Berkeley Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.17.18

* Sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh were recently brought to light and while he may be spending his time "hoping and praying" before the vote, his supporters say it's highly likely he'll be confirmed anyway. [Big Law Business] * Well, except for the fact that senators are calling for the delay of Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote now that his accuser has come forward to reveal the details of the judge’s alleged attack on her when they were students in high school. [NBC News] * And was Judge Kavanaugh a member of Judge Alex Kozinski's sexually explicit "Easy Rider Gag List"? Kavanaugh says he doesn't remember receiving any of those emails, but Heidi Bond, one of Kozinski's former law clerks, thinks that there could be a very easy way to find out if the would-be SCOTUS justice is lying. [Slate] * The most controversial Biglaw firm? Federal prosecutors are considering bringing charges against former Skadden partner Greg Craig and taking action against the firm itself in a probe related to Paul Manafort. Will the prestigious Biglaw firm wind up with a civil settlement or a deferred prosecution agreement? [CNN] * Shearman & Sterling has announced that the firm will soon bring Sandra Bang, its first-ever chief diversity and talent strategy officer, into its C-suite. She'll be leading a new global task force aimed at increasing diversity at the Wall Street firm. Congratulations! Perhaps additional firms will follow their lead. [American Lawyer] * The body of Brian Lewinstein, the rising second-year student at Berkeley Law who crossed a safety line and fell while trying to get a picture of Toketee Falls from above, has been found. More than a month had passed since the accident occurred. Our sincere condolences go out to all of his family and friends. [SFGate]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.12.18

* Law schools in North and South Carolina have canceled classes for the foreseeable future so that students, faculty, and staff can evacuate the area and hunker down before Hurricane Florence arrives. Please be careful and stay safe, everyone. [Law.com] * President Trump is eager to choose Emmet Flood to succeed Don McGahn as the next White House counsel. Ty Cobb, one of Trump's former lawyers, is in Flood's camp because he's "battled investigations from the White House before—[and] that’s what will be coming." [Wall Street Journal] * Earlier this week, Bob Woodward said that former Trump attorney John Dowd told the president he couldn't testify in the Russia investigation because he's "disabled" and "can't tell the truth." That sounds just about right. [People] * The University of California Berkeley School of Law may soon be doing away with almost all references to John Henry Boalt thanks to his racist views. Public comment on the issue will close on Halloween, and then Dean Erwin Chemerinsky may formally apply to dename Boalt Hall. Let's see what happens with this one. [ABA Journal] * "This is clear interference with an ongoing criminal investigation." Representatives from the New York state tax department reportedly met with Michael Cohen's attorney yesterday over the objections of Southern District of New York. [CNN] * A family of conspiracy theorists: Donald Trump Jr. says he's not worried about going to jail as a result of Robert Mueller's Russia probe, but "[t]hat doesn't mean they won't try to create something" that could put him in jail. [USA Today]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.20.17

* Harvard Law School is conducting a mental health survey. But will the respondents answer with candor? [Law and More] * Transitions are hard, if not almost impossible to pull off. David Boies is eager to help his firm outlive him. [Big Law Business] * Friday Fun Fact: Donald Trump's campaign is spending $1 of every $10 donated on legal fees. [CNN] * Highlights on a legal ethics course taught through collaborative learning. [Just Resolutions] * That time Cy Vance took a donation right before a letting someone slide without charges. No, not that time. Or that time. This is a new time. [CBS News] * Boalt law student defends the clone troopers for executing all the Jedi. Still no one able to defend George Lucas for making the prequels. [Legal Geeks] * Congrats to Fix the Court for getting some transparency by securing an audio stream of this morning's D.C. Circuit argument. [Fix the Court]

By Above the Law