Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.10.18
* What changes might come to the Supreme Court if Justice Kennedy retires at the end of this Term? Adam Feldman scours the justices’ voting relationships for clues. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Speaking of SCOTUS, when it comes to its recent ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Andrew Siegel is not impressed. [PrawfsBlawg]
* Ilya Somin offers praise for legislation being co-sponsored by Senator Elizabeth Warren — but it will make sense to you once you see the subject matter (hint: her co-sponsor is Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado). [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
* Charles Glasser has no problem with people calling out or criticizing speech that they find offensive, but he argues — rightly so, in my view — that we’ve lost “a sense of proportion, a rational relationship between the speaker, their comments, and their role in society.” [Daily Caller]
* Ann Althouse’s take on Bill Clinton’s controversial #MeToo comments. [Althouse]
* Greg Lambert is absolutely right: “Sometimes the change you seek causes problems you didn’t foresee.” [3 Geeks and a Law Blog]
* Smart-contract checker Sagewise hooks up with Hedera Hashgraph, a “blazing fast” alternative to blockchain. [Artificial Lawyer]
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Law Schools
Northwestern Students Get A Delicious Taste Of 'Masterpiece Cakeshop' Case
This may be the closest some students will ever get to a Supreme Court case. - Sponsored
Trust The Process: How To Build And Manage Workflows In Law Firms
If you’re feeling inefficient but don’t know why, this episode of the Non-Eventcast is for you. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.18.17
* Special Counsel Robert Mueller obtained a warrant for targeted ads that were purchased by Russia-linked Facebook accounts during the 2016 election. The fact that Mueller was able to get a warrant “may be the biggest news in the case since the Manafort raid.” [Business Insider]
* Speaking of the Russia probe, yet another lawyer has joined Robert Mueller’s team. Say hello to Kyle Freeny, a former kindergarten teacher with a law degree from Harvard who transferred from the Justice Department’s money-laundering unit to contribute her talents to the ongoing investigation. [POLITICO]
* Sorry, kids, but lawyers are very, very, very expensive: Since the president has left his one-time associates high and dry, Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign advisor, has been forced to drain his children’s college fund to pay for legal representation in the Russia probe. Horrible… [Washington Examiner]
* “It’s not about the cake. It is about discrimination.” When the Masterpiece Cakeshop case is argued before SCOTUS, Justice Anthony Kennedy — the man who wrote the opinion that legalized same-sex marriage in America — will likely be the deciding vote. Will be betray his legacy for free speech? [New York Times]
* Columbia Law School is offering students credits to meet their 40-hour pro bono requirement for graduation if they volunteer for the Columbia Human Rights Law Review’s Trump Human Rights Tracker, which keeps tabs on President Trump’s actions and their impacts on human rights. [FOX News]
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Gay, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
4 Reasons Why Gay Marriage Is Safe, Even After Justice Kennedy Retires
Calm down, people; Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement does not spell the end of same-sex marriage. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.30.17
* Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams pleads guilty to accepting a bribe, ending his ongoing federal corruption trial and his tenure as DA — and sending him straight to jail, since Judge Paul Diamond denied bail. [ABA Journal]
* The Trump administration moves forward on implementing the travel ban (and has reversed its earlier determination that being engaged to marry an American doesn’t count as “a bona fide” connection to this country). [New York Times]
* Colorado baker Jack Phillips, petitioner in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case that the Supreme Court will hear next Term, explains his refusal to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. [How Appealing]
* DLA Piper, hit by a major ransomware attack earlier this week, endures its third consecutive day without email. [Law360]
* And DLA isn’t the only Biglaw firm with big weaknesses in cybersecurity, as Ian Lopez reports. [Law.com]
* Lawyer turned television host Greta Van Susteren has been let go by MSNBC (after just six months). [Vanity Fair]
* The tragic case of Charlie Gard comes to an end: the European Court of Human Rights declines to review prior court rulings refusing to let the terminally ill 10-month-old boy travel to the U.S. for experimental treatment. [Washington Post]
* Drs. John Eastman and Sohan Dasgupta break down the Trinity Lutheran case. [Claremont Institute]
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Family Law, Gay, Health Care / Medicine, Kids, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Confirms 'Constellation of Benefits' For Same-Sex Couples
What do you call it when the law treats gay women worse than straight men, for no good reason? Unconstitutional.