Baltimore

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.19.20

* Three Utah County prosecutors have resigned after a defense attorney paid for their tickets to see the Utah Jazz. If you're going to forfeit your job over some graft, it should be way more valuable than some measly basketball tickets... [Salt Lake Tribune] * The attorney at the heart of the New Rochelle COVID-19 cluster is awake and recovering well. [New York Post] * Netflix is facing a lawsuit filed by the prosecutor involved in the infamous Central Park jogger case because the Netflix series dramatizing the matter allegedly depicted the prosecutor in a bad light. [Guardian] * Katy Perry has defeated a lawsuit alleging that she plagiarized one of her songs from a Christian artist. There's a South Park reference in here somewhere... [Christian Post] * A company that bought Theranos patents is using them to sue a company that is working on COVID-19 tests. Seems like a worthy legacy for Theranos. [Business Insider] * The Baltimore State's Attorney will stop prosecuting drug possession, prostitution, and other crimes because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This would have made a great plot line in The Wire. [Baltimore Sun]

By Jordan Rothman
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.05.20

* A Baltimore man is claiming a constitutional right to sell pizza out of his food truck. Didn’t Patrick Henry say “give me pizza, or give me death”?… [Baltimore Sun] * A New York lawyer has been suspended from practice for assaulting a woman he met through an online dating service. [Bloomberg Law]

By Jordan Rothman
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.08.16

* NYU Law's Ricky Revesz writes about the tragic flaw in the Clean Air Act and its deadly consequences. [Not Your Grandfather's Coal Plant] * Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley said some incredibly offensive sh*t in college that she now says she's grown out of. [Gawker] * Way harsh: Florida paper refuses to endorse any Republican for president saying, "[T]he kind of person who should be running is not in the race." [Sun-Sentinel] * Some concrete suggestions to improve the transparency of courts. The article is geared towards Maryland's court system, but is a useful read for anyone who cares about justice. [Baltimore Sun] * Justice Scalia's death is the end of the conservative era of the Supreme Court. [Slate] * A putative class action has been filed over the water crisis in Flint. You can't say that was unexpected. [The Hill]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.11.15

* "[W]e refuse to be distracted by disgruntled employees or frivolous lawsuits." Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is being accused of firing a handful of prosecutors due to their political associations in a newly filed lawsuit. [Baltimore Sun] * Texas Wesleyan wants to dismiss a suit filed by its "disavowed" law school grads because it says its obligation "ended with their graduation," so it doesn't need to grant them alumni status with Texas A&M Law. Harsh. [Courthouse News Service] * Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy will soon sign an executive order banning those on the federal no-fly list from purchasing guns in the state. Professor Eugene Volokh thinks that this policy is constitutionally controversial. Do you agree? [WSJ Law Blog] * Vinson & Elkins is moving its Dallas headquarters to a fancy $200 million building, where it'll fill up 80,000 sq ft of office space in 2018. How nice for you! Now be nice to your associates and announce your Cravath bonus matches. [Dallas Morning News] * What's the best way to get out of paying millions of dollars to lawyers who you hired to perform complex legal work? If you're hurting for cash, then take a cue from this New Jersey firm and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to ditch your drama. [Bergen Record]

By Staci Zaretsky
Uncategorized

Morning Docket: 08.12.15

* Michael Jordan was present during jury selection for his case against defunct supermarket Dominick's, but potential jurors didn't seem the least bit fazed. In fact, just a single one of them considered the basketball star their "personal hero or idol." Ouch. [Chicago Tribune] * Maryland Law will be offering a very topical "Law and ______" class this semester, entitled "Freddie Gray’s Baltimore: Past, Present and Moving Forward.” Students enrolled in the course will be asked to create fixes for social problems. This'll be interesting. [WSJ Law Blog] * According to the GC of Fannie Mae, Biglaw's profit structure is broken, but the solution he proposes to the problem may not sit well with associates who are slaves to the billable hour -- but only if they care about their hourly rates. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Unlike most of his colleagues, Larry Sonsini of Wilson Sonsini didn't immediately join a brand name Biglaw firm after he graduated from law school. Instead, he created his own brand name Biglaw firm, so that worked out well. Your own mileage may vary. [Forbes] * It seems that New York City's Responsible Banking Act is unconstitutional because it conflicts with existing state and federal banking laws. To be fair, between dueling mayoral policies, this law was completely FUBARed from the get go. [DealBook / New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.22.15

* Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich isn't the only politician who will be joining Dentons. After Dentons completes a merger with McKenna Long & Aldridge, former DNC Chair Howard Dean will also be working for the largest law firm in the world. YEEEAAAH! [The Intercept] * Now that New York has adopted the Uniform Bar Exam, other states are considering it. Hurry up, because the UBE will "break down the long persistent barriers that keep lawyers from moving" -- which isn't a bad thing. [National Law Journal] * In half a century of reproductive and gay rights cases, it's worth noting that "arguments based on a right to privacy have tended to weaken and crack; arguments based on equality have grown only stronger." Let's see what SCOTUS does in June. [The New Yorker] * All six of the Baltimore police officers who were arrested following the death of Freddie Gray have been indicted on homicide and assault charges. Despite the fact there's now an indictment, the officers' lawyers are calling the prosecution's case weak. [New York Times] * "Can you #trademark a #hashtag?" It's somewhat of a tricky issue for people who are trying to register their marks at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but these attorneys from IP powerhouse Morrison & Foerster have a pretty good explanation. [Law.com]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.11.15

