Brian Tamanaha

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.04.16

* Can a president self-pardon? With the investigation of her emails by the FBI and talk of impeachment, this may be a question that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton may be asking herself should she win the election. While the Constitution probably permits self-pardons, some legal scholars doubt anyone could do so without violating the rule of law. [WSJ Law Blog] * Sorry, New Yorkers, but you still can't take ballot selfies on Tuesday. Judge Kevin Castel refused to issue an injunction blocking enforcement of the law since doing so would "wreak havoc on election-day logistics." After all, "the public's interest in orderly elections outweighs the plaintiffs' interest in taking and posting ballot selfies." [Reuters] * "If women don’t start suing, and they simply wait to gradually change those numbers, then you and I are going to be having the same conversation ten years from now and twenty years from now." More women have been suing their firms, but others are afraid to come forward because they don't want to be blackballed by peers. [Big Law Business] * "The only thing they could have done to mitigate this was not to open." Professors from Indiana Tech Law School may have plans to file suit against the school in the future, but according to Professor Brian Tamanaha, they may be facing an uphill battle because they'll have to prove that the university misrepresented its intentions. [Indiana Lawyer] * If you want to be a judge, it may be possible to prepare for your future by focusing on your writing, choosing a law school with great clerkship placements, and researching your law school's employment statistics to make sure you'll be able to find a job that's prestigious enough add credibility to your résumé. [U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Department of Justice

Morning Docket: 05.02.13

* New York lawyers now must disclose how many hours they work pro bono. How about we get a form that lets lawyers disclose how much they sleep? [New York Law Journal] * Everything is coming up Penn! They finished fifth in our law school rankings. They won an award for their website. Even their satellite campus in Dickinson is doing well. [National Law Journal] * Look at me, I’m Sandy Day, bloomin’ with equivocality. Don’t like the right, but didn’t stay to fight, I can’t, I’m Sandy Day. [Slate] * Speaking of Sandy, co-ops aren’t eligible for disaster relief. [New York Times] * The Justice Department is coming after Plan B. Sometimes, I wish we had two parties and one of them was progressive. [Washington Post] * Brian Tamanaha comin’ yo’. Shots fired. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]

By Elie Mystal
Celebrities

Non-Sequiturs: 03.22.13

* So, after being shut down for more than two years, Caitlin Halligan asked President Obama to withdraw her nomination to the D.C. Circuit. This is how democracy works in our country, folks, and it’s pretty sad. [People For the American Way; Post Politics / Washington Post] * In America, we’re trying to get official recognition for gay marriage. In Scotland, they’re trying to get official recognition for weddings performed by Jedi Knights. Please, by all means, proceed to stroke each other’s lightsabers over this exciting nerd news. [Volokh Conspiracy] * Oh my god, this is something I’m definitely going to have to sit down and read, it looks so salacious and — oh. *eyeroll* This just in from the subtitle letdown department…. [Overlawyered] * A political consultant in Nebraska apparently got himself fired because he called Sen. Danielle Conrad a C-U-Next-Tuesday on his Facebook page. That was way harsh, Tai. [Jezebel] * Click here to listen to Professor Brian Tamanaha and Dean Lawrence Mitchell talk about rethinking the future of legal education. Tamanaha thinks the tuition is too damn high, whereas Dean Mitchell simply thinks that “life is expensive.” Not even kidding, he really said that. [Associate's Mind] * At Target, you can definitely expect more and pay less, but that’s probably because your money’s allegedly being stolen out of the cash register. [Legal Juice] * And just because I love just about everything that Lindsay Lohan does because she’s the hottest of all messes, here’s a timeline of her mug shots ranked in order of her sex appeal. I love that we live in a world where such a thing actually exists! [Gawker]

By Staci Zaretsky
Guns / Firearms

Non-Sequiturs: 12.20.12

* I’m happy to have spent this last day on Earth with you. And with professors Paul Campos and Brian Tamanaha telling you how law school is a raw deal. [HuffPost Live] * Meanwhile, Seton Hall will be offering a tuition “discount” to students based on merit. Which is really just what a lot of law schools have been doing to try to fill seats as people become more aware of the problems with legal education. [National Law Journal] * One reason my job is better than yours: I get emails with the subject lines like “CockSucker Decision Analysis” all the time. [The Legal Satyricon] * I didn’t know there were freaking idiots out there who thought that Israel had more lax gun laws than we do. But they don’t. Because Israelis like being safe. [Huffington Post] * And if you think more lax gun laws in Russia would make the murder rate there go down, you are probably the kind of dumbass who thinks you can look into Putin’s eyes and see his soul. [Atlantic] * So when former U.S. Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton admits to it, it’s called “prostitution,” but when we’re doing essentially the same story about Ryan Lochte in 10 years, we’re going to call it “sex addiction” or something. [Chicago Tribune]

By Elie Mystal