North Carolina

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.17.16

* Shocker! North Carolina's voter ID law primarily impacted young voters of color. (Actually, I am not surprised at all.) [Democracy Now] * Embrace the nerdiness of Merrrick Garland, you know you want to. [Comic Book Resources] * Does the #HulkvGawk case mean that being an internet smart-ass isn't cool anymore? God, I hope not. [Law and More] * It is easy to blame the poor for their lot in life, much harder to do anything about the underlying issues. [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * Merrick Garland: theater critic. [The Crimson] * It's science! Here is what data science tells us about Merrick Garland. [Ravel Law] * Looking for an easy way for your clients to pay? A new option is coming your way. [My Case] * Fingers crossed! GOP opposition to President Obama's SCOTUS nomination is cracking. [Huffington Post]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.19.16

* The cynical reality of the coming constitutional fights. [Eric Posner] * It doesn't look like the Supreme Court will stop North Carolina's redistricting order. [Politico] * Can Chief Justice Roberts save the Court from partisan politics? [New Republic] * The First Amendment even applies to lawyers with blogs. [Consumer Law & Policy Blog] * The perfect way to make sure you are in compliance with every law and regulation, according to Professors Dan Solove and Woodrow Hartzog. [SSRN] * Affluenza teen grows up! Ethan Couch will be tried as an adult. [Gawker] * David Lat tells you how to take control of your career. [Legal Talk Network]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.28.15

* In September, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner sued Hasbro over a toy hamster named Harris Faulker, claiming it violated her likeness rights. Hasbro has moved to dismiss the suit by providing a judge with side-by-side photos and a snark-filled filing. [THR, Esq. / Hollywood Reporter] * Per Gawker's GC Heather Dietrick, it's "more likely than not" that the media empire will lose in Hulk Hogan's case over the release of his sex tape. She doesn't think it's likely, however, that the wrestler will get the $100 million in damages he's seeking. [POLITICO] * It's time for a ride at the regulatory rodeo, because for the first time in more than 20 years, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a new operating license for a nuclear power plant. Say hello to Watts Bar Unit 2 in Spring City, Tennessee. [The Verge] * We mentioned previously that when Apple refused to unlock a defendant's iPhone for the DOJ, a federal judge wasn't sure if he had the legal authority to order Apple to do so. As it turns out, Apple's EULA gives the government the perfect loophole. [Simple Justice] * In case you missed it last week (we did), LegalZoom has settled its $10.5 million antitrust lawsuit against the North Carolina State Bar. The online legal documentation company will now vet all of its documents with lawyers from North Carolina. [ABA Journal] * Breaking Media Editor at Large Elie Mystal appeared on The Docket to defend sex offenders' civil rights on Halloween. His Darth Vader costume is worth seeing. [MSNBC]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.20.15

* What can you do to improve your relationship with your boss? [Fortune] * It's been 150 years since the reconstruction amendments were passed, but the debate over them still rages on. [The Atlantic] * Should former USC football coach Steve Sarkisian have been placed on FMLA rather than be fired? [JD Supra] * United has tapped their General Counsel, Brett Hart, as acting CEO. [Bloomberg Business] * Unfortunately, there is no one right answer to fix our Constitutional issues. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * A lawyer got a notice of a random audit of his trust accounts, and now the North Carolina State Bar is involved. [Legal Profession Blog] * Hints about what next season's Serial will be about. [Huffington Post]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.17.15

* If you're unsatisfied with your current income-based loan repayment plan, wait until you see what the government has in store for you with its Revised Pay As You Earn plan. Here's a hint: more pain, more tears, and more anger. [Am Law Daily] * If you haven't heard, SABMiller will likely be getting taken over by Anheuser-Busch InBev NV in a "mega-beer merger." Sadly for Hogan Lovells, SABMiller tossed the firm out like a skunked beer in favor of representation by Linklaters. [WSJ Law Blog] * Rather than poaching lawyers from other local firms, Jones Day is trying to grow its Detroit office by calling home Michigan attorneys who expatriated from the state. No offense to the firm, but these people probably left for a reason. [Crain's Detroit Business] * Slowly but surely, results from the July 2015 administration of the bar exam are being released. Duke Law did best in North Carolina, where the overall combined pass rate for all takers was 69.4 percent (down from 75 percent last year). [Triangle Business Journal] * With hours to spare, Richard Glossip -- a man you may know from the Glossip v. Gross case that was before SCOTUS -- was able to secure a last minute stay of execution. An Oklahoma appeals court has given him two more weeks to live. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.30.15

