Deborah Ramirez

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.16.19

* Remember Deborah Ramirez, one of the first women to accuse Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct while he was going through his Supreme Court confirmation hearings? It turns out the FBI never really investigated her allegations because of limitations imposed by the Republican-controlled Senate. [New York Times] * President Trump, of course, has come forward to defend Kavanaugh against allegations that the justice exposed himself to unwilling women in college, proclaiming, “He is an innocent man who has been treated HORRIBLY,” and that Kavanaugh “should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue.” [NBC News] * What could happen if Donald Trump refuses to step down as president should he lose the 2020 election? National security expert Josh Geltzer says that as a nation, we should “be prepared for the worst.” [Slate] * “Desperate Housewife” Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in jail, one year of probation, 250 hours of community service, and a $30,000 fine for her role in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, while “Fuller House” star Lori Loughlin has “resolved” to stay out of the Big House. [CBS News; Page Six] * In case you missed it, Texas lawyer-politician Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) made a “death threat” via tweet against Beto O’Rourke, saying “My AR is ready for you,” after the Democratic presidential candidate promised to “take your AR-15[s]” during the latest debate, but there are likely no legal ethics repercussions coming his way. [Texas Lawyer]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.01.18

* President Trump asked the FBI to investigate the claims of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, the first two women to accuse would-be SCOTUS justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault and misconduct, leaving out Julie Swetnick's claims to the chagrin of her lawyer. [Wall Street Journal] * So, just how limited in scope will the FBI's new Kavanaugh inquiry be? Trump claims that the bureau has "free rein," but no one who has contradicted the judge's claims about his drinking and partying as a high school and college student are going to be interviewed. [New York Times] * HLS is second best at feeling shame: Following student protests against Kavanaugh teaching at Harvard Law, the elite law school's dean won't come out and say whether the accused jurist will still have a job in legal academia come 2019. [HuffPost] * ICYMI amid the Kavanaugh craziness, a judge ruled that the plaintiffs in Blumenthal v. Trump -- the 201 Democratic members of Congress -- have standing to sue the president for his alleged violations of the emoluments clause. [National Law Journal] * That was quick! In the span of just a few days, Elon Musk settled the securities fraud lawsuit filed against him by the SEC, and the deal calls for him to pay a $20 million fine and step down as Tesla's chairman for the next three years. [New York Times]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.24.18

* The Senate Judiciary Committee has reached a tentative deal with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as to when she will testify about her allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. The showdown is expected to go down on Thursday, pending any last-minute changes. [New York Times] * Judge Kavanaugh dug up calendars from the summer of 1982 to corroborate his denials of Dr. Ford's allegations. He apparently kept detailed entries as a teen, listing events like "go to [Mark] Judge's," but "drunk sexual assault fun time" is nowhere to be found. So convenient! [New York Times] * And now, a second woman has come forward to accuse Judge Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct -- this time, during his drunken college years. Meet Deborah Ramirez, who says that when they were Yale freshmen, Kavanaugh shoved his penis in her face and as she pushed him away, caused her to touch it without her consent. [New Yorker] * Professor Amy Chua claims that everything current and former Yale Law students are saying about her Kavanaugh clerkship coaching is "outrageous" and "100% false." Perhaps unsurprisingly, those Yale Law students say Chua is lying. [HuffPost] * "I am resigning from the firm, effective immediately." It may seem like former federal prosecutor Michael Bromwich quit his job as senior counsel at Robbins Russell after objections were raised by partners to his joining Dr. Ford's legal team, but they made a mutual agreement months ago about parting ways. His representation of Dr. Ford merely "accelerated" the departure. [National Law Journal] * Will President Trump fire Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein over his reported comments about wearing a wire before the midterms and Kavanaugh's prospective confirmation? Trump's GOP allies want him to wait before anything else gets muddled. [CNN]