Labor / Employment

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.09.16

* President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of labor, fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, is a critic of the Obama Administration's regulation in this area (and he's a former litigator, interestingly enough). [Washington Post] * Judge Bill Pryor (11th Cir.), a top SCOTUS contender in a Trump Administration, is beloved by conservatives -- but confirming him could be a battle. [Bloomberg BNA via How Appealing] * The Arkansas Supreme Court rules that married lesbian couples can't put the names of both spouses on their children's birth certificates. [WSJ Law Blog] * SEC enforcement chief Andrew Ceresney will leave the agency by the end of this year; where might he wind up? [Law.com] * Governor Andrew Cuomo met with the feds in connection with the corruption case brought against some of his former aides. [New York Times] * Michael Jordan's latest court victory -- in an IP case in China. [Bloomberg] * Alabama prisoner Ronald Smith is executed after the Supreme Court denies a stay, leaving SCOTUS review of the state's unique "judicial override" system for another day. [New York Times via How Appealing]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.23.16

* Thanks for ruining the holidays for millions of hard-working Americans, Your Honor: Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern District of Texas has granted a nationwide injunction to block a rule proposed by the Obama administration that would have extended mandatory overtime pay to 4.2 million people who make $47,500 per year or less. The rule was to take effect as of December 1. [Reuters] * Desperate times apparently call for desperate measures? The European and Middle Eastern arms of King & Wood Mallesons may seek to merge with another firm after their partners failed to raise enough capital, a move that would sever those branches from the rest of the firm as a whole. Consultants fear that "if a bunch of people desert the sinking ship, all bets are off and the run on the bank will be coming." [Big Law Business] * Sure, President-elect Donald Trump says that his Supreme Court nominees will overturn the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, but it may be a feat that's easier said than done. While some of the jurists on Trump's Supreme Court shortlist have come out on the record as being firmly against abortion, others don't have public records of any kind showing how they feel about abortion rights. Will this go his way? [Bloomberg] * Last week, during a citizenship ceremony over which he was presiding, Judge John Primomo of the Western District of Texas informed newly sworn-in Americans that if they didn't like President-elect Donald Trump, they should find a new country to live in. Judge Primomo has since been sanctioned by Chief Judge Orlando L. Garcia, and as a "permanent resolution," can no longer oversee citizenship ceremonies. [WSJ Law Blog] * "This is his first return to the silver tube. Going on the Netflix platform is a win-win for both Netflix and for Dave." Fresh off of an awesome performance on Saturday Night Live, and thanks to Frederick Nance, the incoming U.S. managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs, the world will be be able to see three Dave Chappelle standup specials on Netflix. The deal has been valued at about $60 million. Congrats! [Am Law Daily]

By Staci Zaretsky