NBC

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 01.31.17

* Adam Feldman makes the case for Justice Neil Gorsuch. (Visit Above the Law at 8 p.m. for our live coverage of the Supreme Court announcement.) [Empirical SCOTUS] * Speaking of SCOTUS, a former shortlister and current feeder judge, Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, has a new book out: All Falling Faiths: Reflections on the Promise and Failure of the 1960s. [Amazon (affiliate link)] * Is the "chaos" of the Trump Administration's early days really just the startup-like disruption of the established order? [Althouse] * Professor Ilya Somin analyzes -- and endorses -- San Francisco's lawsuit against President Trump's "sanctuary cities" order. [Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * Professor Eric Chiappinelli offers two recommendations for law schools to survive -- and even thrive -- in today's challenging environment. [PrawfsBlawg] * Is the hiring of lawyer turned journalist Megyn Kelly the first step in NBC's transformation into the next Fox News? [Instapundit]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.28.15

* Jurors in the criminal trial for former leaders of Dewey & LeBoeuf have reviewed evidence for a full week already, and will return to court today for their eighth day of deliberations. At least the defendants will be able to keep killing time on Candy Crush. [WSJ Law Blog] * A federal judge denied the UFC's motion to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit that was filed against it by current and former fighters over the organization's monopolization of the MMA industry. It's time to bring in an armbar submission artist to stop the UFC for good. [ESPN] * "I don't want to leave my successor a dirty barn." Hot on the heels of his surprise resignation, House Speaker John Boehner has vowed to avoid a government shutdown and pass some legislation before his time is up. Well, it's good to have goals. [Reuters] * Volkswagen can expect nothing less than a "tsunami" of lawsuits and legal proceedings thanks to its emissions scandal. On the bright side, Kirkland & Ellis is going to be able to reap the rewards of thousands of billable hours. [Chicago Tribune; Automotive News] * TV staffers who worked on "The Following" and "The Blacklist" filed suit against production companies Warner Brothers, NBC, and Sony, alleging they were forced to work 24 hours straight -- and pee in bottles -- without being paid overtime. [New York Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.17.15

* Following NBC's announcement of his six-month suspension without pay, Brian Williams turned to Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly to save his career. The pair met when they were Supreme Court clerks -- oopsie, we guess that's another misrepresentation. [Am Law Daily] * "We weren’t about to ask them to risk life and limb to get in." As Boston braces for yet another snowstorm, Biglaw firms are trying to figure out how they can continue to operate. Punxsutawney Phil is keeping the wheels of justice from turning. [National Law Journal] * The Supreme Court has granted Colorado an extension to respond to a lawsuit filed by Nebraska and Oklahoma which claims that its decision to legalize marijuana was unconstitutional. Puff, puff, pass this cert vote, SCOTUS. [Cannabist / Denver Post] * Regulators! Mount up... and then run away to your new Biglaw firms. Preet Bharara's S.D.N.Y. roster is constantly changing thanks to the golden handcuffs large law firms offer, but Bharara still "love[s] all [his] children equally." [DealBook / New York Times] * David Messerschmitt, the DLA Piper associate who was found dead in a Washington, D.C., hotel room last week, is remembered by his colleagues as "someone so talented and so nice." There have been no new breaks in his murder investigation. [Legal Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 06.20.14

* This Biglaw firm is getting into the imaginary money business by bidding on $18M of Bitcoins seized in the Silk Road raid. Maybe they’ll accept this new "currency" as payment. [Am Law Daily] * Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wants his trial moved to New York or D.C. for an unbiased jury. Moving it to cities where terrorist attacks have occurred is a great idea! [Bloomberg] * Here’s a perfect headline for a lovely Friday when we imagine people will be able to get in some quality day drinking: “Market Struggles to Absorb Record Law School Class of ’13.” [National Law Journal] * Part of George Zimmerman’s defamation lawsuit against NBC was dismissed because his attorneys waited too long to ask the network for a retraction. Time to paint a picture about it, Georgie. [Fox News] * Can you sue the dude who banged your wife for ruining your marriage? It sucks for cuckolded husbands, but you can’t in most states, including West Virginia, where family trees grow in a circle. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Cars

Possible Criminal Charges for a Criminal Law Professor

Just because you teach the law doesn't mean that you're above it. We've written in the past about prominent law professors accused of domestic violence and soliciting a prostitute, for example. Today we bring you news of another law professor who could be in trouble with the law. He's accused of reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. The allegations, if true, are surprising. The professor in question teaches at a top law school. Who is he?

By David Lat
Biglaw

Quote of the Day: No ‘Martial Arts Moves’ Here

I never had the inclination, or the physical strength, to attack Mr. Bloch. — Henry Shields Jr., the Drinker Biddle partner accused in a lawsuit of assaulting opposing counsel at a deposition. Shields, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, maintains that he was the victim of the assault rather than the perpetrator. (To read more about […]

By David Lat