Dianne Feinstein

Timing Is Everything

Feinstein showed that women can do anything and everything that they want to do.

Morning Docket: 05.11.23

* The new US News rankings are out for everyone to complain about and the final tally of boycotting law schools rests at 63. Congratulations... the rankings make even less sense now than before because of you! [Law.com] * On that note, the new US News rankings also devalued faculty expertise... right when institutions in GOP-led states are attacking tenure. Great job! [Chronicle of Higher Education] * First Circuit tosses Varsity Blues conviction, which is great news for admissions officers looking to earn some on the side. [Law360] * Dianne Feinstein returns to the Senate allowing the Judiciary Committee to sort of function again. And all it cost is some self-imposed elder abuse. [Bloomberg Law News] * Fani Willis drops objection to Kimberly Debrow now that the lawyer has shed a couple more clients. Honestly unsure what's worse: the prosecutor trying to get you kicked off the case or the prosecutor then deciding, "you know what... we're happy to have you represent the defendants." [NY Times] * Antitrust is broken and willing prosecutors aren't enough to fix it because corporate stooge judges make taking a case to trial poses too much risk. And Democratic nominees have been largely to blame. [American Prospect] * University of Maryland forced to end its streaming service after being reminded that it doesn't own its streaming rights. This is what happens when you try to come out of your shell. [Washington Post]

Morning Docket: 04.14.23

* Somehow the Clarence Thomas ethical morass got worse. [ProPublica] * Biglaw firms consider recapturing the magic of lockdown profits by severely curtailing travel for in-person meetings. Yeah, that's what the clients want in 2023... firms to Zoom them to save $5K. [American Lawyer] * Liberals claim calls for Dianne Feinstein to resign are "sexist." Which is exactly what the same liberals said about calls for Ruth Bader Ginsburg to resign and how did that work out for you? [Bloomberg Law News] * SCOTUS refuses to halt student debt settlement involving schools that the government characterized as functional diploma mills. Don't worry, they're still on track to strike down the student debt settlement that could help the most people. [Reuters] * Former client is "batshit crazy" says attorney. I don't know about this specific client, but there's a generalizable ring of truth to this. [Law360] * DeSantis signs 6-week abortion law which, as political mistakes go, is right up there with "pissing off Disney." [AP]

Dianne Feinstein Rides Off Into The Judicial Committee Sunset

Happy trails.

It Should Terrify You That Senators Are Dumb Enough To Think No One Would Notice Them Dumping Their Stocks

When the next elections roll around, remember the COVID Four (or maybe Three).

Morning Docket: 09.23.19

* After days of unrest following news of a whistleblower report concerning Donald Trump's alleged conversations with Ukraine's leader about investigating former VP Joe Biden, the president now acknowledges that he did discuss Biden, and that he did acccuse him of corruption, but he left out the part about where he reportedly urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to work on investigation with Rudy Giuliani... repeatedly. Lawmakers are understandably up in arms. [New York Times; Wall Street Journal] * House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says that "we may very well have crossed the Rubicon here" and that impeachment may be "the only remedy" if Trump did, in fact, pressure Ukraine to investigate a political opponent. [Slate] * Meanwhile, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has demanded that Attorney General William Barr release the Ukranian whistleblower complaint to lawmakers ASAP, as required by law. [The Hill] * Penn Law recently held a town hall meeting with students to discuss Amy Wax, and the controversial professor is pissed, claiming not only that she wasn't invited but that she had no idea about the meeting's existence in the first place. [Philly Voice] * How do you like them apples? Whitey Bulger's family plans to file a $200 million wrongful death claim against the government over his prison murder. [Boston Herald]

Non-Sequiturs: 09.23.18

* In case you missed it amidst all the craziness of last week, Monday was Constitution Day -- and as Judge Don Willett reminds us, it's up to us to keep our constitutional republic strong. [Wall Street Journal] * The Supreme Court clerk class of October Term 2008: where are they now? Derek Muller has tracked them down. [Excess of Democracy] * Senator Dianne Feinstein is under fire, and not just for her handling of the Kavanaugh nomination -- but she's still likely to emerge victorious in November, as Kashmir Hill reports. [Splinter] * The past 12 months haven't been easy for superlawyer David Boies -- but he's still very busy (and also a bit wiser), as he tells Jim Stewart. [New York Times] * It's only a matter of time before the Supreme Court has to address the rights of transgender students under Title IX, according to Justin Driver -- who's the author of a buzz-generating new book, The Schoolhouse Gate: Public Education, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for the American Mind (affiliate link). [Reason / Volokh Conspiracy] * If you're looking for advice about discipline, focus, happiness, and relationships -- and who isn't? -- here's a podcast you might want to check out. [University of Good / SoundCloud] * Law firm mergers are notoriously hit or miss -- so this new M&A intelligence tool from ALM could come in very handy. [Dewey B Strategic] * Congratulations to the six new participants in LexisNexis's third Silicon Valley Legal Tech Accelerator program! [Artificial Lawyer]

Sen. Dianne Feinstein On Why Splitting The Ninth Circuit Is A Stupid Waste Of Money

Tell 'em how you really feel, Senator.

The Death Of Evidence

The left has been proffering a series of baseless accusations against the Trump White House since day one.

Democrats Request More Time To Review Jeff Sessions’s Responses Before Rolling Over

Jeff Sessions is going to get confirmed. And Democrats are too weak to even make it difficult.

Morning Docket: 11.18.16

* Siding with prosecution and without explaining its reasoning, the Seventh Circuit has delayed the release of "Making a Murderer" subject Brendan Dassey, ordering that he remain incarcerated "pending the outcome of the appeal" in his case. Dassey's conviction was overturned in August; he was set to be released today. [Reuters] * According to some sources, we may have a full Supreme Court bench by the end of the current term, but at this point, it's really a matter of "who President Trump nominates and what kind of 'payback' the Democrats decide to exact for having lost the election and for the Senate’s having held up the Merrick Garland nomination." [Big Law Business] * For the first time, the ranking Republican and Democratic lawmakers leading the Senate Judiciary Committee will be non-lawyers. Senators Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein will not only review judicial appointments, but they'll also have Department of Justice, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security oversight. [Wall Street Journal] * Rather than issuing a grant or denial, the ABA will continue to review the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law's application for accreditation. What does this mean for the school's third-year students? The administration hopes the Texas Supreme Court will allow them to take the state bar exam in July 2017. [Dallas Business Journal] * "[University leadership] need to be ashamed of themselves. … [They showed a] total lack of consideration for the lives of the staff and faculty." People are pretty angry about the impending closure of Indiana Tech Law School, including its benefactors, and some of them want refunds. We may have more on this at a later time. [Indiana Lawyer]