oral arguments

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.27.17

* Guess who gets to take advantage of President Donald Trump's new tax plan? Lawyers and their law firms -- which are largely organized as pass-through entities -- will likely benefit greatly, as they'll be able to reduce their tax rate from 39.6 percent to 15 percent. [ABA Journal] * The Charlotte School of Law may be on the brink of collapse, but the school is heading to court to try to shake off three of the four federal class-action lawsuits that were filed by current students and recent graduates with motions to dismiss. We'll have more on this later today. [Law.com] * The Trump administration didn't seem to fare very well during oral arguments in an immigration case yesterday. Chief Justice John Roberts certainly wasn't impressed, and Justice Anthony Kennedy seemed even less so, dropping this benchslap: "It seems to me that your argument is demeaning the priceless value of citizenship." [Reuters] * Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will propose a rollback of the Obama-era net-neutrality rule that regulated broadband internet providers as common carriers. Critics aren't pleased: "It makes no sense. We cannot keep the promise of net neutrality openness and freedom without the rules that ensure it." [Big Law Business] * Four third-year students at Harvard Law have demanded that the administration provide clarification as to how it assesses applicants who have been accused or convicted of sexual assault. "We put forth a call for transparency and affirmative efforts demonstrating the school takes sexual assault seriously." [Harvard Crimson]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.26.17

* Can you hear me now? Modern marvels of technology like cellphones and other electronic devices are barred from the Supreme Court during oral arguments, but yesterday, justice was interrupted by the ringing of... a Justice's cellphone. Who was the culprit? The offending phone belonged to Justice Stephen Breyer. Oopsie! [AP] * After a week charged with sexual harassment allegations and the ouster of Bill O'Reilly, just when Fox News thought its troubles were over, a group of current and former employees filed a class-action lawsuit against the network alleging "abhorrent, intolerable, unlawful and hostile racial discrimination." The plaintiffs' lawyers got in this zinger of a statement: "When it comes to racial discrimination, 21st Century Fox has been operating as if it should be called 18th Century Fox." [DealBook / New York Times] * Ever since it dumped Eversheds, Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner has been out on the prowl for another merger partner, and it looks like the firm has finally found its ideal mate in New York boutique Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman. The whole thing seems to be a bit "incestuous" if you ask us. We'll have more on this later today. [Am Law Daily] * Ahead of his confirmation hearing todays, Makan Delrahim, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the antitrust division of the Department of Justice who's been called a "centrist nominee," has pledged to recuse himself from all matters involving his prior work as a lobbyist, including the merger between Anthem and Cigna. [Big Law Business] * At some firms, like Ballard Spahr, senior partners must "transition[] their practices" by age 60, but at other firms, like Cozen O'Connor, age is nothing but a number. "We have so many lawyers who are extremely productive and terrific lawyers and if they want to work well into their 70s, God bless 'em," says CEO Michael Heller. [Philly Inquirer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 05.26.16

* Did you know Virginia allows people with only a bachelor's degree to be magistrates? And they are the ones approving search warrants. [Katz on Justice] * Domino's Pizza is the latest target of Eric Schneiderman, and the pizza chain is accused of discounting the hours employees have worked. [Pacific Standard Magazine] * One way to avoid law firm layoffs is to totally restructure the way law firms operate. [Bloomberg BNA] * What does one do when they retire from the Supreme Court? [SCOTUSblog] * How much do Supreme Court justices interrupt each other? An interesting analysis. [Empirical SCOTUS] * The Baston rule and the integrity of the criminal justice system. [Slate] * The repeal of Connecticut's death penalty will now apply to the men currently on death row. [Huffington Post]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.02.16

* This is why we call her notorious: RBG pummeling the attorneys defending Texas’s restrictive anti-choice law in oral arguments. [Slate] * "How dumb is it legally for a celebrity to tweet while in the middle of a lawsuit?" Very, very dumb. Next question. [Jezebel] * Breaking down the political biases of legal scholarship. [Tax Law Prof] * Law student complains about how terrible law students are. At least he doesn’t exclude himself from his rant. [Legal Cheek] * How are new lawyers (or those making a career switch) supposed to develop their own practice? Tips for making your practice work in this economy. [Reboot Your Law Practice] * Thinking like a lawyer: you might get free stuff, but you’ll also get a serving of guilt with that. [Law and More] * What to do when your client falls asleep at court. Great story all the way around. [Law and Disorder] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUcNeNBRUsQ

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.02.16

* Carmen Electra filed a federal suit against a strip joint, alleging that the gentleman's club defamed her by using a scantily clad picture of her without her prior consent, thereby insinuating that she removes her clothing for money there or otherwise endorses its sexy services. [New York Daily News] * Happy anniversary to our favorite SCOTUS monk: If Justice Thomas sticks to his usual routine when the Supreme Court returns from its winter break, he'll have officially gone a decade without asking a question from the bench. [New York Times] * Aloha! Just one week after receiving a $25 million donation and changing the name of the school, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law is losing its dean to Hawaii Pacific University, where he'll serve as president. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * DLA Piper recently acquired Peltonen LMR, a Helsinki firm, bringing its grand total of Nordic offices to three. Unlike in the past, we hope that this time DLA Piper knows what country its new office is located in. Pssst... it's Finland. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * If you've been waitlisted by the law school of your choice, we hope that you're a particularly patient person, because you may be waiting to find out your academic fate until April, or worse yet, July. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky