Hawaii

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.21.17

* "I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the President of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and Constitutional power." AG Jeff Sessions seems to have forgotten that Hawaii is actually a state and that when he was still a senator, he voted for the judge who ruled against Trump's travel ban. Oopsie! [CNN] * 21st Century Fox, the parent company to Fox News, will wind up paying out more than $85 million as a result of the network's sexual harassment scandal. The sick thing about this is that the vast majority of the money will be paid to accused harassers Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly as part of their multimillion-dollar exit packages. [New York Times] * Good news, everyone! Although it might have seemed like it, the Trump administration isn't planning to ignore white-collar crime at this time. "Our aim is to motivate companies and individuals voluntarily to comply with the law," says Trevor McFadden, a deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department. That'll work well. [Reuters] * A Republican lawmaker wants to rename the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau to the "Consumer Law Enforcement Agency." Along with the name change, a leadership change is being recommended. Rep. Jeb Hensarlin of Texas has proposed that the agency remain with a single-director structure, but that the president be able to say two of his most favorite words at any time, at will: "You're fired!" [National Law Journal] * "The people of Alabama who cherish the rule of law are not going to miss the Ayatollah of Alabama." Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore's suspension has been upheld by the state's Court of the Judiciary. As a result, Moore will remain under suspension without pay for the rest of his term, effectively ending his career on the bench as he will be unable to run for reelection again due to his age. [ABA Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.13.17

* Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the nation's first female Muslim judge and the first African-American woman to serve on New York's highest court, was found dead in the Hudson River. We'll have more on this later. [New York Daily News] * The Ukraine-related activities of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort are under legal scrutiny -- and one of his daughters, lawyer Andrea Manafort, described some of her father's actions as "legally questionable." [New York Times] * Hawaii says "aloha" to the Ninth Circuit in its challenge to Trump Travel Ban 2.0 -- and seeks initial en banc review, bypassing a three-judge panel. [ABA Journal] * So the filibuster is now dead for SCOTUS nominees; are blue slips for lower-court nominees next? [Roll Call via How Appealing] * Melania Trump settles her defamation litigation with the Daily Mail, getting an apology, a retraction, coverage of her legal fees, and what her lawyer Charles Harder describes as "millions of dollars in damages." [New York Law Journal] * Biglaw firms aren't the only workplaces with gender pay gaps; it's an issue for in-house legal departments too, including Google's. [Corporate Counsel] * Seriously, North Carolina? After its half-hearted repeal of the "bathroom bill," three lawmakers in the state want to ban gay marriage. [WNCN] * Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the D.C. Circuit seems to be a fan of Justice Neil Gorsuch's views on Chevron deference. [Law.com] * And Justice Elena Kagan will be throwing a party to welcome Justice Gorsuch to the Court. [Washington Post via How Appealing]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.30.17

* North Carolina lawmakers say they've reached a deal to repeal the state's controversial bathroom bill. I wonder how those negotiations went: "Hey, this law is awful and is costing our state billions. Let's get rid of it." "Okay." I mean that's probably not how it went, but it's how it should have gone. [Reuters] * Five University of California law schools are sharing the wealth after an improper foreclosure verdict results in a big punitive damages award. The judge directed a portion of that money to go to the law schools -- $4 million each -- earmarked for consumer law education and direct legal services. [Law.com] * Hawaii successfully converted the TRO on the Trump administration's Muslim Ban 2.0 into a preliminary injunction. [Hogan Lovells] * Seattle is the first city to sue over the Trump administration's threats against sanctuary cities. [LA Times] * Bridgegate results in prison sentences. Bridget Kelly was sentenced to 18 months, and Bill Baroni got 2 years. [New York Times] * Doublespeak -- the environment edition. [Politico] * Is Sean Spicer is lying about whether the White House really wants former acting Attorney General Sally Yates to testify to Congress? [The Hill] * Judge Andrew Napolitano is back at Fox News, and back to conspiracy theories. [CNN]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.26.17

