ahmaud arbery

Judge Rejects Plea Deal In Arbery Hate Crime Killing

State life sentences remain unaffected.

Morning Docket: 01.07.22

* A fig leaf or a Trojan Horse? McConnell backing an election law change has a few people confused. [The Hill] * And a 1 and a 2! Utah has to figure out how they are going to deal with armed protesters. [Deseret News] * The judge from the highest court (of our childhoods) creates a $5M scholarship to help women succeed in law. [Law.com] * The legal aftermath of the men who lynched Ahmaud Arbery continues — the length of their sentencing and a potential death penalty are still on the table. [CNN] * UNLV Law is going to keep some of their courses online for the semester. Will other schools follow suit? [FOX News]

Bonus Season Stumbles Off The Line

Cravath raised the bar for bonuses... but most of the market remains in a holding pattern.

A Verdict To Be Thankful For

What?! We can’t just gun down black men in broad daylight anymore? I thought this was America?

Murder Trial That Totally Isn’t About Race Morphs Into A Tarantino Scene

Enough about the gun. When was the deceased's last pedicure?

Morning Docket: 11.23.21

* In what appears to be a lynching case, the defense opts to close by talking about the victim's feet. Is this a lost cut from a Tarantino film or something? [CNN] * A police officer is sentenced to 4 years of effectively socially distancing in his home for raping someone. [Baltimore Sun] * Another high-profile self-defense case is worthy of your attention: Chrystul Kizer's. [NPR] * Jurors are deciding if Richard Spencer et al. are responsible for the consequences of the "Unite The Right" white supremacist rally back in 2017. Depending on how incitement works, this lawsuit may just be the first of many. [AP News] * "Fast ride; mind if I take it?" will likely be quipped by several Texas officers in times to come. [Concho Valley] * Lawyers who filed and who cried election fraud got sent a "Don't waste my time" fee to the tune of about $180k. [WaPo]

Arbery Judge Refuses To Declare Mistrial Over Presence Of Black People In Courtroom

But if we'd just stop teaching critical race theory, this problem would go away, right?

15 of The 16 Potential Jurors In The Ahmaud Arbery Trial Are White. Problem?

No way this is gonna be an issue on appeal.

Morning Docket: 11.04.21

* Jury to decide the legal significance of Ahmaud Arbery's murder pulls the "I have a black friend" rule to look a little less racist. Still racist enough for the judge to call it "intentional discrimination" though. [CNN] * Biden shows off his new judge picks. [Law360] * How many oopsies does it take for a judge to admit he broke the law? 1, 2... 138! [ABA Journal] * Say you live in a police state without saying you live in a police state — here are some nifty guidelines on if you should record the police, even if it’s legal. [FOX8] * Airbnb renters in Texas found out they were being spied on and may have signed away their right to sue. [WFLA]

Morning Docket: 10.27.21

* In addition to automatically going to heaven, Texas law makes sure dogs won't be kept on chains outside. [Houston Chronicle] * Two men who lynched a runner in Georgia are hoping a law that dates back to slavery can keep them out of prison. If you're reading this in Alabama and feel like you've inadvertently been exposed to CRT, please grow up. [Reuters] * Despite the dire warnings of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,  people are still taking the LSAT — and their scores are better on average. [Reuters] * Florida is luring dissatisfied and unvaccinated cops with a sign-on bonus. This looks like an negligent hiring suit waiting to happen. [Hernando Sun] * The Patriot Act just celebrated its 20th birthday! Will this be its last? [Just Security]

Morning Docket: 09.03.21

* Dude LARPing as a shaman during the failed insurrection pleads guilty. He might be the son of the witches they tried to burn, but he should have brushed up on his anti-containment spells. [CNN] * Ex-DA charged with obstructing justice in Ahmaud Arbery's murder. [CNBC] * Match CEO and Bumble team up to support folks swiped by SB8. [NBC News] * The House is trying to codify Roe v Wade after SCOTUS opted out of doing their job. Let's see how this goes. [PBS] * Surprising no one, Florida is already in the works styling an abortion law based on the one in Texas. [Forbes]

What Biglaw Is Saying About The Unrest Sweeping The Nation

We now have 70+ statements from Biglaw on racial injustice. Will this pressure other firms to do something? We sure hope so.

Morning Docket: 05.26.20

* A New Jersey judge has ordered a local gym to remain closed for the time being. Guess "gym, tan, laundry" is currently impossible in the Garden State. [NewJersey.com] * The FBI is reportedly evaluating whether the the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery was a hate crime. [Seattle Times] * President Trump has said that Jeff Sessions was not "mentally qualified" to be Attorney General. [Guardian] * A Texas criminal defense lawyer has been arrested for trying to hire an undercover cop to commit murder. [Daily Mail] * As many of us Empire State lawyers know from firsthand experience, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on everyone involved with the New York courts system. [Daily News] * A Vermont attorney who pointed a gun at a store clerk due to social distancing restrictions has been suspended from practice. [CBS News] * Mets pitcher Noah Syndergraard is being sued by his landlord for missing payments on his $27,000-a-month New York City duplex. Maybe Syndergraard qualifies for unemployment while the Mets aren't playing, but don't think it'll cover his rent... [Yahoo News]

The Worst Response To Our Grossly Flawed And Biased Application Of The Law Is Fatalism

The need to bring attention to the grotesque flaws within our legal systems cannot be underestimated, but the greatest danger we face is the impression that nothing can be done.

Morning Docket: 05.12.20

* A strip club owner has sued New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over closures related to COVID-19. Cuomo should pay any settlement in dollar bills. [New York Post] * The Georgia Attorney General has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the Ahmaud Arbery case. [CNN] * The Federal Circuit wouldn't give a lawyer a mulligan and affirmed a lower tribunal's ruling that the attorney did not have the right to a golf patent. [Reuters] * Almost 2,000 former employees of the Department of Justice have called on Attorney General Barr to resign. [Washington Post] * A college that is accused of being a "sham" has recieved millions of dollars of relief related to COVID-19. Sounds like a bad sequel to the movie Accepted. [NPR]