Philadelphia

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 04.17.17

* Iranian law students participating in an international moot court competition "surprised" over the warm reception they've gotten in the United States. [Al-Monitor] * Yup, Justice Gorsuch is going to be just fine on the Court. [New York Times] * The newest justice's first test. [Slate] * Look at this district attorney race to get a sense of the anti-Trump resistance. [Salon] * Are lawyers branding themselves all wrong? [Law and More] * Don't call it a comeback. [Politico] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vimZj8HW0Kg

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.11.17

* After hearing powerful testimony from victims' relatives, a federal jury sentenced Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof to death. [BuzzFeed] * Dahlia Lithwick on yesterday's Jeff Sessions hearing: the nominee "will be handily confirmed," and Democrats "are rightly very, very afraid." [Slate] * An interesting puzzle for the Supreme Court: free speech and credit card fees. [New York Times via How Appealing] * Also from Howard Bashman, also about free speech: Gibson Dunn partner Miguel Estrada "warns City of Philadelphia that his hourly rate is very expensive." [How Appealing] * More about Morrison & Foerster snagging former Justice Department national security chief John Carlin -- the latest in a series of high-profile hires of former government lawyers, including Kathryn Thomson and Jessie Liu. [Law.com] * Some good news out of the Charlotte School of Law: students might be getting their spring semester loan proceeds after all. [ABA Journal] * Speaking of money, Volkswagen is going to pay a lot of it -- perhaps $4.3 billion in fines -- to resolve the federal criminal investigation into its cheating on vehicle emissions tests. [New York Times]

By David Lat
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 01.05.17

* President Obama is making his call for criminal justice reform in the Harvard Law Review. [Harvard Law Review] * Take cover, the amici are coming! [Empirical SCOTUS] * Ho-Love is doubling down on Philly. [Biz Journals] * The polling game ain't what it use to be, and so Nate Silver turns his attention to making college football more like a debate tournament. [FiveThirtyEight] * A look back at the sensational Menendez trial. [Law and More] * A tribute to Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain of the Ninth Circuit, who takes senior status this week. [National Review] * Advice to help make that resolution stick. [Huffington Post]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.12.16

* Duncan Lloyd, the Philadelphia assistant city solicitor who spray-painted "F*ck Trump" on a building while wearing an ascot and holding a glass of wine, will be able to keep his job after completing 40 hours of community service. We're sure many Americans feel that he has already completed his community service through his actions. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who took a leave of absence from Greenberg Traurig to support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump through the end of the election, has removed his name from consideration for any position in President-elect Trump's administration (but only after reportedly being offered three other positions that he didn't want). He'll now be returning to his law firm. [ABC News] * The struggling European and Middle East arm of King & Wood Mallesons has received "a number of indicative purchase offers" from other law firms. Biglaw behemoth Dentons is rumored to be a potential merger partner for firm's EUME branch, with DLA Piper and Greenberg Traurig ready to make lateral offers to partners. [Big Law Business] * Just because your law school isn't one of the best in the nation, it doesn't mean that you can't dream big. Case in point: The most recent winners of the prestigious Skadden public interest fellowships has been announced, and two of them will graduate from CUNY School of Law. We'll have more on the new Skadden Fellows later. [Skadden] * Dislike? A woman who wanted to serve her estranged husband with divorce papers via Facebook has been denied by a judge who noted that the social networking profile had been inactive for two-plus years, writing that to allow service would be "akin to the Court permitting service by nail and mail to a building that no longer exists." [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket 4.30.15

* Supreme Court actually limits speech rights and upholds a Florida ban on judicial candidates' direct fundraising. Here's the excellent plain English breakdown of Williams-Yulee. [SCOTUSblog] * Former NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver pleaded not guilty to a superseding indictment. [NY Law Journal] * Professor Dorf analyzes the sex discrimination rationale in the same-sex marriage case. [Dorf on Law] * $1 million in sanctions upheld against a Philadelphia lawyer. [Legal Intelligencer] * So this is what they mean by practicing "sexy" law. 2015 list of 100 top Hollywood attorneys revealed. [Hollywood Reporter] * In an increasingly rare bipartisan act, patent reform is back on the agenda. [Corporate Counsel] * According to a new study by Harvard University, nearly 50% of millennials believe the criminal justice system is unfair. Welcome to the party kids. [NY Post]

By Kathryn Rubino
Cars

Morning Docket: 10.24.14

* Thanks to this Government Accountability Office ruling, the company that cleared NSA leaker Edward Snowden and Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis may lose a $210M contract. [Legal Times] * After being acquitted on insider trading charges, Rengan Rajaratnam agreed to settle the civil suit filed against him for a cool $840K. At least he’s not in jail like his brother. [DealBook / New York Times] * Those interested in going to law school may want to know that Philadelphia is purportedly home to some of the cheapest law schools in the country — not Penn Law, though, sorry ’bout that. [Main Street] * Professors at WUSTL Law held a “teach-in” to discuss the Michael Brown police shooting case. According to them, the likelihood Darren Wilson will be federally charged is “slim to none.” [Student Life] * Attack of the aggrieved ex: a man drove a burning pickup truck loaded with explosives into a law firm, destroying much of the building. He had apparently dated one of the firm’s former clients. [Virginian-Pilot]

By Staci Zaretsky