Gay
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Biglaw
Celebrating Champions Of Diversity And Inclusion In The Legal Profession
Congratulations -- and thanks -- to these inspiring leaders of the bar and change agents. -
Courts, Federal Judges
A Most Interesting Lawyerly Wedding Announcement
Check out the officiant at this same-sex wedding. - Sponsored
Biglaw Professionals: We Want To Know About Your Dream Job
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Courts
Fast Times At 40 Foley: Second Circuit Drama In Zarda v. Altitude Express
This history-making case generated a slew of interesting, funny, and even snarky opinions.
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Gay, Justice
Two Leading Lawyers Who Are Making A Difference
Congratulations to Lisa Linsky and Bernadette Harrigan on this well-deserved recognition! -
Federal Government, Labor / Employment, On The Job
DOJ Reverses Stance On Transgender Workplace Protections
When will this issue will reach the Supreme Court for resolution? -
Family Law, Health Care / Medicine, Kids
Will This LGBT Custody Battle Inspire A New 'Hamilton' Song?
Courts continue to explore the intersection of marriage equality and parental rights. -
Family Law, Health Care / Medicine, Kids
Two Men, Senator Mike Lee's Brother, And Hopefully A Baby
Here's hoping we don't need SCOTUS to get involved. -
Family Law, Health Care / Medicine, Kids
That Awkward Moment When Your Twin Brother Is A U.S. Citizen At Birth, But You're Not
This family's situation should be on a law school final exam. - Sponsored
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Deaths
Edith Windsor, Victor In A Landmark Marriage Equality Case, R.I.P.
All LGBT Americans -- and all Americans, period -- owe this crusader for justice a debt of gratitude. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.28.17
* The Senate rejects the latest GOP effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act — with Senator John McCain casting the decisive “no” vote. [Washington Post]
* Riley Safer Holmes and Cancila continues its rapid expansion, adding 13 new lawyers — including eight from Bryan Cave, led by former managing partner Joseph McCoy. [Law360]
* More bad news for the LGBT community from the Trump administration: the Justice Department takes the position that Title VII doesn’t cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. [How Appealing]
* Meanwhile, civil rights and LGBT groups get ready to file suit if President Trump’s plan to ban transgender people from the military becomes a reality (which is not yet the case). [National Law Journal]
* And these groups might just prevail — Michael Richter and Anna Pohl, chairs of the New York City Bar Association’s Military Affairs and LGBT Rights Committees, lay out the case for why the transgender ban is unconstitutional. [The Hill]
* Stephanie Francis Ward takes a long, hard look at the woes of Charlotte School of Law — and the rest of the beleaguered Infilaw consortium of law schools. [ABA Journal]
* Closing statements in the Martin Shkreli case paint very different pictures of the infamous “Pharma Bro.” [Law.com]
* Nuisance claims, or nuisance suits? Judge James Donato (N.D. Cal.) seems skeptical of a purported class-action case targeting Pokémon GO (which recently added Legendaries to the game). [The Recorder]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 07.26.17
* President Trump’s personal legal team: “It’s utter chaos. Sometimes it can be like no one knows who is in charge.” [Washington Post]
* Adam Feldman predicts that the travel ban is going down before SCOTUS. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* The Trump tweets on banning transgender individuals from the military aren’t the only bad news for the LGBTQ community today. [Washington Blade]
* A nice win for the First Amendment and public access to court records. [Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post]
* Ira Stoll wonders (with good reason): why did the New York Times account of this high-profile gender discrimination lawsuit name the law firm, but not the plaintiff? [Smarter Times]
* Clerkships guru Debra M. Strauss, who has written for our pages on the topic, is out with a second edition of Behind the Bench: The Guide to Judicial Clerkships (affiliate link).
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Biglaw, Health / Wellness
'HIV-Positive, Former DC Biglaw Attorney, Washed Out, Now Living In Midwest'
He's putting his life back together, 'optimistic despite it all,' and willing to share his wisdom with others. -
In-House Counsel, Lawyerly Lairs, Real Estate
Lawyerly Lairs: An In-House Counsel Heads To The Hamptons
You don't need to be a Biglaw partner to buy a home in the Hamptons.