* "I’m guessing they have had a number of long days and potentially sleepless nights." The government lawyers behind the efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with the American Health Care Act have had a rough go of things. Who are they, which law schools did they attend, and which Biglaw firms did they work for before becoming Hill lawyers? [National Law Journal] * Don't forget about Merrick: A third of Democratic senators have pledged to vote against confirming Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch. At this time, it remains unclear as to whether there will be a united effort by Democrats to oppose his confirmation when the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on April 3. [Reuters] * Guess who isn't boycotting Hawaii? People who apparently have a vendetta against this federal jurist. Judge Derrick Watson of the District of Hawaii has been receiving death threats ever since he blocked President Donald Trump's revised travel ban on March 15. He is now receiving 24-hour protection from the U.S. Marshals Service. [The Hill] * The Second Circuit has upheld New York's ban on non-lawyers investing in law firms. Personal injury firm Jacoby & Meyers argued that the state's prohibition on non-lawyer investment violated lawyers' First Amendment right to associate with clients, but the court found that connection to be "simply too attenuated." [New York Law Journal] * Ithaca may be gorges, but it can't compete with the Big Apple with it comes to hands-on learning about issues dealing with cutting-edge tech. Cornell Law is launching a semester-long Program in Information and Technology Law at its Tech campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City that's slated to begin in Spring 2018. [WSJ Law Blog] * Judge Edward J. McManus, the longest serving of any incumbent judge in the United States (and third-longest servng in the history of the United States), RIP. [N.D. Iowa]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.01.15

* Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are getting divorced -- even she couldn't stand the thought of him being Batman. Celebrity divorces don't come cheap, and you know what that must mean: high-powered lawyers and even higher rates for their billable hours! [CNN] * "[H]ow young would you go…I'd do 5[,] [b]ut 0-12 is hot." Well, that's absolutely disgusting. Matthew Gigot, an attorney who does doc review in the D.C. area, was charged in a child pornography case for sexual performance using a minor. [FOX 5 DC] * The main line of defense as of late in the Dewey trial for the former head honchos of this failed firm is that everyone sends out embarrassing -- and potentially incriminating -- emails from time to time. We know all abput that here at Above the Law. [WSJ Law Blog] * "Put down the bong, throw out the vaporizer and lose the rolling papers." If you're hoping to land a job at any federal agency any time in the near future, then you better quit your toking as soon as possible, even if it's legal in your state. [New York Times] * Here's some sad news for women who are interested in taking home their apparently delicious and nutritious placentas to feast upon after their children are born in hospitals: it's only completely legal in three states -- Hawaii, Oregon, and Texas. [The Stir]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.12.15

* George Zimmerman was arrested for aggravated assault and domestic violence with a weapon. His lawyer said his client "has not been lucky with the ladies." He hasn't been lucky with being a decent human being, either. [USA Today] * Lawrence McCreery, the Hawaii lawyer who licked a client's ear and inspired the judge on his case to call him a "dirty old man," has had his harassment conviction upheld on appeal. Get excited, he's still got a law license, ladies. [Associated Press] * We may soon see same-sex marriage bans in three states struck down, as the Fifth Circuit "appeared poised" to do so after oral arguments on Friday. Roberta Kaplan, our 2013 Lawyer of the Year, delivered a standout performance in arguing against Mississippi's ban. [BuzzFeed] * What do Sidley Austin, Baker & McKenzie, Reed Smith, Hogan Lovells, and Skadden Arps have in common? Their names were used in phishing emails to scam people out of their money. Some might say that's business as usual. [Crain's Chicago Business] * An arrest was made in the forcible rape of a woman -- presumably a law student -- that took place in the stacks of the Southern University Law Center's library last semester. The accused rapist is currently behind held without bond. [WBRZ]

By Staci Zaretsky
American Bar Association / ABA

Morning Docket: 12.18.12

* Change may be coming soon in light of the Newtown shooting, but any talk about new federal restrictions on guns will hinge on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Second Amendment through the lens of the Heller case. [National Law Journal] * Joel Sanders and the Steves are facing yet another “frivolous” lawsuit over their alleged misconduct while at the helm of the sinking S.S. Dewey, but this time in a multi-million dollar case filed by Aviva Life and Annuity over a 2010 bond offering. [Am Law Daily] * Always a bridesmaid, never a bride: Pillsbury has had the urge to merge since February, and now the firm may finally get a chance to walk down the aisle with Dickstein Shapiro. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * Income-based repayment is a bastion of hope for law school graduates drowning in student loan debt, but when the tax man commeth, and he will, you’ll quickly find out that the IRS doesn’t have IBR. [New York Times] * Is the premise of graduating with “zero debt” from a law school that hasn’t been accredited by the ABA something that you should actually consider? Sure, if you don’t mind zero jobs. [U.S. News and World Report] * Daniel Inouye, Hawaii’s Senate representative for five decades and a GW Law School graduate, RIP. [CNN]

By Staci Zaretsky