* UMass School of Law has a burgeoning deficit of $3.8 million, so instead of attempting to increase enrollment, the school has decided to cut its class size to 72 students. Hmm, we have a feeling those "cuts" aren't intentional. [Boston Globe] * Reddit's Ellen Pao may have lost her gender discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins, but she sure as hell doesn't want to pay the nearly $1 million in “grossly excessive and unreasonable" court costs that the venture-capital firm has requested. [WSJ Law Blog] * It's no shocker that members of the T14 have the most competitive LSAT scores in the country, but you may be surprised by which two schools had the absolute lowest median LSAT scores. Hint: Cooley isn't one of them. [Short List / U.S. News & World Report] * Baltimoreans will surely be pleased by this news: Officers in the Freddie Gray case filed a motion to get their charges dismissed, and have asked that State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby recuse herself for her "overzealous prosecution" and conflicts of interest. [Baltimore Sun] * Jury selection is complete for the criminal trial of failed firm Dewey & LeBoeuf's former top brass. “It’s a very diverse jury,” with jurors ranging from members of the unemployed to day traders. Best of luck to Joel and the Steves -- they may need it. [Am Law Daily] * MVP? No, MVD! A UNH Law prof will teach a college course called "Deflategate: The Intersection of Sports, Law and Journalism" because a dean thought it would be a great way to use pop culture to hook undergrads on the law. [Chronicle of Higher Education]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket 05.06.15

This profile makes the case for Elena Kagan to be your new favorite Justice. (Don't worry RBG, you'll always be first in Staci's heart.) [American Prospect] * The lateral partner wheel of fortune has taken another spin; Cozen O'Conner has added 8 lawyers from Dickstein Shapiro's state Attorneys General practice group, that's almost the entirety of the group. [National Law Journal] * Speaking of lateral partner moves, are they worth it when clients get fed up with the disruption and potential conflicts that these moves cause? [Law360] * After the scathing DOJ report detailing injustice, the City of Ferguson needs some quality lawyering. They got it in Winston & Strawn chairperson, Dan Webb, but it won't come cheap. [American Lawyer] * After egregious discovery delays caused a district judge to enter a default judgment as to liability against the defendant, a French drone maker, a jury awarded $7.8 million in damages in a patent infringement case. [Legal Intelligencer] * Loretta Lynch makes her first official trip as Attorney General, to Baltimore to meet with community leaders, police, and the family of Freddie Gray. [NPR]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.04.15

* This past Friday, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby dropped the gavel on the police officers who were allegedly involved in the death of Freddie Gray. Here are seven interesting facts you need to know about this "certified badass." [New York Magazine] * Which law school placed the most graduates from the class of 2014 into full-time, long-term jobs where bar passage was required that weren't school-funded? Stop. Before you say Columbia Law, you're wrong for the first time in years. [National Law Journal] * Indiana Tech, the little law school that couldn't, received a recommendation against accreditation from the ABA on its first try. Not to worry, because law school officials say this is just a "minor setback" for all 59 of its students. ::sad trombone:: [News-Sentinel] * “You are not doing that here.” Tough titty: Kelly Noe, one of the Ohio women challenging the same-sex marriage ban in her state before the Supreme Court, was yelled at by a security guard for breastfeeding her baby outside the high court. [Cincinnati Enquirer] * If you're hoping to register a "smutty" or "immoral" trademark, then you may be able to get what you want if this Federal Circuit opinion comes down your way. We'll soon see if a ban on these offensive trademarks violates the First Amendment. [Corporate Counsel]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 04.30.15

* David Simon, the creator of The Wire, weighs in on Baltimore. He points blame at a police force rooted in "a culture that taught them not the hard job of policing, but simply how to roam the city, jack everyone up, and call for the wagon." F**k. [Talking Points Memo] * In Colorado, marriage is defined as one man and... well, that's all you need actually. [Business Insider Law & Order] * No sooner did I tweet Chief Justice Roberts for his cynical inconsistencies than Brianne Gorod offers a more charitable theory about the jurist. [New Republic] * Hull takes a stab at explaining his problem with the parlance of email. [What About Clients?] * A fly on the wall at the post-Obergefell chambers conference. [Law Prof Blawg] * Professor Hasen examines Williams-Yulee. [Election Law Blog] * Another reality TV legal run-in: the restaurant from "Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s" settles a discrimination suit over an employee claiming she was fired for refusing to join a prayer session. I think the important question here is: there's really a show called "Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s"? [Missouri Lawyers Weekly] * Did you follow that child custody hearing over letting an 11-year-old attend a P!nk (is this how we write that now?) concert? Because it was crazypants. [Bronzino Law] * Could the Uber class action suit spell relief for contract attorneys? [Law and More] * Ballard Spahr’s Chair Mark Stewart talks about the competition between law firms and the distribution of... oh, face it, you just want to hear him talk about hiring Rogers Stevens of Blind Melon as an associate. [Bloomberg BNA / Big Law Business] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzXBlzvxuMs

By Joe Patrice