. We might have more on this later as well. [How Appealing] * Congratulations to Stephen Kane, an alum of O'Melveny & Myers and Lex Machina, on securing $1.8 million in funding for his FairClaims startup -- which he describes as "a virtual Judge Judy." [TechCrunch]

Diane Feinstein Gets Snippy With Sixth Circuit Nominee

The truth still matters to some people.

Morning Docket: 05.26.17

* The Russia investigation now turns to President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner -- proud holder of a law degree from NYU (and a really great set of abs). [Washington Post] * Former Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), currently senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson, has withdrawn from consideration as FBI Director (as my colleague Staci Zaretsky predicted, after Marc Kasowitz got hired by President Trump to represent him in the Russia probe). [New York Times] * Congratulations to Judge Amul Thapar, President Trump's first lower-court nominee, on his confirmation to the Sixth Circuit -- although it's disappointing that no Democrats voted in favor of this eminently qualified (and diverse) candidate. [How Appealing] * Despite allegedly roughing up a reporter (for which he's apologized), Republican Greg Gianforte won the race for Montana's sole seat in the House of Representatives (as my colleague Joe Patrice predicted he would). [New York Times] * How did Michelle Obama react when Barack Obama declined to pursue a coveted Supreme Court clerkship? Tony Mauro tells the tale. [Law.com] * The ABA continues to fight the good (or not so good?) fight in defense of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. [ABA Journal] * It seems that some folks on Capitol Hill like my proposed solution to the use of "blue slips" in the judicial confirmation process. [Washington Post via How Appealing] * The Brooklyn District Attorney's office concludes that a slew of murder convictions based on dubious evidence from embattled detective Louis Scarcella must be thrown out -- and yet Scarcella engaged in no wrongdoing. [New York Times] * Biglaw firms are suffering from an oversupply of lawyers, and a quarter of respondents to a recent survey said their associates don't have enough work -- which might explain why at least one firm has turned to laying off first-year associates. Yikes. [ABA Journal]

Morning Docket: 05.19.17

* Remember when Judge Nicholas Garaufis (E.D.N.Y.) flipped out at Kirkland & Ellis for not sending a partner to cover a status hearing? It seems K&E and its client Facebook's groveling won over the judge: cases dismissed. [ABA Journal] * A big settlement in the Takata air bags litigation -- and presumably big legal fees for some of the firms involved. [National Law Journal] * Congratulations to Judge Amul Thapar (E.D. Ky.) on clearing the Senate Judiciary Committee; he should hopefully be on the Sixth Circuit soon. [Washington Times] * Congratulations to Rachel Brand on her confirmation as associate attorney general -- although it's unfortunate that more Democrats didn't cross the aisle to support her. [Law360] * And be careful what you wish for, Democrats: now that we have Robert Mueller as special counsel, congressional inquiries into Trump/Russia-related matters could stall. [Washington Post] * Speaking of Russia probes, should President Donald Trump hire outside counsel to represent him? да, да. [New York Times] * A closer look at prominent lawyer John K. Bush, nominated by President Trump to the Sixth Circuit. [Vetting Room via How Appealing] * Does size matter? Yes -- at least in this murder case where the defendant is invoking a "big penis" defense. [New York Post]

T14 Law Professors Show Strong Support For Trump’s Sixth Circuit Nominee

They really want to see her get confirmed.

More Judicial Nominations From The Trump Administration

We were right about a number of nominees; let's look ahead to the next batch.

Circuit Court Nominees In The Trump Administration: A Nationwide Round-Up

Names, names, and more names, for federal judgeships around the country.

Morning Docket: 09.16.16

* Former Berkeley Law dean Sujit Choudhry is suing the school, claiming that Berkeley discriminated against him by punishing him more harshly for alleged sexual harassment compared to white professors. [Law.com] * The family of Sandra Bland settles its lawsuit over her death for $1.9 million. [New York Times] * The Sixth Circuit, sitting en banc (and rather splintered), rules that the mental-health ban on gun ownership could violate the Second Amendment. [How Appealing] * Congratulations to Miami corporate partner Ira Coleman, who will replace Peter John Sacripanti and Jeffrey E. Stone as chair of McDermott Will & Emery in January. [Big Law Business] * Ashurst remains in a tailspin, with five partners (including two office heads) leaving in the span of 24 hours. [Ashurst] * In other U.K. law firm news, Freshfields is replacing "Dear Sirs" with gender-neutral salutations in all communications and legal documents. [The Lawyer via Big Law Business] * More exciting news for Bancroft: recognition for its pro bono work, which partners pledge will continue after they move over to Kirkland. [Law360] * Paging parents who left Davis Polk to raise their kids: here's a program to bring you back into Biglaw. [Law.com via ABA Journal]

Morning Docket: 08.29.16

* Sixth Circuit decides farmers don't need the Internet. It's your move now, FarmersOnly.com lobbyists! [NY Times] * The latest in the "Houston" law school showdown. [Houston Chronicle] * In Trump U. litigation news, there's a battle over who gets to be called an "expert" in a case about whether unqualified people pretended to be experts. [Courthouse News Service] * Remember Kim Dotcom? He wants to livestream his legal battle, which seems a lot less interesting than what he used to put up. [USNWR] * HSBC paying $13M in suits alleging improperly recorded debt-collection calls. [Law360] * Robot lawyering spreads: The parking ticket battling algorithm moves to Seattle. [WTSP] * "How do you cross-examine a computer?" I dunno, Ctrl-Alt-Delete? [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Morning Docket: 06.02.16

* A judge has ruled that Andrew Schmuhl, the attorney accused of torturing and nearly killing the managing partner of the law firm his wife was fired from, will not be allowed to use an involuntary intoxication defense at trial. We may have more on this later today. [Washington Post] * Congratulations to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg! A newly discovered species of praying mantis with a decorative neck plate, the Ilomantis ginsburgae, has been named after Her Honor thanks to her "commitment to women's rights and gender equality... and her appreciation of the jabot." This is an honor that is truly fitting for the Notorious R.B.G. [New York Magazine] * Partners continue to head for the exits at Kenyon & Kenyon. This time, the chair of the IP firm's life sciences and chemical prosecution practice fled for Fox Rothschild, and he took two others with him. What's going on as this firm, and did they decide finally decide to officially pull the plug on the summer program? Let us know. [Big Law Business] * "There's absolutely no showing of any federal violation. The citizens of California are smart enough to know what their rights are." Sorry, Bernie bros, but because unaffiliated voters' rights haven't been harmed, voter registration will not be reopened ahead of next week's primary in the Golden State. Best of luck in the polls. [Los Angeles Times] * People are still raging against this JOP: The Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice, a group of defense lawyers 150 strong, have filed an ethics complaint against Judge Conrad Hafen, saying he showed a "complete disregard for the law" when he handcuffed a public defender as she tried to represent her client. [Las Vegas Review-Journal] * Boyce Martin Jr., chief judge emeritus of the Sixth Circuit, RIP. [Courier-Journal]