Allison Jones Rushing

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.06.19

* Happy birthday, Your Honor! More than a thousand of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's fans signed up to plank on the steps of the Supreme Court for her 86th birthday on March 15. Do you love the RBG enough to plank for justice? [Washingtonian] * Allison Jones Rushing, a Williams & Connolly litigation partner, was confirmed to the Fourth Circuit in a vote of 53-43. Rushing is now one of the youngest federal appeals judges to be appointed by President Trump. [National Law Journal] * According to a new poll, more voters believe convicted felon and disbarred lawyer Michael Cohen than President Trump, and want Congress to "do more" to investigate Cohen's "claims about President Trump's unethical and illegal behavior." [CNBC] * According to the American Bar Association, there's not much that can be done for students at Western State University College of Law. This is not welcome news for people who have yet to receive their loan disbursements. [InsideHigherEd] * Remember Raj Rajaratnam, the former Galleon Group head who was convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy way back in 2011? Thanks to the Second Circuit, he still has to pay a $93 million civil fine for insider trading. [Big Law Business] * In case you missed it, Kanye West has filed suit against EMI because he's contractually barred from retiring, and his attorneys from Quinn Emanuel say the contract "violated California public policy." [THR, Esq. / Hollywood Reporter]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.16.18

* After delaying the decision, Judge Tim Kelly will be releasing his ruling in CNN's First Amendment case at 10 a.m. Is it lawful to revoke a reporter's press pass after an argument with the president? We'll soon find out. [USA Today] * "[W]e’re not going to leave any judges behind over these next two months." According to Senator Tom Cotton, the Senate is apparently planning to work through Christmas and New Year's Eve to confirm all of President Trump's judicial nominees in an effort to head off any obstruction by the Democrats. [Washington Times] * "I’m not trying to be rude. I can see your résumé. You’re a rock star." Despite her strong résumé, Allison Jones Rushing, the 36-year-old Fourth Circuit nominee, was repeatedly questioned by the Judiciary Committee about her "life experience" -- or lack thereof, since she graduated from law school 11 years ago. [National Law Journal] * What is David Boies planning for his next act? Is retirement on the table? He and the other name partners at Boies Schiller Flexner have apparently "been planning succession for 15 years." He said if he retired today, "the firm would be in good shape," but he thinks he "still [has] some things to contribute." [New York Law Journal] * Stormy Daniels says that while the "serious and obviously very troubling" domestic violence allegations against her lawyer Michael Avenatti are "only allegations" and that she'll "reserve judgement" [sic] until the investigation ends, she'll be "seeking new representation" if it turns out that the allegations are true. [New York Magazine]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.21.18

* Orin Kerr offers his thoughts on the Allison Jones Rushing controversy (aka how young is too young to be a federal judge). [Reason / Volokh Conspiracy] * If President Trump and Senate Republicans are packing the courts with conservatives, then it's time for Democrats to pack back, according to Michael Klarman. [Take Care] * Howard Wasserman offers some insights into the recent dismissal of Stormy Daniels's defamation lawsuit against Trump. [PrawfsBlawg] * And while we're on the subject of media law, Gerard Magliocca has an interesting observation about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the right of publicity. [Concurring Opinions] * Speaking of RBG, Jonathan Adler argues that she could learn a thing or two from her newest colleague, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, when it comes to hiring law clerks. [Bench Memos / National Review] * Joel Cohen raises an intriguing question about prosecutors: to what degree are they required to fight their own biases? [New York Law Journal]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.17.18

* President Donald Trump claims that Michael Cohen lied under oath when he testified that Trump told him to violate campaign finance laws and that the allegations are "totally false." Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, has some words Trump ought to be concerned about: "audio and tape." [USA Today] * "I can fire him whenever I want to fire him, but I haven’t said that I was going to." In other Trump-related news, the president has confirmed that Pat Cipollone will serve as his next White House counsel, and also confirmed that he's still really pissed off at AG Jeff Sessions about the Mueller probe. [Associated Press] * In the wake of Justice Brett Kavanaugh's highly political confirmation hearing where he brought up Clinton conspiracies during his testimony, Chief Justice John Roberts really wants the American public to know that the judiciary "requires independence from the political branches." Really. He pinky promises. [CNN] * If you're interested in learning what junior partners are making at Williams and Connolly, look no further than Fourth Circuit nominee Allison Jones Rushing's financial disclosure form. The 2007 Duke Law graduate pulled in more than $650K during her first year as a partner at the firm. [National Law Journal] * This ex-Foley & Lardner partner "should have known better" than to backdate documents, paste his clients' signatures onto them, and mislead the IRS during an audit, so he's been suspended from practicing law for two years. [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky