Ave Maria School of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.13.15

* Zimbabwe officials won't charge Dr. Walter Palmer in the slaying of Cecil the lion since he had proper paperwork, but he likely won't be allowed to hunt if he ever returns. This will not stand. It's now time for the American vigilante animal-lover justice team to assemble. [Reuters] * Per the results of two new surveys, Biglaw firms can stop worrying about their work drying up thanks to in-house law departments keeping matters in-house. Outside spending on legal counsel is flat as opposed to in the negative, and that's apparently something to celebrate. [WSJ Law Blog] * This school puts the "duh" in Flori-duh: As we mentioned previously, Ave Maria School of Law was the caboose on the trainwreck that was the July 2015 administration of the Florida bar exam, and now people can't stop staring at the wreckage. [Naples Daily News] * The Cannabis Law and Policy Project, a new group at the University of Washington School of Law, will spend the next year researching existing and emerging markets for marijuana. We can't wait for them to puff, puff, pass on their knowledge. [UW Today] * If you're planning to take the LSAT with testing accommodations, there are a few things that you need to know. Find out what types of accommodations are available, and be sure to file your -- OMG, SQUIRREL! [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.29.15

* In case you haven't read the transcripts from yesterday's same-sex marriage arguments at the Supreme Court and you still want to have some talking points at the water cooler at the office, here are six of the more "provocative" questions that the justices asked. [WSJ Law Blog] * HBO is filming a TV movie called "Confirmation" about Justice Clarence Thomas's 1991 nomination hearings. Kerry Washington will play Anita Hill and Wendell Pierce will play our silent justice. No one puts a pube on Olivia Pope's Coke can and gets away with it! [Hollywood Reporter] * If you're not interested in the CliffsNotes version of the same-sex marriage arguments at SCOTUS, you should know the justices were split along their usual ideological lines, and Justice Kennedy seemed even more wishy-washy than normal. [New York Times] * You're my boy, Blue! Brooklyn Law School will honor 100-year-old Professor Joseph Crea this summer. He's been teaching at the school for more than five decades, and looks like a well-preserved academic artifact. Congratulations! [Brooklyn Daily Eagle] * Still high off its top passage rate for the February 2015 Florida bar exam and thanks to an anonymous $1 million gift, Ave Maria Law announced that it will be purchasing its campus... and launching a totally unrelated $3.2 million capital campaign. [News-Press] * If you're looking to take a year off before law school, then perhaps you ought to consider becoming a paralegal, a research analyst, or an investment banker. At least one of those jobs will make you reconsider your future. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Celebrities

Morning Docket: 10.29.14

* “I thought it was hilarious. And I imagine my colleagues who have seen it would share that view.” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has seen John Oliver’s talking Supreme Court dogs, and she totally LOLed about it. [WSJ Law Blog] * Hey guys, guess who’s excited about a yet-to-occur increase in law school applications? If you guessed law school admissions officers, then you’d be right. Come on, what else are they going to do now, cry? [National Law Journal] * We suppose some congratulations are in order for Ave Maria Law, because now the school doesn’t have to provide insurance coverage for its employees’ contraceptives. Yay, thanks Hobby Lobby! [LifeNews] * Manuel Noriega’s “Call of Duty” lawsuit was dismissed earlier this week, and Rudy Giuliani is just glad that “a notorious criminal didn’t win.” Let’s get real here: the dictator’s rep was already damaged. [CNN] * “Can we talk?” Melissa Rivers called a plaintiffs firm to ask the question made famous by her late mother, Joan Rivers. Her malpractice and wrongful death suit will be coming soon. [Page Six / New York Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
1st Circuit

Morning Docket: 09.25.14

* Per the First Circuit, plaintiffs who successfully challenge the Defense of Marriage Act in court aren’t entitled to attorneys’ fees. The Department of Justice had no comment. [National Law Journal] * Florida Coastal Law finished second-to-last in bar passage for the July 2014 exam, with 58% of grads passing. It was one of Florida Coastal’s worst performances to date. [Florida Times-Union] * ASU Law got a $10M donation, its largest ever. “The remarkable thing about it is we didn’t ask him for it,” says the dean, which is a slightly better response than Drexel’s dean had. [The Republic] * Much to his defense team’s chagrin, accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial will remain in Boston. The media spectacle is set to begin in January 2015. [New York Times] * Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino of Jersey Shore fame was indicted on tax fraud charges to the tune of $8.9M. He pleaded not guilty yesterday afternoon. There aren’t tanning beds in jail. :( [Asbury Park Press]

By Staci Zaretsky