Sponsored
Raising The Bar in Bar Prep
Biglaw Professionals: We Want To Know About Your Dream Job
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Gay, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
4 Reasons Why Gay Marriage Is Safe, Even After Justice Kennedy Retires
Calm down, people; Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement does not spell the end of same-sex marriage. -
Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Partner Issues, Small Law Firms
A History-Making Litigator Leaves Biglaw To Launch A Boutique
After 25 years at a top Biglaw firm, this star litigator decided it was time for a new adventure. -
Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Replacing Justice Kennedy: A Legacy-Defining Achievement For President Trump
The ramifications of a Gorsuch-like conservative replacing a Kennedy swing vote would reverberate for a lifetime. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.30.17
* Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams pleads guilty to accepting a bribe, ending his ongoing federal corruption trial and his tenure as DA — and sending him straight to jail, since Judge Paul Diamond denied bail. [ABA Journal]
* The Trump administration moves forward on implementing the travel ban (and has reversed its earlier determination that being engaged to marry an American doesn’t count as “a bona fide” connection to this country). [New York Times]
* Colorado baker Jack Phillips, petitioner in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case that the Supreme Court will hear next Term, explains his refusal to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. [How Appealing]
* DLA Piper, hit by a major ransomware attack earlier this week, endures its third consecutive day without email. [Law360]
* And DLA isn’t the only Biglaw firm with big weaknesses in cybersecurity, as Ian Lopez reports. [Law.com]
* Lawyer turned television host Greta Van Susteren has been let go by MSNBC (after just six months). [Vanity Fair]
* The tragic case of Charlie Gard comes to an end: the European Court of Human Rights declines to review prior court rulings refusing to let the terminally ill 10-month-old boy travel to the U.S. for experimental treatment. [Washington Post]
* Drs. John Eastman and Sohan Dasgupta break down the Trinity Lutheran case. [Claremont Institute]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.28.17
* Very interesting piece by Mark Joseph Stern on Justice Neil M. Gorsuch’s dissent in Pavan v. Smith (aka the “LGBT parents on birth certificates” case). It seems to me that Justice Gorsuch’s statement is technically correct — the Arkansas Department of Health (1) was okay with giving the named plaintiffs their birth certificates and (2) conceded that in the artificial-insemination context, gay couples can’t be treated differently than straight couples (see the Arkansas Supreme Court opinion, footnote 1 and page 18) — but it’s either confusing, at best, or misleading and disingenuous, at worst (the view of Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, counsel to the plaintiffs). [Slate]
* Speaking of Justice Gorsuch, Adam Feldman makes some predictions about what we can expect from him in the future, based on his first few opinions. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Professor Rick Hasen has made up his mind on this: “Gorsuch is the new Scalia, just as Trump promised.” [Los Angeles Times]
* The VC welcomes a new co-conspirator: Professor Sai Prakash, a top scholar of constitutional law and executive power. [Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post]
* Now that Harvard Law School will accept GRE scores in lieu of LSAT scores, what do law school applicants need to know about the two tests? [Law School HQ]
* And what do Snapchat users need to know about the app’s new “Snap Map” feature? Cyberspace lawyer Drew Rossow flags potential privacy problems. [WFAA]
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Family Law, Gay, Health Care / Medicine, Kids, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Confirms 'Constellation of Benefits' For Same-Sex Couples
What do you call it when the law treats gay women worse than straight men, for no good reason? Unconstitutional. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.23.17
* Federal investigators are delving into multimillion-dollar deals involving former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his son-in-law, Jeffrey Yohai. [New York Times]
* The Fifth Circuit lifts the injunction against H.B. 1523, Mississippi’s notorious “religious freedom” law that many regard as antigay (but the court ruled on jurisdictional rather than gay-hating grounds). [Texas Lawyer]
* In the wake of a mistrial in the criminal case against him, Bill Cosby plans to educate young men on how to avoid accusations of sexual assault. (My advice: don’t commit sexual assault.) [New York Times]
* The Fourth Circuit affirms almost all the convictions of ex-CIA officer in a leak case — a potentially significant ruling if the Trump administration follows through on its threats to prosecute leakers. [How Appealing]
* The Seventh Circuit declines to reinstate the conviction of Brendan Dassey, the defendant made famous by Making A Murderer. [ABA Journal]
* Martin Shkreli, aka “Pharma Bro,” is gearing up for trial — and, for the record, he is “so innocent.” [New York Times]
* More disturbing news from my ancestral homeland of the Philippines, involving accusations that the police are shaking down families in distress as part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs.” [Washington Post]