Montana

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.04.22

* Not on my watch! Montana judge rules that last minute changes to a law were unconstitutional. [Billings Gazette] * Deal with it: Despite Republican frustrations, New Jersey’s Supreme Court finds no issue with their congressional map. [Politico] * Broken clocks need an attorney at least twice a day: Guy committing identify fraud is arrested because the dude he’s frauding also had a warrant. [Richmond Register] * Utah bill is set to give parents full reign over what teachers are able to teach children. Helicopter mommy and daddy better be chipping in on school supplies too! [Salt Lake Tribune] * A bill just got introduced in Oklahoma that would let you sue teachers for $10k if they teach something against your religion. The biggest display of faith here is the thought that teachers could make good on that judgment. [Independent]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.03.22 – Welcome Back!

* "Don't let a few coughs prevent getting cash!" -- NY major Eric Adams, basically. Much like Omicron, CDC policy appears to be spreading.  [ABC News] * Reminder: report that embezzlement on your tax return! Wouldn't want you to go to jail for not giving the Gov't their cut. [Audacy] * The anniversary of last year's failed coup is coming up — STL Today's editorial board has something to say about it. [STL Today] * Yup, still concerning US-Russia relation tensions. 2022 is already feeling like 2021 2.0. Come on international law lawyers, do something!  [NBC News] * Legal weed for recreational use is live in Montana. I wonder if they give JD discounts. [KPAX]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.11.21

* Congress will be mandating cars breathalyzers in cars by 2026. Is this the new seat belt or a major 4th Amendment violation? [Tech Crunch] * Looking to follow the Arbury case and would like a primer on citizen's arrest? Here you go. [CNN] * New York is encouraging employees to blow the whistle in a big way. See something, do your best referee impersonation...something. [National Law Review] * Tribes and conservation groups in Montana are forcing mining companies to clean up after themselves. I hope that this is blared as the company removes the waste, but that might be cruel and unusual. [AP News] * 1st Amendment is still under attack — and Ohio is throwing a haymaker. [AP News]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.21.21

* The struggling democracy with nukes still can't pull it together enough to even talk about a new voting rights bill. [ABC News] * Montana's AG wants abortion law in place that may violate the state's constitution. See what you've started, Texas? [U.S. News] * NYPD police union threatens to sue if officers are required to get vaccinated. Can Pfizer just come up with a donut version of the vaccine? I feel like that could do the trick. [Fox News] * Lawsuit claims that Oklahoma's anti-CRT laws violate the 1st and 14th amendments. Interesting argument, I wonder if anyone has made it before. [NBC News] * Change in Arizona law aims to reduce the frequency of street racing. Bold move — it will likely rule the state out as a place to record Fast & Furious 37: Road Runner's Requiem. [ABC 15]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.18.21

* Kodak and its CEO might be sued over insider trading that allegedly occurred just before the company announced a lucrative deal with the U.S. government. Maybe they figured regulators didn't know the company still existed... [Wall Street Journal] * Derek Chauvin's lawyer denied that he leaked information about a rejected plea deal to the press. [Insider] * A new lawsuit alleges that Montana is infringing on the rights of Native American voters. [New York Times] * Rudy Giuliani's legal team disputed the legitimacy of search warrants issued against the former Trump lawyer. [Wall Street Journal] * The Supreme Court rejected Uber's attempt to avoid a lawsuit over drivers' pay. Guess the company is going to have to take the off ramp... [Reuters]

By Jordan Rothman
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.25.20

* Netflix has settled a lawsuit over the "Choose Your Own Adventure" trademark. Guess Netflix chose the adventure that doesn't end in a trial... [Hollywood Reporter] * Two women, who were detained in northern Montana for speaking Spanish, have settled a lawsuit against U.S. Customs and Border Protection. [Reuters] * A new lawsuit alleges that a 70-year-old worker at the grocery store chain Publix contracted COVID-19 and died as a result of lax policies of his employer. [NBC News] * Check out this article on the legal prowess of Daredevil and She-Hulk (had no idea She-Hulk was a comic-book character!). [Screen Rant] * A Texas man is in hot water for allegedly filing a mandamus petition on behalf of two clients even though he is not a licensed attorney. [Bloomberg Law] * A Pennsylvania lawyer has been found guilty of identity theft and other crimes. So tempted to make a My Cousin Vinny joke right now... [Legal Intelligencer]

By Jordan Rothman
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.26.17

* The Russia investigation now turns to President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner -- proud holder of a law degree from NYU (and a really great set of abs). [Washington Post] * Former Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), currently senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson, has withdrawn from consideration as FBI Director (as my colleague Staci Zaretsky predicted, after Marc Kasowitz got hired by President Trump to represent him in the Russia probe). [New York Times] * Congratulations to Judge Amul Thapar, President Trump's first lower-court nominee, on his confirmation to the Sixth Circuit -- although it's disappointing that no Democrats voted in favor of this eminently qualified (and diverse) candidate. [How Appealing] * Despite allegedly roughing up a reporter (for which he's apologized), Republican Greg Gianforte won the race for Montana's sole seat in the House of Representatives (as my colleague Joe Patrice predicted he would). [New York Times] * How did Michelle Obama react when Barack Obama declined to pursue a coveted Supreme Court clerkship? Tony Mauro tells the tale. [Law.com] * The ABA continues to fight the good (or not so good?) fight in defense of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. [ABA Journal] * It seems that some folks on Capitol Hill like my proposed solution to the use of "blue slips" in the judicial confirmation process. [Washington Post via How Appealing] * The Brooklyn District Attorney's office concludes that a slew of murder convictions based on dubious evidence from embattled detective Louis Scarcella must be thrown out -- and yet Scarcella engaged in no wrongdoing. [New York Times] * Biglaw firms are suffering from an oversupply of lawyers, and a quarter of respondents to a recent survey said their associates don't have enough work -- which might explain why at least one firm has turned to laying off first-year associates. Yikes. [ABA Journal]

By David Lat