Julie Swetnick

Non-Sequiturs

Non Sequiturs: 10.28.18

* Adam Feldman identifies eight issues where widely divergent state laws could lead to Supreme Court intervention. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Jonathan Adler wonders why it took so long for NBC to report on the inconsistencies and discrepancies in the allegations that Julie Swetnick made against Justice Brett Kavanaugh. [Bench Memos / National Review] * It seems that Cesar Sayoc didn't limit himself to threatening prominent liberals and progressives; he apparently went after Ilya Somin as well. [Reason / Volokh Conspiracy] * A riddle from Mark Lemley (via Orly Lobel): what's the "most Silicon Valley fact ever"? [PrawfsBlawg] * Congratulations to Bloomberg Law on the launch of its latest offering in litigation analytics. [Artificial Lawyer] * And congratulations to Fastcase on its latest deal, the acquisition of Law Street Media. [Dewey B Strategic]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.01.18

* President Trump asked the FBI to investigate the claims of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, the first two women to accuse would-be SCOTUS justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault and misconduct, leaving out Julie Swetnick's claims to the chagrin of her lawyer. [Wall Street Journal] * So, just how limited in scope will the FBI's new Kavanaugh inquiry be? Trump claims that the bureau has "free rein," but no one who has contradicted the judge's claims about his drinking and partying as a high school and college student are going to be interviewed. [New York Times] * HLS is second best at feeling shame: Following student protests against Kavanaugh teaching at Harvard Law, the elite law school's dean won't come out and say whether the accused jurist will still have a job in legal academia come 2019. [HuffPost] * ICYMI amid the Kavanaugh craziness, a judge ruled that the plaintiffs in Blumenthal v. Trump -- the 201 Democratic members of Congress -- have standing to sue the president for his alleged violations of the emoluments clause. [National Law Journal] * That was quick! In the span of just a few days, Elon Musk settled the securities fraud lawsuit filed against him by the SEC, and the deal calls for him to pay a $20 million fine and step down as Tesla's chairman for the next three years. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky