Planned Parenthood

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.18.19

* Three Indiana judges are in hot water after they partied until 3 a.m., headed to a strip club, and got shot at during a brawl outside of a White Castles. Apparently another judge who went inside the White Castle was unharmed and avoided discipline, which just shows you the power of the crave. [New York Times] * The Florida Bar is seeking to suspend a Florida lawyer whose pants caught on fire during an arson trial. Maybe he was a "liar, liar"... [Miami Herald] * A Manhattan judge ruled in favor of Marc Kasowitz's client, but never disclosed that he received campaign donations from Kasowitz and an associate. [New York Daily News] * A Texas lawyer has been accused of conspiring with a funeral home to illicitly solicit clients. I guess instead of being an "ambulance chaser" this attorney is accused of being a "hearse chaser." [Texas Lawyer] * Planned Parenthood has won a civil lawsuit against parties responsible for undercover videos of Planned Parenthood activities. [Independent] * Two Arkansas chemistry professors have been charged with cooking meth. Hopefully, they did not use Breaking Bad as their inspiration. [Washington Post]

By Jordan Rothman
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 04.13.17

* There's been an arrest in the murder of Chicago judge Raymond Myles. [The Root] * On the regulatory definition of milk. [LawSci] * A deep dive into the way people talked about the Gorsuch confirmation hearings. [Empirical SCOTUS] * The Fourth Circuit's liberalization. [Washington Post] * President Trump signed a bill allowing states to defund Planned Parenthood in private, away from the cameras. Wonder why the spotlight-seeking president decided to sign this law without the media present. [CNN] * What it takes to wield the awesome power and responsibility of being a judge. [Katz Justice] * Courts are ignoring the big questions in privacy cases. [Slate] * When the "safe" career choice is no longer safe. [Law and More]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.31.17

* A judge has approved a $25 million settlement for claims surrounding Trump University. [NPR] * If Neil Gorsuch becomes the next Supreme Court justice, is that proof bullying works? [Guile is Good] * Tips for surviving work when you're exhausted. [Corporette] * A look at the charges against the pro-life activists who secretly recorded Planned Parenthood sessions. [Slate] * Arkansas is racing to beat the clock... in order to execute people. [The Slot] * You're getting more of a TV show you probably don't watch anyway. [Law and More] * An appeals court ruled not to release Guantanamo Bay forced-feeding videos. [AP]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.17.17

* Greeeeeaaaaat. Now it's easier for states to defund Planned Parenthood. [Slate] * Scott Pruitt is the new EPA chief, but his open records issues continue. [Huffington Post] * Finding new job opportunities as you age. [Law and More] * Justice Breyer is an optimist. [Harvard Magazine] * Law school scholarships and market forces. [TaxProf Blog] * Kate Spade is exploring her options. [The Fashion Law] * Randy Maniloff interviews Karen Korematsu, daughter of the late, great Fred Korematsu. [Coverage Opinions] * RBG's legacy. [YouTube via How Appealing] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chLdAKe9ADw

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.21.16

* What do the candidates mean when they talk about Supreme Court candidates during the debates? An analysis. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Khizr Khan, the father of an American soldier killed in Iraq that took a star turn at the Democratic National Convention, now stars in a new commercial for Hillary. [Huffington Post] * U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III -- a W. appointee -- just stopped Mississippi's attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. [Slate] * From partner to GC to CEO, all while being a single mom. [Big Law Business] * Is Trump's rudeness actually good for lawyers? [Law and More]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.03.16

* On the importance of having your criminal clients dressed for court, not for jail. [Katz Justice] * An eight-justice Supreme Court has inspired some fanfic! No, there aren't any group sex scenes, it isn't that kind of fanfic. [Medium] * A group of law professors have now joined Massholes in supporting Tom Brady's Hail Mary for a Second Circuit rehearing. [Profootball Talk] * We need to protect the free speech rights of teachers too. [Bloomberg View] * A Trump presidency will threaten the rule of law, at least according to a bunch of libertarian legal scholars. [New York Times] * Florida banned Medicaid patients from using Planned Parenthood, and now PP is fighting back in court. [Slate] * There seems to be more legal bad news for Uber. [Law and More] * Ammon and Ryan Bundy still don't think the rules apply to them, even when they are in jail. [Huffington Post]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.24.16

* "Next thing I know he knocks me over backwards, puts the pillow over me and he cuts my throat and stabs me." Law firm partner Leo Fisher testified yesterday in the trial against Andrew Schmuhl, the lawyer accused of abducting and maliciously wounding him. We'll have more on this horrifying testimony later. [Washington Post] * In a move that's sure to attract attention (and ire) from the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, Bayer has offered to buy Monsanto for $62 billion. This may be the largest all-cash takeover in history, so we wonder which law firms will have the pleasure of reaping all the rewards that come with so huge of a deal representation. [Reuters] * "Can citizens sue the government over climate change?" Great legal minds are divided over the answer to this question. Constitutional law scholar Erwin Chemerinsky says yes, but international law savant Eric Posner says no. Whatever you think is the right answer, it's time we get more aggressive on this issue. [Room for Debate / New York Times] * With Ted Olson quarterbacking Tom Brady's request for an en banc hearing of his four-game Deflategate suspension before the Second Circuit, perhaps this case has a fighting chance. Patriots fans should be praying, because an en banc hearing could result in their QB's suspension being stayed for the start of the season. [WSJ Law Blog] * Victims of the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood attack have filed suit against the clinic, claiming the shooting was both "predictable and preventable." They say that given the past history of threats of violence against places where abortions are performed, patrons should've been alerted that they were at risk of injury or death. [Denver Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 01.28.16

* How Planned Parenthood's aggressive legal strategy launched them from the defensive to the offensive. [Reuters] * David Boies just saved Natalie Portman's ass. Yes, you read that correctly. [The Hollywood Reporter] * Don't be cute and try and violate a restraining order via Facebook. [Associate's Mind * Arizona wants out of the Ninth Circuit. Good luck with that. [AZ Governor] * Not recommended judicial behavior: hanging a portrait of Adolf Hitler in the courthouse's Hall Of Heroes. Looks like Oregon's Judge Vance Day is learning that the hard way. [Raw Story] * You can't skirt defamation laws by complaining to a disciplinary committee -- a doctor files a complaint against an attorney who blogged about him. [New York Personal Injury Attorney Blog] * Writing fiction was "liberating" for this attorney. Check out the new crime novel, A Stirring in the North Fork (affiliate link), to see what he's talking about. [Teamster Nation] * Despite how sensationalized they can be, the insanity defense is really quite rare. [Huffington Post] * Even if you aren't rich, you still need a prenup. [My Bank Tracker]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 12.14.15

* What is the best way to construct your Out Of Office message? And by "best" I mean "least likely to force you to respond to an email mid-Midnight Mass." [Daily Lawyer Tips] * When you confess to mass murders on the radio -- even ones that are 40+ years old -- you can expect some consequences. [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * Yup, female attorneys are still dinged for caring about fashion, as Ariel Colangelo explains. [Racked] * How can you measure the health of your practice? [Attorney at Work] * Color me not surprised at all -- Ohio Attorney General tries to stir up a new Planned Parenthood scandal. [Slate] * Reminder: the deadline for our Law Firm Holiday Card Contest is almost here! [Above the Law]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.10.15

* Robert Lewis Dear, the man accused in the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting, had this outburst during a hearing yesterday: "I am guilty, there will be no trial. I am a warrior for the babies. You’ll never know the amount of blood I saw in that place." [CBS Denver] * The American Bar Association has approved the merger between William Mitchell Law and Hamline Law to form Mitchell|Hamline Law. Since law school mergers now seem to be a viable option, struggling schools may be able to find a way to survive instead of closing. [Pioneer Press] * In yesterday's affirmative action duel at the Supreme Court, Bert Rein of Wiley Rein and Gregory Garre of Latham & Watkins faced off for the second time in Fisher v. University of Texas: The Reckoning. Will SCOTUS kill AA this time? [WSJ Law Blog] * According to the Rhode Island Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline, Judge Rafael A. Ovalles brought his office into disrepute after sexually harassing a female court clerk and sitting in chambers with his hand in his underwear. [Providence Journal] * A settlement in the "Happy Birthday to You" copyright case has thrust the song into the public domain where it belongs. Now employees at chain restaurants across the country won't have to sing cheesy soundalike songs to birthday diners anymore. [Reuters]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.01.15

* It seems that Dentons didn't have its fill after fattening itself up with a Luxembourg firm over Thanksgiving, so now the megafirm is considering feasting upon two Latin American firms -- Cárdenas & Cárdenas and López Velarde Heftye y Soria -- for its dessert. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Election 2016 is a year away, but it's easy to see the makeup of the Supreme Court will continue to be an issue for presidential candidates, especially since both parties know "[w]e are one justice away" from a liberal or conservative majority. [MSNBC] * Dean Martha Minow says Harvard Law will create a committee to investigate whether the school's shield should be changed due to its ties to a cruel slaveowner. Send your comments, questions, and complaints to [email protected]. [Harvard Law Today] * Robert Lewis Dear, the alleged gunman behind the Colorado Planned Parenthood shootings, is expected to be charged with first-degree murder next week. It's not yet been disclosed whether he'll be charged with federal domestic terrorism. [Los Angeles Times] * This turkey won't be pardoned: The Thanksgiving Day White House fence-jumper who draped an American flag over the fence while gripping a U.S. Constitution pocket guide in his teeth was criminally charged after ruining the Obamas holiday. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.26.15

* More bar exam results! Which school saw its passage rate take a 15 point hit? [Bar Exam Stats] * This is the right way to break up a protest at Planned Parenthood: with a smiling clit cartoon. [Slate] * How we can rethink the history of slavery and the Constitution. [Berkeley News] * Maybe Judge Stevens is onto something -- the Supreme Court to take on the issue of racial bias in jury selection. [Gawker] * Hillary wants to keep marijuana illegal -- is this her version of she "didn't inhale?" [Al-Jazeera] * Kickstarter class actions. What hell hath we wrought? [Associates Mind] * In this corner we have the Oregon Attorney General. In the other we have vitamin giant GNC. Who will win this battle royale? Not so fast -- it's a trick question since one side's dietary supplements were laced with illegal drugs. [Vox] * The latest in The Atlantic's series on the Reconstruction. [The Atlantic]

By Kathryn Rubino