Judge Dana Sabraw

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.06.18

* You know your client sucks when...: This weekend, President Trump admitted on Twitter that his eldest son's 2016 Trump Tower meeting was held to "get information on an opponent," not to discuss "a program about the adoption of Russian children," as he'd dictated in his son's earlier account. His lawyer, Jay Sekulow, then had to walk back a statement he'd made earlier to get in line with Trump's comments, because "over time facts develop." [Daily Beast] * A federal judge has ruled for the second time that the Trump administration’s decision to end the DACA program was unlawful, referring to the DHS’s reasoning as “a hodgepodge of illogical or post hoc policy assertions.” Not only that, but the judge ordered that DACA be restored. Ouch. [National Law Journal] * In other immigration news, a federal judge has rejected the Trump administration's request that the ACLU locate deported parents for reunification with their children, noting that "for every parent who is not located, there will be a permanently orphaned child, and that is 100 percent the responsibility of the administration." [USA Today] * Dean Elizabeth Magill of Stanford Law School will be leaving her job at the end of the upcoming academic year to become the provost of the University of Virginia. Stanford will begin the search for her replacement in September. [The Recorder] * After news of the class of 2017’s success in the job market comes last month’s loss of 2,100 jobs in the legal sector. Sorry ‘bout that, class of 2018. For those not entering Biglaw, you better hope those were all administrative jobs. [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.09.18

* According to Senator Mitch McConnell, Judges Raymond Kethledge and Thomas Hardiman would be the easiest to confirm, so he's been trying to steer President Trump into choosing one of them to replace Justice Kennedy. On Saturday, the president was still undecided on his pick. Stay tuned for more... [New York Times] * On Sunday, President Trump still hadn't picked a judge to replace Justice Kennedy on the Supreme Court, but said he was "very close to making a decision." At this point, we only know that the president has seemingly "los[t] much of his interest in" Judge Kethledge. Tune in tonight for his pick. Who will get his final SCOTUS rose?! [CNN] * Despite the DOJ's request for an extension on a deadline to reunite families that were separated at the border, Judge Dana Sabraw said the deadline must be complied with "unless there is an articulable reason." Apparently "safety" is a concern now, but this would've been much easier if children hadn't been lost in the system. [The Hill] * In case you missed it, Judge Lynn Hughes of the Southern District of Texas, who is often the benchslapper, once more became the benchslappee when the Fifth Circuit called him out for allegedly making sexist remarks on the bench. [Texas Lawyer] * Remember Keila Ravelo, the partner who allegedly bilked Hunton & Williams and Willkie Farr out of $7.8 million to lead a life of luxury? Following her November guilty plea on felony charges, she was recently disbarred. [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.27.18

* A Republican-appointed federal judge has ordered that families separated at the border be reunited within 30 days, and if children are younger than 5, they must be reunified within 14 days of her order. [USA Today] * Immigration attorney Andrea Martinez claims that an ICE officer broke her foot and detained her in a room while she was covered in blood as she attempted to drop off a 3-year-old boy to be reunited with his pregnant mother before they were deported to Honduras. [Daily Beast] * "Did Justice Anthony Kennedy Just Signal His Retirement? The depressing defeatism of Kennedy’s work this term indicates his time on the court could be coming to an end." Given the fact that Justice Kennedy's recent opinions have seemed a bit phoned-in... Rick Hasen might just be right. [Slate] * In case you missed it amid all of the fanfare of Biglaw's 2018 associate salary raise, the public interest pay gap is now even larger. Public interest salaries have been stagnant for way too long. In fact, according to NALP's Public Service Attorney Salary Survey, the median entry-level salary is just $48,000. [Big Law Business] * Sedgwick, the dearly departed Biglaw firm that suddenly closed its doors in January, is now facing a $450,000+ default judgment in a landlord/tenant lawsuit, which includes $31,982 in "failure to vacate" fees. Oopsie. [American Lawyer] * Even though Florida Coastal has filed suit against the ABA, the law school accreditor has decided to extend a little olive branch to the school. It won't have to reveal its weak first-time bar exam pass rate record to current students. [Daily Business Review]

By Staci Zaretsky