Cannibal Cop

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.24.14

* Want to see a group of assistant district attorneys from the Bronx throwing up gang signs in their holiday photo? Of course you do! How seriously is the Bronx DA's office taking the picture even though local defense attorneys are pissed? Not very! [New York Daily News] * "What he did was out of line, inappropriate, unnecessary, and hurtful." There's a scandal brewing over at Mercer Law, where a professor apparently thought it would be prudent to use the "N-word" during his constitutional law class. [Macon Telegraph] * Gilberto "Cannibal Cop" Valle wants his conviction for illegally accessing NYPD databases to be overturned to improve his chances of getting into law school. He shouldn't be worried -- some schools accept convicted murderers. [New York Post] * Thelen LLP's bankruptcy case, first filed way back in 2009, is finally moving towards its conclusion. The last holdout partners who refused to settle must now pay back their monthly draws from the firm's final year. Too bad, so sad. [National Law Journal] * Ladies, have a pudding pop: Martin D. Singer of Lavely & Singer, better known these days as Bill Cosby's lawyer, wants the media to stop publishing "unsubstantiated, fantastical stories" about the comedian's alleged rape victims. [Chicago Tribune] * The grand jury in the Michael Brown shooting is still undecided on the case. Perhaps they'll have a decision before Thanksgiving so everyone in Ferguson can enjoy their turkey in peace (or in protest, depending on how it comes out). [CNN]

By Staci Zaretsky
Bankruptcy

Morning Docket: 10.23.14

* Everyone knows Bingham McCutchen is considering a merger with Morgan Lewis, but not many know bankruptcy may be an option. It’s a remote option, but still an option. [Boston Globe] * When Kaye Scholer moved offices, it left behind most of its library. "It tells you everything you need to know about law firm libraries": they're not necessary. [New York Times] * Everyone loves the Sixth Amendment: Thanks to money from Koch Industries, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers will offer better indigent defense training. [WSJ Law Blog] * The judge in Adrian Peterson’s case won’t be replaced, despite the fact that he called the lawyers involved in the case “media whores.” Meh, Peterson’s attorney says he’s been called worse. [Bloomberg] * Gilberto Valle, better known as the “Cannibal Cop,” really wants to go to law school. He’s apparently scored quite well on LSAT practice tests. Do law school ladies look delicious or what? [New York Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
5th Circuit

Non-Sequiturs: 10.25.12

* The Fifth Circuit upheld a federal law banning gun sales to people under 21 years old. Oh! The humanity! What will the nation’s teenagers do without booze or their own guns? [WSJ Law Blog] * A New York cop is charged with planning to kidnap, cook, and eat 100 women. Gross. I wonder if this will tarnish the NYPD’s sterling reputation. [Daily Intel / New York Magazine] * Scratching your nuts in public is gross, but it’s not the same as, uh, some other grosser, more illegal activities. It would behoove this woman to learn to recognize the difference. [Legal Juice] * Should wearing “personality” glasses count against a criminal defendant? I dunno, but as a guy who has to wear glasses I find it bizarre that people choose to wear them as fashion accessories. Might as well wear a useless prosthetic arm too; I hear they’re the next hip trend. [Legal Blog Watch] * Another intra-family lawsuit: Geoffrey Richards, who teaches at Northwestern Law School, has been sued by his 95-year-old grandfather over a family financial dispute. The grandfather is also calling Richards a “scoundrel” and the “greatest disappointment” in his life. Ouch. [DealBreaker] * President Obama has endorsed several same-sex marriage ballot proposals. Nice work, Barry. [BuzzFeed] * Insights and advice for people interested in fashion law (from Ron Coleman and others). [Likelihood of Confusion]

By Christopher Danzig