Electronic Frontier Foundation

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.21.17

* Everyone in the Trump administration who is in some way related to the Russia probe has now lawyered up with outside counsel, including the attorney general. AG Jeff Sessions is being represented by Chuck Cooper, a longtime champion of conservative causes. If you recall, Cooper also prepped Sessions for his confirmation hearing. [USA Today] * Let's not go crazy: Earlier this week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and outside counsel Keker & Van Nest were denied certiorari on the Lenz v. Universal Music case -- perhaps better known as the "dancing baby" case. Thanks to the SCOTUS decision, or lack thereof, we'll not know "whether or not the DMCA includes meaningful protections for online fair uses" anytime soon. [Law.com] * Judge Gonzalo Curiel will not make a Trump University settlement objector post a $146,888 bond to pursue an appeal. Sherri Simpson, a Florida bankruptcy lawyer, paid $19,000 for Trump U. seminars and mentorship, but now she wants out so she can sue the president over the alleged fraud. [POLITICO] * Concerned Veterans for America, a political action committee that's funded by the Koch brothers, is running an ad in support of a Penn Law Professor Stephanos Bibas's nomination to the Third Circuit. "Generally a candidate would have to be pretty inflammatory or at risk to justify this kind of spending," said election law attorney Adam Bonin. [Legal Intelligencer via ABA Journal] * UNC Law's budget has officially been cut by the state Senate, but it's not as bad as the $4 million budget buster that was previously proposed. The law school will have to do without $500K in state appropriations if the legislature approves the move. Yes, that's the sound of your tuition going up. [News & Observer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Bankruptcy

Morning Docket: 09.06.13

* Thanks to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Department of Justice will be declassifying some secret opinions from the FISA Court. We wonder who’ll be hosting the giant redaction party. [Associated Press] * Morgan Lewis paid out a $1.15 million settlement over unfinished business claims to this defunct firm. Great work, Mr. Diamond, but Howrey going to get the rest to do the same? [Am Law Daily (sub. req.)] * “[Shon] Hopwood proves that my sentencing instincts suck.” Now that this former bank robber has a clerkship with the D.C. Circuit, the judge who sentenced him is having second thoughts. [The Two-Way / NPR] * Laptops are useful tools for students in law school classrooms, but they’re also great for checking Above the Law and buying shoes while professors are droning on and on. Apparently we needed a study to confirm this. [National Law Journal (sub. req.)] * George Zimmerman’s wife filed for divorce, citing “disappointment” as one of her reasons for ending the marriage. Don’t worry, Shellie, half of the nation was disappointed with the verdict too. [Washington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Crime

Non-Sequiturs: 11.08.12

* If Twitter reset your password yesterday, don’t worry. Looks like someone at the company just had an itchy trigger-slash-reply-all finger. [Consumerist] * A disbarred Dallas attorney ended up in jail for allegedly trashing his office and drawing penises all over the walls when he got evicted last month. Apparently he’s also been watching too much Workaholics recently. [Dallas News] * The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a lawsuit on behalf of registered sex offenders, hoping to block a new California law that allegedly curtails their internet rights. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. [Wired / Threat Level] * Social networks: the newest part of George Zimmerman’s defense team? [New York Times] * A useful new tool to help law firms in recruiting and placing laterals. [Attorney Search Group] * Jared Loughner, who shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords last year, was sentenced to life in prison without parole today. Here’s what Rep. Giffords and her husband had to say to him. [Althouse]

By Christopher Danzig
5th Circuit

Morning Docket: 06.22.12

* Dewey still have some folks who owe us money? Yes we do. [WSJ Law Blog] * Facebook will change its terms of service, specifically regarding the way it handles “sponsored stories” in order to settle a large lawsuit [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * A man opposing a Virginia attorney in a child custody hearing shot at the lawyer outside the courthouse. Luckily, he missed. [Gettysburg Times] *The Fifth Circuit said yes, the law firm of Smith & Fuller is on the hook for $30,000 for accidentally releasing its client’s secret information. [ABA Journal] * Recently released interviews with George Zimmerman tell his side of the death of Trayvon Martin. [New York Times] *The Electronic Frontier Foundation is stepping in represent Matthew Inman, creator of The Oatmeal and the defendant in this mess. [Electronic Frontier Foundation]

By Christopher Danzig