Mitch McConnell

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.07.19

* It's back to work for the justices of the Supreme Court as the October Term 2019 gets started today, with major cases on LGBTQ rights, immigration, abortion, guns, and religion scheduled to be heard over the course of this year. Here's a good summary of five cases to watch. [New York Times] * Are appellate advocates ready for a kinder, gentler experience before the Supreme Court? They’ll now receive two minutes of uninterrupted time at the beginning of oral arguments. This is a “dramatic change” of pace for the high court. [National Law Journal] * According to Mark Zaid, the lawyer for whistleblower #1, there are now two whistleblowers on President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine, and the second one reportedly has firsthand knowledge of some of the allegations detailed in the original complaint. [ABC News] * "All of you know your Constitution. The way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority with me as majority leader.“ Sen. Mitch McConnell is promising to end the impeachment proceedings against Trump in his latest campaign ads. [Louisville Courier Journal] * Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes hasn’t paid her lawyers in more than a year, and now they’ve asked a judge to let them off her case. “It is unfair and unreasonable to require Cooley to continue representing Ms. Holmes in this action,” her disgruntled attorneys wrote in their motion. [Mercury News] * “[If] I cannot keep my oath of office, I’d rather die than live without honor.” A judge in Thailand shot himself in court in an apparent attempt to take his own life after acquitting men of murder charges whom he’d reportedly been pressured to convict. [The Guardian]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.14.19

* “The Supreme Court is not well. And the people know it.” Senate Democrats have issued a warning to the members of the highest bench in the land: “heal [thy]self” lest you be restructured to reduce political influences. [Fox News] * In case you missed it, the Trump and McConnell reelection campaigns are trying to turn the controversial Supreme Court confirmations of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh into a fashion statement — for $35 or more, that is. [Washington Post] * Rather than continue in her quest for justice against Jones Day using her real name, Jane Doe 4 has been dropped as a named plaintiff in the $200 million gender bias suit against the firm. [Big Law Business] * According to the latest statistics from the American Bar Association, the federal judiciary is unsurprisingly overflowing with white male judges, but at least women seem to be catching up. [Law.com] * For the first time in history, women make up the majority of the first-year entering class at the University of Alabama School of Law. Roll tide! [6WBRC]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.05.19

* Two back-to-back mass shootings were committed by domestic terrorists this past weekend, killing at least 29 people with dozens more injured. Lawmakers must do something, anything about America's gun problem. [Wall Street Journal] * Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell claims that he "saved the Supreme Court for a generation" by denying Judge Merrick Garland a confirmation hearing because those shouldn't be held during presidential election years -- unless the president up for election is Donald Trump. [Bloomberg] * In other news related to Senator McConnell, he's currently recovering from fracturing his shoulder this weekend, but plans to "continue to work from home" on not doing anything about gun control. We'd offer some thoughts and prayers, but you know how meaningless those are. [CBS News] * Per this D.C. judge, the Trump administration's latest move to bar those who did not cross the border at a designated port of entry from seeking asylum violates the Immigration and Nationality Act. How many strikes will it take for this one to get appealed to SCOTUS? [CNN] * Louis Vuitton wants to keep senior in-house attorney Andowah Newton's sexual harassment claims in arbitration, while she'd prefer to have her voice be heart in court under New York's new #MeToo law. [Big Law Business] * Spinderella, sue it up one time: the famous DJ is suing Salt-N-Pepa alleging not only that the group failed to pay her hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties, but that she was underpaid for appearances and sometimes wasn't even paid at all. [Showbiz CheatSheet]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.01.19

* In case you missed it, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he'd be willing to entertain a Democratic president’s Supreme Court nominee in 2021 because it would be "politically unsustainable" to hold open a vacancy for so long -- but that doesn't mean there'd be a confirmation. [POLITICO] * It's sick that we need a federal court order to get this done, but... conditions for migrant children must be improved immediately at Border Patrol facilities in Texas because right now, they "could be compared to torture facilities." [New York Times] * A judge has permanently enjoined the Trump administration from diverting $2.5 million in military funds to construct a wall on the southern border. We imagine there will be some Twitter rant about "Obama judges" coming soon. [The Hill] * October Term 2018 was pretty strange and we saw SCOTUS justices making strange bedfellows in their opinions, with Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh joining the high court's liberals in the majority for one of the most FUCT-up cases. [NBC News] * Hoping to open your own firm or join a small law firm after graduation from law school? If that's the case, then you might be interested to know that average compensation in this area of the legal profession is down, with women earning incomes 36 percent lower than their male counterparts. [Law.com]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.29.19

* Loretta Lynch is re-joining the private sector. The former Attorney General is heading to Paul Weiss. [National Law Journal] * Consistency? From Mitch McConnell? About the Supreme Court? HAHAHAHA. [The Hill] * A deeper look at the case against former Skadden counsel, Greg Craig. [Politico] * Are you a lonely lawyer? Ironically, you are not alone. [Law.com] * "Gay Panic" may not be a defense in New York much longer. It's about time. [New York Law Journal] * Yeah, you really should be worried about the Big Four accounting firms moving into Biglaw territory. [Big Law Business]

By Kathryn Rubino