Florida State University College of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.16.18

* A White House spokeswoman claims that Judge Brett Kavanaugh "had never heard any allegations of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment" made against Judge Alex Kozinski prior to last year when everyone else found out, and an extern who worked in Kozinski's chambers while Kavanaugh clerked is backing him up. [Washington Times] * The art of the deal don't: United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May says that President Trump told her she should sue the European Union instead of negotiating when it comes to Brexit options. There's no real cause of action, so she says that won't be happening -- not like that's something that has ever stopped Trump before. [Vox] * President Trump leaned heavily on Biglaw partners for his latest nominations to the federal judicary. Perkins Coie, K&L Gates, and Barnes & Thornburg could soon see representation on the Ninth Circuit, the Western District of Washington, the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the Northern District of Indiana. [The Recorder] * After months of debate, a panel has finally recommended that Florida State rename the law school building via legislative action. It currently recognizes former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice B.K. Roberts., a " staunch segregationist" who once tried to deny a black student's admission to U. Florida's law school. [Tallahassee Democrat] * "For better or worse, I have become an agent for hope for those that are opposing this president." Michael Avenatti is famous for being President Trump's biggest critic, but he's "using that platform for good." In addition to Stormy Daniels, he now represents parents whose children were separated from them at the border. [AP]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.09.18

* No collusion! Michael Cohen's shell company -- the same one used to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels -- received more than $1 million in payments from a company that's been linked to a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin. The same oligarch was sanctioned by the Trump administration for election interference. Special counsel Robert Mueller is on it. [New York Times; CNN] * If President Trump does sit down for an interview with the special counsel, he could make history if he decides to plead the Fifth Amendment. No American president has ever used the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination while still in office. [TIME] * Is your law school following the new law clerk hiring plan? It better be, if your graduates want a chance to clerk with Justice Elena Kagan. The former law school dean says she'll "take into account" in her own clerkship hiring whether law schools and lower court judges have complied with the plan. [National Law Journal] * A former professor and an alumnus from Charlotte Law School have added the American Bar Association to their suit against the defunct for-profit school, claiming in an amended complaint that the ABA negligently certified the school and "failed to act as a reasonable accreditor" -- which makes sense. [Law360 (sub. req.)] * A 15-member panel comprised of Florida State University faculty, staff, students, and alumni want the name of their law school building to be changed. It's currently named after former Florida Chief Justice B.K. Roberts, who worked to keep the University of Florida's law school segregated. [News 4 JAX] * Sorry, Tommy and Kiko, but you're going to have to stay in your cages. The New York Court of Appeals refused to hear a habeus appeal on behalf of the chimpanzees, allowing a ruling that they are not legal persons and therefore have no legal rights to stand. At least the concurring opinion was a little less dour. [Reuters]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.02.18

* This weekend, Sheppard Mullin -- and Lankler Siffert & Wohl for that matter -- will be pulling for Abacus: Small Enough To Jail, the stellar documentary about the only bank prosecuted for the housing crisis that starred the lawyers who represented Abacus and its family owners. [New York Law Journal] * In the first year of its merger, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer earned 1 percent over its legacy firm totals. Firm chairman Richard Alexander describes the firm as "generally... pleased." But not pleased enough to keep Kaye Scholer on its branding. [National Law Journal] * Robert Schulman is hoping the Second Circuit can get him out of his drunken insider trading conviction. [Law360] * Texas Wesleyan is looking for a new baseball coach after firing the last one for rejecting a Colorado recruit and telling the kid the school wouldn't recruit from states with legal weed. [VICE News] * Now we have sovereign cryptocurrency which kind of defeats the whole point, but whatever. [Bitcoinist] * Your daily reminder that white supremacists are bad people. [ABA Journal] * Speaking of white supremacists, FSU Law students have started to notice that their main academic building is a tribute to a segregationist and that maybe that's a bad thing. [Tallahassee Democrat]

By Joe Patrice