Mueller Probe

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.12.19

* Judge Maryanne Trump Barry recently retired from the Third Circuit, meaning that the judicial ethics inquiry into her alleged inheritance tax evasion be all for naught. [Associated Press] * No, it isn't true that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court papers won't be released "until a hundred years after the last justice with whom she has served is no longer alive." Much like conspiracy theorists' claims about RBG's death, that would be insane. [National Law Journal] * Numerous progressive groups have asked the House of Representatives to investigate Justice Brett Kavanaugh's "sham confirmation process" after he was accused of sexual misconduct -- but it's unlikely this will go anywhere. [BuzzFeed] * In case you missed it, former Skadden partner Greg Craig was charged in connection with the Mueller investigation for making false statements to the DOJ that were tied to his work for Ukraine. If you recall, former Skadden associate Alexander van der Zwaan was the first to be sentenced in the Mueller probe. [American Lawyer] * "I’m used to always being the caretaker for other people. It’s not natural for me to accept help." Dean Lyrissa Lidsky of the University of Missouri School of Law is battling breast cancer, and her law school colleagues and students have offered her all of their support. We're with you too, Dean! #LidskyStrong [Law.com] * Pharma bro Martin Shkreli, whose prison pals "affectionately call him 'asshole," is reportly fighting an antitrust lawsuit from solitary confinement. [Big Law Business]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.01.19

* According to a recent poll conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, most Americans — 40 percent — don’t think President Trump was cleared of wrongdoing by the Mueller probe (“[W]hile this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”). It’s somewhat comforting that most Americans can read. [NBC News] * “What are you, Oprah now? I mean, what am I, on a couch and you are a psychiatrist? I think it's a really inappropriate question." Kellyanne Conway didn’t approve of a question about her marriage to Wachtell partner and Trump critic George Conway on live TV. [USA Today] * It seems like everyone will be a loser in this sad Brexit affair — everyone except for the lawyers, that is. UK Biglaw firms report that almost every practice area is “thriving” and they’re seeing the best financial results in a decade. [New York Times] * Georgia bar examinees who were told they failed the exam when they actually passed it lost their suit against the company that calculated their scores. They apparently missed a contracts issue in their suit. Thank god that wasn’t on the bar exam... [Big Law Business] * Congratulations to Zuzana Caputova, the liberal lawyer oft referred to as “Slovakia’s Erin Brockovich,” who was just elected as the first female president in the country’s history. [CNBC]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.27.19

* Attorney General William Barr says he plans to make a version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report available to Congress and the public within a matter of weeks, and apparently the White House won't be receiving a copy in advance of the release. [Wall Street Journal] * Speaking of the Mueller report, Rudy Giuliani says he wouldn't have any issues with releasing Trump’s written testimony that was submitted to Mueller. Jay Sekulow would beg to differ. [Washington Examiner] * The EU approved the controversial Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive, a new IP law that will govern the way copyrighted material is uploaded online and who will be liable for infringement. At least memes are exempt? [BBC News] * Congratulations to Bridget Bade, who was just confirmed to the Ninth Circuit. She's the 37th circuit court judge to be appointed by President Trump, who is changing the makeup of the federal judiciary, one conservative judge at a time. [Big Law Business] * Elon Musk must appear in court next week for a contempt hearing over his Tesla tweets against self-interest that are allegedly in breach of his settlement agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. [CNN] * Your bracket may be busted, but this Biglaw associate has a near-perfect track record. She's gotten 46 out of 48 matchups right thus far, and at one point she was one of just eight people in the country with a perfect bracket. [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.07.18

* In case you missed it, Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh refused to condemn President Donald Trump's attacks on the judiciary (specifically, his insults of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg), refused to say whether he believed same-sex marriage was a constitutional right, and once again denied discussing the Mueller probe with anyone at Kasowitz Benson. What will happen today? [Washington Post] * President Donald Trump has reportedly called Attorney General Jeff Sessions "a dumb Southerner" and an "idiot" without an Ivy League law degree who "couldn’t even be a one-person country lawyer down in Alabama." This Alabama Law professor wonders what's so bad about a degree from Alabama Law. [New York Times] * Per a new study from the American Bar Association, the sky is blue and women and minorities continue to face racial and gender bias within the legal profession. But, here are some tools to fight these problems. [DealBook / New York Times] * Allen & Overy has published its 2018 gender pay gap figures, and it's the first U.K. firm to include data from its "overwhelmingly male" partners in its disclosures. A&O's median gender pay gap is 39 percent, a slight improvement. [Financial Times] * It seems that the Justice Department no longer thinks that employers should be forced to consider job applicants with criminal histories, going against Obama-era guidance that the EEOC has been following since 2012. [National Law Journal] * In an historic opinion, India's Supreme Court ruled that gay sex between adults is not a crime, casting aside an "irrational, arbitrary, and incomprehensible" colonial-era law that made the act a punishable offense within the country. [Times of India] * Fire alarms sounded at Miami Law as smoke poured through vents into a student lounge, and some students evacuated their classrooms, but others ran back in to save their laptops. Well, obviously -- they're law students, after all. [Miami Hurricane]

By Staci Zaretsky