Kimba Wood

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 04.22.18

* Joel Cohen makes the case for appointing a special master to review the attorney-client privilege claims in the case of Michael Cohen (no relation). [Law and Crime] * A fun profile of Judge Kimba M. Wood (S.D.N.Y.), who's presiding over the Cohen case -- and who "doesn't need to eat the whole barrel to know it's not a pickle." [Politico] * Circuit judges can play it safe, in the hopes of making it to the Supreme Court someday, or they can be bold (which might help their SCOTUS chances, or might hurt them); Judge James Ho is going for the second approach. [U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit] * Professor Eugene Volokh: "What is this, Mean Girls: Supreme Court Edition?" [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason] * Still on SCOTUS, which leading appellate lawyers (according to Chambers & Partners) have the most active practices before the high court? [Empirical SCOTUS] * What's the best new legal-information product out there, and what's the best new product feature or function? Survey says.... [Dewey B Strategic] * Because having a law school named after him wasn't enough, Philadelphia trial lawyer Thomas R. Kline is now honored by a giant marble statue. [Philly.com] * The Wisconsin Supreme Court will decide an important case about academic freedom (and Above the Law gets cited in the amicus brief of the National Association of Scholars -- see footnote 29). [Badger Pundit] * Congratulations to former Miss America winner Deidre Downs Gunn and attorney and writer Abbott Jones on their recent nuptials! [People] * And congratulations to the recipients of 2018's Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 Awards! [LGBT Bar]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.19.18

* The proposed cap on federal student loans for graduate students will make life a lot rougher for law students who will have to resort to the more expensive private market for tuition bucks. On the other hand, it could devastate the bottom-tier schools who rely on the government gravy train to bilk students into buying a degree they can't use. So it's not all bad news. [Law.com] * When it comes to appointing a Special Master, the government and Michael Cohen have wildly different preferences. The government would like a retired Magistrate, someone well-versed in making tough calls in discovery disputes. Cohen's camp would prefer a former prosecutor, which you should read as "someone who currently represents criminals and has a vested interest in defining privilege broadly." Trump's lawyers haven't submitted a list of preferred candidates but we can go ahead and pencil in Jeanine Pirro, Andrew Napolitano, and Judge Judy. [New York Law Journal] * While we're talking about Cohen, he just dropped his libel suits against Buzzfeed and Fusion GPS over the Steele dossier. So there's definitely a pee tape. [Politico] * Oh, and documents suggest he owes $110K in taxes. [Law360] * Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has asked state lawmakers to eliminate a state law that prevents state prosecutions of individuals who have already reached the plea or a jury is sworn in a federal case. Or, more to the point, when someone in that situation is pardoned. [NY Times] * There are hints that the jury may acquit Tex McIver of the most serious charges related to his wife's shooting death. As a reminder, McIver shot her in the back while she rode in the front seat of their car when his gun, which he says he had loaded and ready because he was worried about Black Lives Matter, went off when the car hit a speedbump. [Daily Report Online] * If you notice some new changes to your Facebook privacy protections, you might think that's a response to Zuck's recent congressional testimony. But actually, it's just Facebook playing shell company roulette to make sure you're not covered by GDPR. [Reuters] * The organizer of the Charlottesville "Very Fine People On Both Sides" rally popped into the UVA Law library yesterday. Vigilant students kept an eye on him. [Cavalier Daily] * We'd also be remiss if we didn't express our sadness over the loss of Judge Harry T. Stone. Harry Anderson's portrayal of the free-wheeling but fair judge contributed to making Night Court one of the greatest, and most honest, courtroom television shows of all time. [CNN]

By Joe Patrice
Denny Chin

A Solution to the Federal Judicial Pay Crisis: Marry Into Money

As we previously mentioned, and as Lawrence Hurley of the Daily Journal reports here, Congress is considering a proposal that would raise federal judges’ salaries by a significant margin. Here’s what the new scale would look like (with current salaries indicated parenthetically): District Court Judges: $247,800 (up from $165,200)Court of Appeals Judges: $262,700 ($175,100)Associate Justices […]

By David Lat
Eyes of the Law

The Eyes of the Law: The S.D.N.Y. “Courthouse Follies”

We’ve solicited funny holiday party stories from you. We haven’t received much thus far. But from the legendary Southern District of New York, probably the nation’s most distinguished district court bench, we did get this account of its celebrated “Courthouse Follies” (which took place on the evening of Friday, December 15): Item: The Southern District […]

By David Lat