Barnes & Thornberg

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.18.16

* Later today, the Supreme Court will hear its "last great case of the Obama era" when arguments are presented in U.S. v. Texas, the biggest immigration case to come before the high court in a century. Given the current makeup of the Court, this case may be resolved with a 4-4 split, which would mean the president's deportation-relief plan will be blocked in Texas. [Los Angeles Times] * HBO's "Confirmation," a film about the Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas Supreme Court hearings, was an excellent presentation of the media mob that ravenously feasted upon a law professor's sexual harassment allegations against America's most silent justice. The fact that our country is in the middle of yet another highly politicized battle over a SCOTUS confirmation only made this more enjoyable to watch. [New York Times] * Did Barnes & Thornberg help Avid Life Media defraud Ashley Madison subscribers? This is what plaintiffs allege in a consolidated lawsuit that's been filed against the extramarital affairs website, and they're seeking access to attorney-client privileged emails between the firm and the company to prove their case. [Big Law Business] * A new partnership between Fresno City College, Fresno State, and San Joaquin College of Law will allow students to purchase a "one-way ticket to law school." That ticket won't be worth much after graduation, though, because San Joaquin Law's most recent bar passage rate for first-time takers was a shockingly low 29 percent. [Visalia Times-Delta] * Thanks to the popularity of hip-hopera Hamilton, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has scrapped plans to replace Alexander Hamilton's face on the $10 bill with a woman's. Instead, it will be Andrew Jackson whose face is replaced with a woman's on the $20. Not to worry, Jackson fans -- the new bill won't be issued until around 2030. [CNN] * Bill Cosby's wife is scheduled to be deposed for the second time in a defamation suit filed by women who claim her husband called them liars after they came forward with sexual assault allegations against him. This time around, lawyers for the plaintiffs will be limited in that they'll be prohibited from asking her "improper questions." [ABC News]

By Staci Zaretsky