Gay Marriage

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.24.15

* Most Biglaw firms are downsizing their office space, but Ropes & Gray just inked a deal to increase the size of its New York office by 40,869 square feet. It'll occupy more than 300,000 square feet in Rockefeller Center. Hope the firm has lawyers to fill it! [Commercial Observer] * Yikes! Thanks to a string of lateral hires by Buchanan Ingersoll, the newly formed Philly office of Novak Druce appears to have been left without a single lawyer. The firm decided to "refrain from commenting" on the departures. [Legal Intelligencer] * The same jury that found James Holmes guilty of several counts of murder in the Dark Knight movie theater massacre completed the first phase of sentencing and decided that aggravating factors existed for him to incur the death penalty. [Los Angeles Times] * A former court clerk in Indiana is suing because she claims she was fired for refusing to process same-sex marriage licenses, even though doing so went against her "sincerely held" religious beliefs. We may be seeing a lot more of these in the future. [Indy Star] * Per Texas prosecutor Warren Diepraam, medical examiners have ruled that Sandra Bland's death was a suicide by hanging, and he has "full faith" in the autopsy results. The community remains outraged, and investigation into the case is ongoing. [NBC News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.21.15

* Because sometimes the application of the law seems like an indecent proposal: Demi Moore is "in absolute shock" because she may be facing a lawsuit for negligent supervision due to a pool drowning that occurred at her home while she was out of the country. [Fox News] * "The bow tie is a manifestation of my unwillingness to become part of the rabble." Male lawyers face harsh criticism about their fashion choices, too, and these New Jersey attorneys will wear their bow ties with pride, no matter what. [Bergen Record] * In a recent interview, Justice Alito critiqued his SCOTUS colleagues for adopting a seemingly limitless interpretation of the 14th Amendment: "I don’t know what the limits of substantive liberty protection under the 14th Amendment are at this point.” [Legal Times] * If you'd like to be a federal appellate judge by the age of 35, then Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit has some advice for you. First and foremost, know where to "peddle your wares" -- get a job in Washington, D.C., ASAP. [Concurring Opinions via ABA Journal] * Managing partners, repeat this mantra: Don't do a Dewey! Thanks to the D&L financial disaster, Biglaw firms have decided to cut back on or ditch bank loans completely and get by with a little help from their friends partners in times of need. [Wall Street Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.10.15

* Aww man, nothing's going right for this firm: After facing mass defections that forced it to move to a smaller office, struggling law firm Gordon Silver is locked in a legal battle with its former landlord to the tune of $786,000 in rent that allegedly went unpaid. [VEGAS INC.] * Ted Cruz isn't the only person Ted Olson has a bone to pick with. Justice Scalia thinks the Obergefell decision is a “threat to American democracy," but Olson disagrees: "[W]ith respect to Justice Scalia, who I do have great respect for, he is wrong." [National Law Journal] * Brooklyn Law School is selling off buildings left and right, and one of its prime pieces of real estate could sell for up to $30 million. According to Dean Nick Allard, its sale will serve as a "better advantage for the future of the law school." [New York Daily News] * Lawyers, make sure to draft your documents carefully, or else you could wind up getting screwed by an errant comma (or the lack thereof). An Ohio woman got out of a summons because she pointed out a missing comma in a local ordinance. [Lexicon Valley / Slate] * From the sound of it, not all Uber drivers want to become Uber employees; some of them are perfectly content to be classified as independent contractors. That's probably going to screw up that whole typicality requirement for this would-be class-action suit. [Forbes]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.09.15

* According to Justice Jeanette Theriot Knoll of the Louisiana Supreme Court, the SCOTUS decision in Obergefell was not only "horrific," but it was also “a complete and unnecessary insult to the people of Louisiana." Gee, tell us how you really feel. [Slate] * The First Church of Cannabis filed a discrimination suit against Indiana and Indianapolis, claiming laws against marijuana use and possession are infringing upon its members' beliefs. We're sTOKEd to see the outcome here. [Indianapolis Star] * In case you missed it yesterday, a federal judge upheld the TTAB's prior ruling on the Washington Redskins' name, and ordered that the team's trademark registrations be canceled. The team is going for a Hail Mary at the Fourth Circuit. [Washington Post] * Ex-associate Elina Chechelnitsky's sexual harassment and gender bias lawsuit against McElroy Deutsch, filled with allegations of better bonuses for men and creepy flirtations, was settled out of court. You go, girl. [New Jersey Law Journal via ABA Journal] * Crowell & Moring recently dropped a suit against a former client that had allegedly failed to pay almost one million dollars in legal fees. There's no word on whether the conflict was ever resolved, but if it wasn't, it's nice to see the firm isn't hurting for cash. [Legal Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.06.15

* It's time to start shutting down law schools, but this clearly isn't something that the American Bar Association is ready to act on. After all, new schools keep popping up, and the ABA keeps accrediting them for reasons beyond understanding. [Bloomberg Business] * At the end of a landmark Term at the Supreme Court, some presidential candidates are fanning the flames of voters' fears. Linda Greenhouse asks, "[W]hat, exactly, are people supposed to be afraid of now? A same-sex married couple with affordable health insurance?" [New York Times] * Eric Holder will return to Covington & Burling, the Biglaw firm from whence he came, and he'll be there "until [he] decide[s] [he's] not going to be a lawyer anymore.” This crazy guy says he'd even turn down a SCOTUS nom to continue working there. [Am Law Daily] * Congrats to Skadden, the firm that ranked numero uno in worldwide deals according to Bloomberg's quarterly M&A league tables. Davis Polk finished $93 billion behind that, but hopefully the bonuses will be just as sweet this winter. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * If you're planning to enter law school at the end of the summer -- especially if you're a gunner in training -- there's no better way to spend your last months of freedom than to read one (or all of) these law prof-recommended books and papers. [Washington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky