Judge Conrad Hafen

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.02.16

* A judge has ruled that Andrew Schmuhl, the attorney accused of torturing and nearly killing the managing partner of the law firm his wife was fired from, will not be allowed to use an involuntary intoxication defense at trial. We may have more on this later today. [Washington Post] * Congratulations to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg! A newly discovered species of praying mantis with a decorative neck plate, the Ilomantis ginsburgae, has been named after Her Honor thanks to her "commitment to women's rights and gender equality... and her appreciation of the jabot." This is an honor that is truly fitting for the Notorious R.B.G. [New York Magazine] * Partners continue to head for the exits at Kenyon & Kenyon. This time, the chair of the IP firm's life sciences and chemical prosecution practice fled for Fox Rothschild, and he took two others with him. What's going on as this firm, and did they decide finally decide to officially pull the plug on the summer program? Let us know. [Big Law Business] * "There's absolutely no showing of any federal violation. The citizens of California are smart enough to know what their rights are." Sorry, Bernie bros, but because unaffiliated voters' rights haven't been harmed, voter registration will not be reopened ahead of next week's primary in the Golden State. Best of luck in the polls. [Los Angeles Times] * People are still raging against this JOP: The Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice, a group of defense lawyers 150 strong, have filed an ethics complaint against Judge Conrad Hafen, saying he showed a "complete disregard for the law" when he handcuffed a public defender as she tried to represent her client. [Las Vegas Review-Journal] * Boyce Martin Jr., chief judge emeritus of the Sixth Circuit, RIP. [Courier-Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.31.16

* Do not mess with federal judges: Shortly after presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump criticized Judge Gonzalo Curiel of the Southern District of California at a political rally by calling him a "hater," the judge ordered that internal Trump University documents from a consumer fraud trial be unsealed. [POLITICO] * The Clark County Defenders Union that represents Zohra Bakhtary condemned Judge Conrad Hafen in an open letter, writing, "[h]andcuffing an attorney who is merely doing her job to teach her a lesson is simply improper and has never been done in the history of Nevada." [WSJ Law Blog] * When we last checked in with Stephen DiCarmine, Dewey's ex-executive director, he told a judge that due to financial constraints, he'd like to represent himself at retrial. Now, he's hired Rita Glavin of Seward & Kissel for the job. [DealBook / New York Times] * Uh-oh... Mossack Fonseca, the law firm behind the Panama Papers leaks, announced via Tweet its plans to close offices in several offshore tax havens. The firm will shutter offices in the island nations of Jersey, Gibraltar. and the Isle of Man. [VICE News] * Who knew a Libor-rigging trial could be so exciting? Former Barclays trader and criminal defendant Ryan Reich was scolded by a judge after he interrupted a co-defendant's testimony with shouts of "no, no, no, no." [Big Law Business] * Cassandra Q. Butts, former deputy White House counsel and longtime friend and advisor to law school classmate President Barack Obama, RIP. [Washington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky