Melania Trump

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.09.21

* A lawsuit has been filed following the Rose Bowl being played in Texas this year because of COVID-19. They should have a bowl game to resolve the dispute... [Fox News] * President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has apologized to Stormy Daniels for putting her through "needless pain." [Yahoo News] * A Pennsylvania lawyer, who allegedly helped clients commit insurance fraud, has been disbarred. [Bloomberg Law] * Robinhood is facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a college student who allegedly killed himself after purportedly sustaining trading losses using the platform. [Hill] * The Justice Department has dropped a lawsuit filed against a former aide to Melania Trump over a tell-all book published about the Trump Administration. That book must be a pager-turner... [Washington Post]

By Jordan Rothman
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.05.19

* George Zimmerman is suing the family of Trayvon Martin and their lawyer for $100 Million over statements made in a new book. Good luck recovering that. [USA Today] * A Massachusetts lawyer has been criminally charged and suspended from practice for defrauding clients and lenders of millions of dollars. [Mass Live] * Melania Trump said that the law professor who invoked Barron Trump's name at an impeachment hearing "should be ashamed" of her words. [Fox News] * Sidley Austin and a number of other law firms are being sued for allegedly aiding a Ponzi schemer. [Courthouse News Service] * A Philadelphia lawyer has been disbarred for laundering money for an organized crime family. This attorney took being a consigliere way too far. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * Rep. Devin Nunes is suing CNN for $435 Million over allegedly defamatory statements. Wonder if the suit was filed in a state with an anti-SLAPP law... [USA Today]

By Jordan Rothman
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.08.19

* The 2020 Census case is officially moving forward as the DOJ attempts to “re-evaluate all available options,” and the judge on the case is allowing plaintiffs to focus on whether the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question was "steeped in discriminatory motive." [NBC News] * And the lawyers who had been representing the administration in the case are being swapped out — which could mean that some of them were having legal or ethical concerns about their continued involvement. [Washington Post] * “You know that woman is lying, don’t you?” According to a new book written by Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino, that’s what Melania Trump allegedly said to Donald Trump of Christine Blasey Ford’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimony against Justice Brett Kavanaugh. [New York Post] * ““I do not regret my vote in the least,” says Senator Susan Collins in reference to her controversial vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. She might regret it if that’s what gets her kicked out of her Senate seat... [The Hill] * Billionaire playboy Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on Saturday and charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors, crimes which could could put him behind bars for up to 45 years. [New York Times] * Reed Smith counsel Mark Goldstein imagined the worst case scenarios that could have happened after he told the legal world about his depression, but he was “heartened” by all of Biglaw’s progress in terms of lawyers’ mental health. [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.13.17

* Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the nation's first female Muslim judge and the first African-American woman to serve on New York's highest court, was found dead in the Hudson River. We'll have more on this later. [New York Daily News] * The Ukraine-related activities of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort are under legal scrutiny -- and one of his daughters, lawyer Andrea Manafort, described some of her father's actions as "legally questionable." [New York Times] * Hawaii says "aloha" to the Ninth Circuit in its challenge to Trump Travel Ban 2.0 -- and seeks initial en banc review, bypassing a three-judge panel. [ABA Journal] * So the filibuster is now dead for SCOTUS nominees; are blue slips for lower-court nominees next? [Roll Call via How Appealing] * Melania Trump settles her defamation litigation with the Daily Mail, getting an apology, a retraction, coverage of her legal fees, and what her lawyer Charles Harder describes as "millions of dollars in damages." [New York Law Journal] * Biglaw firms aren't the only workplaces with gender pay gaps; it's an issue for in-house legal departments too, including Google's. [Corporate Counsel] * Seriously, North Carolina? After its half-hearted repeal of the "bathroom bill," three lawmakers in the state want to ban gay marriage. [WNCN] * Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the D.C. Circuit seems to be a fan of Justice Neil Gorsuch's views on Chevron deference. [Law.com] * And Justice Elena Kagan will be throwing a party to welcome Justice Gorsuch to the Court. [Washington Post via How Appealing]

By David Lat
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.24.17

* Big scoop: here's what Merrick Garland is really up to. [Clickhole] * “I love the First Amendment. Nobody loves it better than me." ...and other lies the president told me. [Huffington Post] * Hey! Remember law school? Remember torts? Remember the "spring gun case"? Here's an interview with the lawyer behind that one. [Coverage Opinions] * In an alternative universe, Melania Trump is a deportation priority, not the First Lady. [Slate] * Yes, after 20 pages even a federal judge's eyes start to glaze over. [Law Prose] * Budget cuts are behind the IRS's 10 year low audit rate. [TaxProf Blog] * The robots can't duplicate expert opinions. [Law and More] * Can two people keep a secret if one of them is a robot? [Ars Technica]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.08.17

* An unforced error by Melania Trump's lawyers? [New York Personal Injury Attorney] * This shampoo regulations case study is enough to make you start itching everywhere. [LawSci Forum] * EPA nominee Scott Pruitt is facing a new lawsuit that alleges he failed to comply with open records laws. [PR Watch] * Everything you need to know about Judge Neil Gorsuch's writing style preferences. [Legal Writing Pro] * What happens when solo practitioners get sick? [Reboot Your Law Practice] * No Sean, I don't think so. [Twitter] https://twitter.com/Yamiche/status/829413450224959490

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.30.16

* The the fraud claims against Arizona Summit Law School by former student Paula Lorona was dismissed. Judge Neil Wake found the plaintiff failed to prove the school materially misrepresented the qualifications of students admitted through the school's alternative admissions procedure. Lorona's claims of retaliatory discharge, ADA and gender discrimination remain. [National Law Journal] * An amicus brief filed with Supreme Court Wednesday uses a variety of historically significant mug shots to make its point about the importance of the media's access to these booking pictures. [Law.com] * A look at Melania Trump's defamation case and the real implications for freedom of the press. [CNN] * An interview with Loving director Mike Nichols in which he discusses the his responsibility in telling the story behind this important Supreme Court case. [LA Times] * In America your personal information is for sale. What privacy rules might be put in place to stem the flow of data? [ABA Journal]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.02.16

* Dentons asks its European partners to kick in more money. Is this no big deal or something they should be verein worried about? (Ugh.) [Legal Week] * Melania Trump is suing the Daily Mail over escort stories. [Law360] * Judge Rakoff sides with Beyoncé in "Lemonade" suit. He stated the result and added that "a memorandum explaining the reasons for this ruling will issue in due course, at which time final judgment will be entered." All the greats build hype before their next opinion drops. [Hollywood Reporter] * After Brock Turner, California passed a new rape law... and it could backfire badly. [Rolling Stone] * USC linebacker accused of raping a woman twice and sending pictures of it to her ex. [Deadspin] * "So you want to sue your firm." [Law.com] * For your long weekend, here's a deep dive into the tale of the pair of lawyers who lost a massive civil suit over framing a PTA rival. [LA Times] * Suicide bombing kills 12 at Pakistani courthouse. [BBC]

By Joe Patrice