* Talk about a Friday news dump! In case you missed these high-profile rulings, Amanda Knox was acquitted of murder charges in Italy (for the second time), and Ellen Pao lost her discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins. [WSJ Law Blog] * Use this slideshow to compare how North Carolina law schools are doing in terms of job placement. Duke was on top, and NCCU was dead last. Bonus: There were very few school-funded jobs to strip out of the data -- the numbers were just that bad on their own. [Triad Business Journal] * LSAC doesn't want to to adopt new disability accommodations for the LSAT because they "show a complete disregard for the importance of standardized testing conditions." It'd rather show a complete disregard for applicants' disabilities. [National Law Journal] * Widener? I hardly know her! Thanks to the ABA, this saying has new meaning in legal circles. With the law school regulator's blessing, Widener Law's Delaware and Harrisburg campuses will officially become two separate schools effective July 1. [News Journal] * Following blowback over the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Indiana Governor Mike Pence says he'll push for legislation clarifying that the controversial law isn't intended to support discrimination against the LGBT community. Suuure. [Indy Star]

By Staci Zaretsky
2nd Circuit

Morning Docket: 07.29.14

* The Second Circuit ruled that the World Trade Center Cross may remain on display in the September 11 Memorial and Museum. Apologies, atheists, but it’s a “genuine historical artifact.” [New York Daily News] * Howrey going to get money back when judges keep tossing unfinished business claims like they’re yesterday’s trash? We’ll see if such claims will be laid to rest after a hearing later today. [Am Law Daily] * Paul Weiss had a good get this week, with Citigroup’s deputy general counsel leaving the bank to join the firm — which coincidentally has served as the bank’s outside counsel for two decades. [WSJ Law Blog] * North Carolina, a state that adopted a ban on same-sex marriage in 2012, said it will no longer defend its law in the wake of the Fourth Circuit’s ruling as to a similar ban in Virginia. Hooray! [Los Angeles Times] * If you missed it, a judge issued a preliminary ruling against Donald Sterling, meaning that the sale of the L.A. Clippers may proceed. Don’t worry, his attorney says this is just “one stage of a long war.” [CNN] * It seems that “weed-infused weddings” are a hot commodity in states where the drug has been legalized. Sorry, it may be better than an open bar, but it doesn’t seem like a very classy thing to do. [Boston.com] * Cheryl Hanna, Vermont Law School professor and praised legal analyst, RIP. [Burlington Free Press]

By Staci Zaretsky
9th Circuit

Morning Docket: 04.29.14

* Michelle Friedland, a Munger Tolles partner, has been confirmed to the Ninth Circuit. Congratulations! This marks the first time in years that the court has had a full slate of 29 judges, which is also pretty cool for law nerds. [Legal Times] * L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling is probably going to be flopping around just like LeBron now that the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, a former Cravath attorney, has launched a full court press against him. [Am Law Daily] * This is something completely new and different. The United Church of Christ filed a lawsuit against North Carolina over its ban on gay marriage saying it restricts its clergy’s religious freedom. [New York Times] * Dear Low Grades, High Hopes: You don’t need an addendum to your law school application. You’ll get in everywhere you apply — they’re desperate to fill their seats. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News] * Singer-songwriter Paul Simon was arrested yesterday alongside his wife after she “picked a fight” with him. Given how “disorderly” things were, perhaps all he wanted to hear was the sound of silence. [CNN]

By Staci Zaretsky