Alcoholism

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.26.17

* "[W]e will see what happens, time will tell, time will tell." President Trump has reiterated how "very disappointed" he is that Attorney General Jeff Sessions decided to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, but hasn't publicly stated in so many words that he wants to fire the AG. For what it's worth, it didn't take very long for time to tell what happened with James Comey, Marc Kasowitz, and Sean Spicer. [CNN] * Which in-house officials make the most money? Big Law Business took a look at the summary compensation tables from the 500 largest U.S. companies ranked by revenue to figure out the answer. Take a look at the list of the 30 highest earners, gasp at their eye-popping compensation, and then wonder why you haven't decided to move in-house yet. [Big Law Business] * A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit struck down Washington, D.C., regulations which required that residents prove they had a "good reason to fear injury" in order to obtain a concealed-carry permit for firearms, ruling that the carrying of firearms was a "core" Second Amendment right. The District may seek an en banc review of the decision. [BuzzFeed] * "There is not a law firm function that happens without alcohol" Do law firms enable alcoholism? In a word, yes -- and the fact that we still have to ask ourselves this when one-third of attorneys have admitted that they drink too much and even more have admitted that they have a serious drinking problem is simply appalling. [Am Law Daily] * The bar exam is now well underway, and those whose fates are now in the hands of the bar examiners have taken to Twitter to unleash their anxieties via humorous tweets. Here are 10 of the best bar exam-related tweets from before the test began. The tweets from Day 1 are a little more... aggressive. [Law.com]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.12.17

* The allegations about Marc Kasowitz's drinking problem might be salacious, but the issue of alcohol abuse by lawyers is serious. [Law.com] * Fun for legal nerds everywhere: Chief Judge Diane Wood benchslaps parties for shoddy jurisdictional statements! [On the Case / Alison Frankel via How Appealing] * And more fodder for #appellatetwitter types: Adam Feldman ranks the most-cited justices of the last Supreme Court Term. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Chris Geidner wonders whether another shoe will drop concerning the emails of Donald Trump Jr. [BuzzFeed] * The trial judge in this defamation case ought to read this analysis by Professor Eugene Volokh -- or at least watch The Big Lebwoski ("For your information, the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint."). [Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * Professor Paul Horwitz comes to the defense of the latest controversial comments by the artist formerly known as Judge Richard Posner. [PrawfsBlawg]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.14.17

* Grammy-winning musician John Legend will be joining the advisory board of the University of Pennsylvania Law School's Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice. Not to worry, because the Center's director says the decision to add the singer to the board was actually "a substantive thing," not "just a celebrity thing." [Law.com] * In response to its abysmal performance on Florida's February 2017 administration of the bar exam (only 25 percent of those who took the exam passed), Florida Coastal School of Law will not only be changing its curriculum and teaching methods, but it'll also be raising its admissions standards... starting this fall. What in the world took so long? [Jackson Daily Record] * According to court records, Judge Patricia Minaldi of the Western District of Louisiana was ordered by the chief judge of the Fifth Circuit to undergo at least 90 days of substance abuse treatment because her alcoholism was so severe that one of her judicial colleagues believed she could no longer take care of herself. [Associated Press] * Canada is taking steps to legalize recreational marijuana across the country. If this new legislation passes, possession of small amounts of pot will be legal throughout the Great White North as of July 18, 2018. This could understandably create some confusion at the border, so we may need to build another wall. Notify the president ASAP. [USA Today] * Kevin Jones, head of the China labor and employment practice at Faegre Baker Daniels, always wanted to run a marathon and always wanted to visit North Korea, so he decided to kill two birds with one stone by running the Pyongyang Marathon. He finished the 26-mile race in 4 hours and 21 minutes. Congratulations! [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky