Mediation

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.24.16

* The only way for Republicans to save face is by... confirming Obama's Supreme Court choice (even if it isn't a fellow Republican). [Gawker] * The complicated relationship between Asian-Americans and justice is highlighted by the Peter Liang protests. [New York Times] * The greatest impact of Justice Scalia's passing may be on the Fourth Amendment. [LinkedIn] * One of Justice Scalia's long line of clerks who paid tribute to the legal legend after his passing, Professor Brian Fitzpatrick, speaks out on the jurist's impact. [The Conversation] * Who has the most to lose in the fight over the Supreme Court? The Chief Justice. [MSNBC] * Here's a fun thought experiment: What would Donald Trump have been like as an attorney? [Law and More] * Apparently this is how you should teach in open-carry on campus locations. Horrifying. [Chronicle on Higher Education] * Yes, you must attend mediation, even if you are Shaq. [Daily Business Review] * The long arm of the law takes on Salvadorian death squads. [Guile is Good]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.28.15

* "Bueller... Bueller..." Richard Hsu chats with Ben Stein. [Hsu Untied] * NFL deflates Tom Brady's hopes of playing a full season. [Redline] * Can a public defender really handle 700 cases a year? Spoiler alert: No. [Mother Jones] * About a third of the seats on the Court of Federal Claims are vacant, and a solitary Senator aims to keep it that way. Why are Republicans against getting citizens tax refunds? Shouldn't that be their whole schtick? [Constitutional Accountability Center] * If you're around August 11, check out "Many Faces of Mediation: An Alternative to Courtroom Drama" at JAMS HQ in New York. [ABA] * If you've been hankering for a podcast covering the U.S. Tax Court, then hanker no further. [U.S. Tax Court Podcast via iTunes] * A proposal for expanding the U.S. News Diversity Index. [Iowa Law Review via SSRN] * The continuing tribute to commenter Partner Emeritus rolls on. This time delving into my favorite Baby Boomer trope: lame excuses for skipping out on Vietnam. [What About Clients?] * Talmage Boston explains how Atticus Finch is still worthy of respect in a post-Go Set a Watchman (affiliate link) world. [Washington Independent Review of Books] * Talmage will be moderating a panel at the ABA Annual Meeting featuring Judge Posner, William Landay, and Laura Caldwell. The panel will also include our own David Lat, discussing Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). [Supreme Ambitions]

By Joe Patrice
Alex Kozinski

Non-Sequiturs: 08.21.14

* Judge John D. Bates wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committee leadership “on behalf of the Judiciary” explaining why it’s important to keep FISA an opaque Star Chamber. Chief Judge Kozinsky, um, disagrees with that “on behalf” part, and calls out Judge Bates in this letter for mouthing off where he has absolutely no authority. [Just Security] * The twisted, contradictory, desperate logic behind Halbig. In GIF form!!! [Buzzfeed] * Two InfiLaw schools, Florida Coastal and our Twitter buddies at Charlotte, are offering refunds to students who perpetually fail the bar as well as a refund to students who don’t get clerkships or externships. That’s nice. A whole $10,000 for failing the bar twice and $2000 for not landing a position. Don’t bother comparing that too how much the students shelled out for their degrees because it’s too depressing. [JD Journal] * Do you want to know how to survive Biglaw? [2Civility] * Interesting advice on how to best take advantage of the more informal rules of mediation — let your clients build the narrative. [Katz Justice] * Judge gives a speech and suggests a woman should become a phone sex operator. That’ll work out well for him. [Journal Gazette] * Maybe we should be getting law degrees as undergrads? That way we might have minors that employers will care about. [Chronicle of Higher Education] * Geez, lots of judges in trouble today — here’s an elected judge accused of lying about where she lived to get elected. She denies it, but her filings list three different addresses. Oops. [Times-Picayune]

By Joe Patrice
Affirmative Action

Morning Docket: 11.20.12

* Who will represent General David Petraeus as he continues to battle the fallout from his scandalous affair with Paula Broadwell? None other than Williams & Connolly partner Robert Barnett, a lawyer for Washington, D.C.’s most elite. [Blog of Legal Times] * Just in case you weren’t somehow aware, it costs quite a pretty penny to make bankrupt Biglaw firms go away. For example, more than 40 firms have paid off Brobeck, Coudert, Heller, Howrey, and Thelen with settlements of more than $35.5M. [Am Law Daily] * Hostess and the striking Bakers’ Union have agreed to go to mediation to prevent the company’s wind down. Judge Drain should force feed them delicious Ding Dongs to make them see the error of their ways. [Wall Street Journal] * “Even without a so-called affirmative-action ban, law schools aren’t doing great in terms of diversity.” That’s probably why admissions officers are so worried about the verdict in Fisher v. Texas. [National Law Journal] * For the last time, going to law school isn’t the solution for having no idea what you want to do with your life after college. And you don’t need a JD/MBA, either. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report] * Sometimes, when people from LSAC deny you extra time on the LSAT, you sit back and deal with it. Other times, you sue their pants off because your dad is a power litigator — and then you settle. [New York Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Antonin Scalia

Morning Docket: 09.05.12

* When in doubt, seek divine guidance and bet it all on black. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is going to be visiting Las Vegas this week, where he will attend a Red Mass and then head for the Strip. [Reno Gazette-Journal] * After being limited on page length, a licensing expert opted to file a five-page cartoon brief in the Apple e-book case. This dude can retire, because he’s achieved legal baller status. [Bloomberg] * James Hayes’s lawsuit over ICE’s alleged federal “frat house” has been sent to mediation for a possible settlement — but in real Greek life, he likely would’ve been peer pressured to de-pledge. [Washington Post] * Bull’s-eye! Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Arthur Schack has recused himself from a personal injury case where he was alleged to have called a Cozen O’Connor partner a “piece of sh*t.” [New York Law Journal] * The case of the missing asterisk: an Ohio Court of Appeals candidate was fined for wearing judge’s robes in her campaign flyers because she failed to indicate her judicial status or lack thereof. [National Law Journal] * How much does it cost to cover up and then begrudgingly deal with a child sex abuse scandal? The tab thus far for Penn State University is about $17M — $4M of which went to legal services and defense. [CBS News] * Despite Villanova Law’s admissions scandal, the dean reports that the school has admitted its “highest-quality” class ever. You know it’s hard to believe anything you say about your data, right? [Philadelphia Inquirer]

By Staci Zaretsky