Fix the Court

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.02.18

* Justice Brett Kavanaugh isn't the only one who's relying upon calendars as a defense to sexual misconduct allegations. President Donald Trump says he'll turn over portions of his calendars and journal entries to combat allegations that he forcibly kissed Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant. [USA Today] * Do you support term limits or a mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court justices? If yes, then a majority of Americans agree with you. Fix the Court polled 1,000 people, and 78 percent of them said they'd like to restrict the length of service for SCOTUS justices. [The Hill] * Per a new survey conducted by Diversity Lab and ChIPs called the Inclusion Blueprint, the Biglaw firms with the best policies to build gender equity are Brooks Kushman and Sheppard Mullin. We may have more on this later. [Big Law Business] * Shocking absolutely no one, now that Cooley Law is magically in "compliance" with the American Bar Association's accreditation standards, the school has dropped its lawsuit against the ABA. This is terribly convenient, isn't it? [ABA Journal] * Ieshia Champs, the 33-year-old single mother of five children whose inspirational graduation photos went viral this past spring, recently found out that she passed the Texas bar exam. Congratulations! All of your hard work paid off! [Fox 10 KSAZ]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.07.17

* Livestream: State of Washington v. Trump. [U.S. Courts for the Ninth Circuit] * What does the decision to broadcast this case mean for court transparency? [Fix the Court] * Here's what lawyers really say to each other. [Guile is Good] * A critique of the IRS's decision to not allow tax deductions for the cost of gender reassignment surgery. [Tax Prof Blog] * Navigating the fallibility of the judicial system requires more nuance than Twitter allows. [New York Magazine] * Trump threatens lawmaker's career, is greeted with laughter. [Huffington Post] * The job market the class of 2017 will encounter. [Law and More]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 09.23.16

* Kim Kardashian wants to go to law school. Maybe she should worry about a Bachelor's degree first. [Daily Caller] * The U.S. is falling behind the international standard for court transparency. [Fix the Court] * The struggles facing midwestern law schools. [Cleve Scene] * Unsurprisingly, Charles Harder -- Hulk Hogan's attorney in the Gawker case -- takes a stand against the standard in current defamation law. [Law and More] * A look forward at the upcoming Supreme Court Term. [Empirical SCOTUS]

By Kathryn Rubino
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By Barbri
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 08.09.16

* Did Cadwalader make the wrong move in canceling its summer program? [Law and More] * The American Bar Associate needs to embrace change or be "left in the dust," ABA executive director Jack Rives declared at the organization's annual meeting. [ABA Journal] * If your legal practice includes international arbitration, get ready to head to India. The Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA) begins proceedings this month and hopes to attract corporations as a popular arbitration destination. [Forbes] * The Paul, Weiss investigation into Roger Ailes that has grown in scope is uncovering all manner of interesting tidbits about the cable news giant. [Vanity Fair] * Looking to elevate your Foreign Corrupt Practices Act skillz? [FCPA Professor] * How did this Supreme Court Term fare in terms of transparency? [Fix the Court]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.10.16

* Lawsuits matter: in the wake of the $140 million verdict against it in the Hulk Hogan sex tape case, Gawker Media is filing for bankruptcy and putting itself up for sale. [Gawker] * Declaratory judgment: according to Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Judging Statutes (affiliate link), by fellow feeder judge Robert Katzmann, is "a pleasure to read," "succinct," and "educational." [Harvard Law Review] * SCOTUS sez: a judge shouldn't hear an appeal in a death penalty case that he worked on as a prosecutor. [How Appealing] * Speaking of the Supreme Court, Gabe Roth of Fix the Court makes the case in favor of mandatory retirement for the justices. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch] * Worst fellow airplane passenger ever (yes, even worse than the drunken law firm partner). [U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit] * 9 "Musts" for Privacy & Data Security Risk Management and Compliance. [Legaltech News]

By David Lat
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.19.15

* The North Carolina legislature's war on UNC Law School continues. The Senate just proposed a $3 million budget cut. Tarheels adjust by ending Civ Pro right before International Shoe. [The Herald Sun] * U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer enjoys living dangerously. When the D.C. Circuit tells her the CIA needs to disclose more about drone policy, she... tells the CIA to keep its mouth shut. AC/DC has a song about that behavior. [Politico] * Most attention is, justifiably, fixed on marriage equality and health care, but there are some huge pending decisions we're overlooking. [Slate] * Will Chief Justice Roberts save Obamacare again? [Mother Jones] * Speaking of SCOTUS, Professor Ilya Somin and Constitutional Accountability Center chief counsel Elizabeth Wydra talk Supreme Court in this podcast. [The Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * Career hiccups begin with you. So, you know, stop doing that to yourself. [Corporette] * Why have car insurance in this case? A fair question. [Legal Juice] * If you didn't make it to see David speak with a panel of distinguished guests at the Fix the Court/Politico Supreme Court event this week, here's the video! [Politico]

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.02.15

* You betta work... on those C&D letters! The viral picture of Cindy Crawford's "unretouched" midsection is allegedly fake, and a lawyer for the photographer who took the original picture is threatening publishers with legal action if the supposedly doctored photos aren't taken down immediately. [CBS News] * You know that law school graduates from the Lost Generation are screwed when the first vignette from an article about the sad state of financial affairs for "recession millennials" is about a 2011 law grad who's drowning in law school debt. [FiveThirtyEight] * Folks are going crazy over King v. Burwell, so it's a great time to run the odds on which justices will give ACA the axe. FYI, Justice Alito is "more likely to be struck by lightning while committing in-person voter fraud" than uphold Obamacare. [ThinkProgress] * If you're going to be in Washington, D.C., next weekend, why not stop by the Politics & Prose Bookstore to see David Lat have a chat with Adam Liptak of the New York Times? OMG, you can even get your copy of Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link) signed. [Facebook] * With oral arguments in the King v. Burwell case slated to be heard on Wednesday, the Supreme Court is going to have a busy week -- but most Americans won't know about it. Below is a new TV ad pushing SCOTUS to allow cameras in the courtroom. [Fix the Court] http://youtu.be/jA8B80fy0OM

By Staci Zaretsky
Entertainment Law

Non-Sequiturs: 11.12.14

* The makeup of the Supreme Court is the most important issue in the 2016 election. Well, the most “important” issue will be if Hillary is a crone who murdered everyone in Benghazi with Obamacare, but the Supreme Court should be the most important issue. [Slate] * We’ve wondered why the Supreme Court isn’t more accountable before. Fix the Court wants to do something about it. [USA Today] * In-house counsel are optimistic. Too bad they aren’t optimistic about sending work to firms. [Business of Law Blog / LexisNexis] * The Italians just overturned the manslaughter convictions of a bunch of scientists for failing to accurately predict an earthquake. But, sure, let’s send Amanda Knox back over there. [Reuters] * Latham snags a gaggle of high-profile O’Melveny entertainment lawyers and O’Melveny names three new co-heads of its Entertainment, Sports and Media Practice. [Deadline Hollywood] * An infographic of firm trends. Technological upgrades are the name of the game. [Think Tank / Aderant] * While we treat high school athletes as adults in so many aspects of their lives, America just won’t let go of labeling them juveniles unable to grasp sexual assault. [The Legal Blitz] * Horrific tale of systematic sexual abuse in the ranks of USA Swimming, which turns to Bryan Cave for what a lawyer profiled in the article calls “plaintiff-draining legal tactics.” [Outside Online] * R.I.P. John Michael Doar, former chief of the DOJ civil rights division in the 60s, who died at age 92 yesterday. [What About Clients?]

By Joe Patrice