Middle Tennessee State University

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.24.18

* As she steps away from public life in the wake of her dementia diagnosis, rather than banish retired Justice Anthony Kennedy to the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor bequeathed her chambers to him. The Supreme Court will miss her. [National Law Journal] * Judges say the darndest things: Bill Cosby's bid to get a new trial and reduce his sentence was summarily turned down by Judge Steven O'Neill, who noted in a simple, one-page ruling that "no hearing or argument is required on the issues." [NBC News] * Desmarais, the elite IP litigation boutique that recently raised salaries for first-year associates to $210,000, will be making its "first and probably [] last expansion," opening a West Coast office in San Francisco to serve its Bay Area clients. [Law360] * In case you missed it, the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners awarded Thomas Jefferson School of Law with state accreditation after an 8-7 vote, with one committee member abstaining. Now its graduates will be able to sit for the California bar exam even if the ABA revokes its accreditation. [ABA Journal] * If you've been wondering what killed the Middle Tennessee State University / Valparaiso Law School deal, one member of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission says it had to do with "genuine concern about the labor supply and demand for lawyers" -- and that seems entirely reasonable. [Murfreesboro Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.16.18

* Valparaiso celebrated earlier in the week after reaching an agreement to send its beleaguered law school to Middle Tennessee. Tennessee's education officials have killed the idea of hosting another middling law school with extreme prejudice. [Chicago Tribune] * Ninth Circuit judge displays deliberate ignorance in what appears to be a looming decision to keep college athletes out of court. [Courthouse News Service] * Whenever you doubt the stupidity of humanity, remember people accused of global financial fraud tend to email each other explicit descriptions of what they're doing. [Law360] * Boies Schiller will act as special prosecutor in the Joe Arpaio appeal in what should be the easiest appellate layup ever. [The Recorder] * Republican judge dismisses lawsuit against Republican politician. [Huffington Post] * Jeff Sessions tells the Heritage Foundation that he doesn't approve of this idea that courts might consider themselves some kind of "check" or "balance" on the executive branch. [National Law Journal] * Ralph Baxter thinks Biglaw needs to change its business model to succeed. [American Lawyer]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.11.18

* If you've been following the Adidas wire fraud saga you know they have more than their share of headaches. So they've hired a senior in-house person from Bayer. See what I did there? [Corporate Counsel] * Middle Tennessee becomes the new home for Valpo students... subject to approval. I'm old enough to remember when Valpo adamantly denied they were in trouble? Ah, 2017! [Daily News Journal] * Former Biglaw partner gets 5 year prison term. [New Jersey Law Journal] * Litigation finance earmarking $50 million for women-led matters. [American Lawyer] * A welcome development in the Robert Indiana case. [Law360] * Who's excited about class action fee settlements! [NY Times]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.25.18

* The Supreme Court is set to rule on six more cases this week, and one of them is President Trump's Muslim travel ban. Stay tuned, because we could find out a decision on this one later this morning. [Reuters] * President Trump has called for the immediate deportation of undocumented immigrants with "no judges or court cases." Adios to due process, which was pretty cool while it lasted. [The Hill] * Speaking of undocumented immigrants, Lawyers for Good Government has launched Project Corazon, a program led by Kirkland & Ellis, where attorneys will help reunite families that were separated at the border under President Trump's "zero tolerance" policy. [ABA Journal] * Valparaiso Law might not be going anywhere after all. As it turns out, Middle Tennessee State University is in talks to inherit the struggling law school program. MTSU isn't buying the school or merging with it -- no, this is going to be considered a "gift." Mmmhmmm. [Chicago Tribune] * Coming to a law firm near you is the Mansfield Rule 2.0, which aims to close the gap in leadership roles for LGTBQ+ attorneys in Biglaw. Fifty firms signed up for the original Mansfield Rule to promote the success of women, and 35 of those firms plus 11 new ones have joined to support LGTBQ+ attorneys. [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky