Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.17.25

* Utah seeking death penalty in Charlie Kirk case. [Courthouse News Service]

* Legislators raise concerns over the proposal to force JAG officers to serve as immigration judges. Because it's stupid. [AP]

* DOJ just removed a report confirming that white supremacist and far-right violence "continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism." [404 Media]

* Harvard Law School's incoming class includes more Black students after last year's decline. So prepare for the White House to slash more Harvard funding. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Judges looking beyond monetary fines to police AI hallucinations. [Reuters]

* A&O Shearman losing more partners. [Law.com International]

* Fun exercise: what are the most overused words in law firm press releases? [ABA Journal]

Morning Docket: 09.16.25

* D.C. Circuit blocks attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor. [NBC News]

* Trump files $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times for malicious reporting of stuff he doesn't like. [CNN]

* Two different people claim to be Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft and no one could figure out the correct answer. This is what happens when you run on Microsoft Teams. [Corporate Counsel]

* Brett Kavanaugh's getting protested in Waco, if you want a sense of how unpopular this Court has gotten. [Texas Lawyer]

* Prosecutors argue that Tom Goldstein can't pay his fees with his house since his house is the subject of one of the charges. [Law360]

* Trump administration calling its politically motivated federal cuts as contract breaches in order to shunt them into the Court of Claims where litigants can't get equitable relief. If you're wondering, yes, this is the bonkers baby-splitting solution Justice Barrett recently pitched. [Bloomberg Law News]

* China accuses Nvdia of antitrust violations. [Investopedia]

Morning Docket: 09.15.25

* Lawyer accused of hallucinated cites in case about getting law license back. [ABA Journal]

* FTC sees collapse of CFPB as a new opportunity to oversee the fleecing of Americans. [Bloomberg Law News]

* EU allowing Microsoft to remove Teams from its product bundle to avoid antitrust issues, opening the door to your European colleagues having a teleconference tool that works. [Law360]

* Judge extends block on government randomly deporting kids in the middle of the night. [Reuters]

* SEC wants to keep its case against Musk in D.C., which makes you think: he did all that and still didn't get Trump to drop the SEC case? [National Law Journal]

* The financial press can't get enough Harvey stories. [Financial Times]

Morning Docket: 09.12.25

* "Firms that aren’t willing or able to compete with the highest-paying players are instead competing on flexibility." Which is, frankly, the right business strategy. [Law.com]

* A lawyer for the Korean workers rounded up by ICE -- throwing the whole U.S.-South Korean economic alliance in turmoil -- says they all had legal visas at the time. Because of course that's how this turns out. [AP]

* Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in political bribery case. The Supreme Court has spent years trying to say bribery isn't a thing, so let's see there's hope for her yet! [Law360]

* Steve Vladeck breaks down the Kavanaugh concurrence in the ICE decision and it's... curious. [One First]

* Looks like the Feds are still trying to go after former Biglaw associate Paul Bryant even after the grand jury passed on an indictment. [ABA Journal]

* Trump attempt to block migrant children from Head Start programs they qualify for slapped down by federal judge. [Reuters]

* "Lower-court judges are defying precedent and even openly criticizing Supreme Court justices" Except, you know, shadow docket opinions are NOT precedent and the open criticism is "please take the time to write opinions to keep right-wing cranks from phoning in violent threats to our homes." Other than that, the Wall Street Journal op-ed page is making great choices. [WSJ]

Morning Docket: 09.11.25

* Trump administration appeals stay in bid to fire Federal Reserve governor in prelude to Supreme Court showdown. [Reuters]

* Former FBI agents allege they were subjected to loyalty tests. [NPR]

* Clients driving firms to use more generative AI. Knock it all you want, but hallucinations are cheap! [Bloomberg Law News]

* Bipartisan ABA task force calls for serious election reform to protect the rule of law. [Law.com]

* D.C. Circuit returns Copyright chief to job. [Law360]

* As authorities keep detaining and then releasing suspects in the Charlie Kirk case, the local newspaper notes that Utah allows open carry everywhere, making it harder to just nab everyone leaving the scene with a gun. [Salt Lake Tribune]

* Lynne Stewart, the defense lawyer that the Bush administration accused of aiding terrorists, has died. [ABA Journal]

Morning Docket: 09.10.25

* Judge blocks effort to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook, noting that pre-role misconduct -- in this case, a mere accusation of pre-role misconduct to boot -- doesn't meet the statutory definition of a "for cause" dismissal. [Politico]

* Federal judges are learning from each other's experiences. It's why Judge Sooknanan oversaw a grueling, round-the-clock oversight effort having watched the government exploit Judge Boasberg for treating them like good faith litigants. [Lawfare]

* Banksy piece depicting a UK judge using a gave to brutally beat a protester will be removed. [Legal Cheek]

* Supreme Court to fast track appeal of Trump's tariffs case. Big test for a Court that already tried to twist itself in knots to build a conception of presidential power that's unlimited right up until it impacts their stock portfolios. [CNBC]

* Former Biglaw associate accused in DC occupation receives the latest no bill from a grand jury [WUSA]

* Second Circuit to hear appeal in "Tylenol causes autism" suits. The Onion had the best take on this latest of RFK Jr.'s insane theories. [Law.com]

* LGBTQ rights lawyer indicted in Alabama for judge shopping. Meanwhile, in Amarillo, that's just called "a Tuesday." [Reuters]

* Just Ken... getting a DUI. [Lowering the Bar]

Morning Docket: 09.09.25

* Supreme Court authorizes Trump administration to begin racially profiling Latinos -- and anyone authorities think looks Latino -- in another shadow docket special. [The Nation]

* Review calls Amy Coney Barrett's new book "studiously bland," which perfectly captures the lane she's cynically trying to claim for herself. [NY Times]

* State judge who ruled that Trump could continue his suit against the Pulitzer Prize for giving the award to reporting that he didn't like now confirmed to the federal bench. [Reuters]

* The Biglaw firms who didn't surrender are embracing Trump Media work. At least they're getting paid for their time. [American Lawyer]

* Companies increasingly fear that federal worker cuts will end up compromising cybersecurity. [Bloomberg Law News]

* E. Jean Carroll award upheld on appeal. [Courthouse News Service]

* The end of an era as TaxProf Blog, a fixture of the legal blogging world for over 20 years, puts up his final post. [TaxProf Blog]

Morning Docket: 09.08.25

* Are lawyers at heightened risk of developing a gambling addiction? I've got 2 bills on "no," who wants in on that action? [ABA Journal]

* SEC and CFTC look to crypto regulation, which will come to a halt once they learn what Trumpcoin is. [Law360]

* Trump's handling of federal workers puts him on collision course with limits of legal authority. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Latham files suit challenging wind farm stoppage. Maybe Trump can use another of the surrender firms to fight it. [National Law Journal]

* Rachel Cohen calling on folks to join the response to Trump's Chicago encroachment. [Block Club Chicago]

* Corporations can once again chain their employees and exploit the resulting lack of opportunity with non-compete agreements. [Reuters]

* A nice rundown on what the administration extracted from law firms and schools. [NY Times]

Morning Docket: 09.05.25

* Man who wishes we had a new term for attempted rape wishes we had new term for "shadow docket." [Bloomberg Law News]

* The law isn't an "opinion poll" says woman plugging a book where she literally says that constitutional rights should turn on whether they enjoy "broad public support." [CBS News]

* In a shock to no one with a brain, the Trump surrendering Biglaw firms are suffering with midlevel approval. [American Lawyer]

* DOJ Acting Deputy Chief says on hidden camera that the administration moved Ghislaine Maxwell to keep her quiet. But he wants you to know it was just to impress an au pair from Georgetown he picked up on an online dating app. I don't know if people know what this whole Epstein case is about, but... [X]

* Judge calls Neil Gorsuch's shadow docket aside "unhelpful and unnecessary." [MSNBC]

* UVA Law School... come get your boy. [The Independent]

Morning Docket: 09.04.25

* Federal judges blame Supreme Court's shadow docket reversals with no explanation for undermining the lower courts and fostering false sense of bias, fueling sometimes violent attacks against the judiciary. Apparently the Chief Justice's strategy of responding to critics with "shut up and let us rule you like gods" hasn't really gained traction. [NBC News]

* State letting students become take on criminal defense cases after only one year of law school. [Arizona Capital Times]

* Livestreams of one judge's courtroom become viral sensation. [ABA Journal]

* Jury slaps Google with $425 million in damages over unauthorized data collection. [Law360]

* Lobbyist calls Biglaw surrender deals "smart" because "it’s better to be someone who can work with the government than someone who just says screw you," which is the precise definition of the swamp that was supposed to be drained. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Texas brings back the abortion vigilante law, this time aimed at pills. [Reuters]

* Former GC says she was fired in retaliation for reporting sexual assaults and antitrust violations. [Corporate Counsel]

Morning Docket: 09.03.25

* Google avoids having to spin off Chrome. [Law360]

* Lawyers using time saved by AI for... more work. [Legal Cheek]

* Charging documents for former Biglaw associate arrested in D.C. say someone said hostile things to National Guard troops and a day later they decided it was him. We might have another no bill on our hands. [National Law Journal]

* Atlanta lawyers are jumping ship and boosting competitors entering the market. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

* Biglaw isn't joining up with Burford. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Military lawyers repurposed as immigration judges. [Reuters]

* DOJ lawyer going after Harvard for antisemitism wrote paper from Hitler's point of view. [Boston Globe]

Morning Docket: 09.02.25

* To bolster death penalty bid in Luigi Mangione case, prosecutors are arguing that the United Healthcare shooting, normalized gun violence. Instead of, say, the mass school shootings that the administration refuses to do anything about. [New York Law Journal]

* Rudy Giuliani injured in car crash. [CBS News]

* Federal judge and staff work through the middle of the night on a holiday weekend after Trump administration attempts to deport a planeload of children in the night to avoid legal oversight. [Reuters]

* Happy Labor Day! Littler Mendelson reportedly told clients on call that "if you are a bit more risk tolerant" they can go ahead and start ignoring some state labor laws. [American Prospect]

* MIT warns that ChatGPT may outperform more expensive products specifically tailored to the legal market. Somehow the word "hallucination" isn't in this article or the underlying report. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Federal Circuit puts brakes on Trump's tariff powers. [Law360]

* Former senior Disney lawyer sues company for discrimination. [Deadline]

Morning Docket: 08.29.25

* Trump takes a chainsaw to a bunch of federal unions. [Bloomberg Law]

* Bar exam scores are sky high. [Reuters]

* More petty Trumpian retribution: Kamala Harris's Secret Service detail nixed. [Huffington Post]

* The legal fight over the abortion pill is ramping up in disturbing ways. [Slate]

* Trump's approval rating is down, as it turns out Americans aren't a fan of military takeovers. [The Hill]

* January 6th rioter to get a refund. [Politico]

* Biglaw gets a big pay day advising foreign sovereigns in the Trump II era. [National Law Journal]

Morning Docket: 08.28.25

* Chicago prepares for potential troop deployment. Chicagoans might want to familiarize themselves with how grand juries work before the Italian Beefs start flying. [Reuters]

* Trump can bring lawsuit against Pulitzer Prize board for aggravated awarding journalists for reporting on him. The Pulitzer committee wanted the case delayed until after his presidency out of fear that he would use the office to abuse discovery obligations. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Trump administration claims to have fired the new CDC director. Her lawyers Abbe Lowell and Mark Zaid say otherwise. [ABC News]

* AI hallucinations show up again, this time in Katt Williams litigation. [Law360]

* Sam Alito becomes last horse to cross the finish line with financial disclosure. [Fix the Court]

* Top 50 firms continue to outpace the competition according to the Wells Fargo report while other bank reports showed midsized firms growing faster so maybe nobody knows what's happening right now. [American Lawyer]

* The legal fight over James Bond trademarks. [Law.com International]

Morning Docket: 08.27.25

* Parents sue OpenAI after chatbot encouraged son in his suicide efforts. [CNN]

* Wisconsin judge charged with obstructing an ICE arrest by barring officers from courtroom not entitled to judicial immunity from criminal charges. This is the correct outcome in a world before Trump v. United States, but it's pretty stupid in a world afterward. [Reuters]

* Lawyer running Trump's antisemitism task force has long, not-so-great record of "client disputes and scathing judicial rebukes." [Pro Publica]

* Retired judge indicted for sexually assaulting assistant. [ABA Journal]

* Man accused of spitting on National Guard troops occupying D.C. is a lawyer. [WUSA9]

* Polsinelli accuses partner of taking $1.5M fee on way out the door. [Law.com]

* Anthropic settles with authors suing over training data obtained from pirate sites. [Law360]