Richard Posner

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.05.16

* In case you haven't been keeping score like we have, these are the firms that recently raised salaries: Kilpatrick Townsend, Sutherland, Norton Rose Fulbright, Morgan Lewis (additional details), Troutman Sanders. If you’re worried you’ve missed any of our coverage on pay raises, you can check out our omnibus 2016 salary chart where we collect these stories. [2016 Salary Increase / Above the Law] * “The plan was always to retire after this summer, retirement just came a little sooner than I’d hoped." Olympic gold medalist Shannon Vreeland isn't going to the Rio Olympics this summer; instead, she'll be swimming in the completely the uncharted waters of law school at Vanderbilt. Will she be the new Aquagirl? [SwimSwam] * Worried about Brexit? So are clients who have hired Mischon de Reya lawyers to make sure the British government doesn't try to leave the EU without consulting parliament. "Everyone in Britain needs the government to apply the correct constitutional process and allow parliament to fulfill its democratic duty," says a firm partner. [Bloomberg] * Judge Richard Posner would like to sincerely apologize for saying that the Constitution isn't worth the time judges have spent studying it. What he really meant to say was that he thinks the Constitution is so vague that judges are simply "do[ing] the best they can" to make the 17th century document applicable to our modern world. [WSJ Law Blog] * "I thought you wanted to do this. The time is right and you're ready, you just need to do it! You can't think about it. You just have to do it. You said you were gonna do it. Like I don't get why you aren't." Michelle Carter, the Massachusetts teen who walked her boyfriend through his suicide via text, will stand trial for involuntary manslaughter. [AP]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.28.16

* In case you haven't been keeping score like we have, these are the firms that have recently raised salaries: Thompson & Knight, Chapman & Cutler, Sterne Kessler, Edelson, and BakerHostetler. If you’re ever worried that you’ve missed any of our coverage on pay raises, you can check out our omnibus 2016 salary chart where we collect these stories. [2016 Salary Increase / Above the Law] * Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit, who is known well for his longtime feud with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, isn't going to let a little thing like death keep him from lobbing "posthumous swipe[s]" at the deceased jurist. Constitutional historian David Bernstein was quick to call Judge Posner's comments "revolting." [WSJ Law Blog] * "The ruling deals a crushing blow to this most recent wave of state efforts to shut off access to abortion though hyper-regulation." The Supreme Court's decision in Whole Woman's Health could open doors to challenges to other laws concerning restrictions on abortions -- or inspire narrowly tailored anti-abortion legislation. [New York Times] * "[O]ur concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes, and ball gowns. It is instead with the broader legal implications of the Government's boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute." In case you were too caught up with the abortion-rights decision, SCOTUS also tossed former Va. Gov. Bob McDonnell's conviction. [NPR] * The aftermath of the United Kingdom's Brexit referendum has left law firms in Great Britain scrambling to provide answers to questions about legal uncertainties. From Baker & McKenzie to Allen & Overy to Clifford Chance, several Biglaw firms are trying to assist their clients with webinars, white papers, and 24-hour hotlines. [ABA Journal] * Tony Villegas was convicted of the murder of Melissa Britt Lewis, a former partner at Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein's firm. Villegas blamed Lewis for the breakup of his marriage thanks to her friendship with his ex-wife, who once served as the Rothstein firm's chief operating officer. Villegas was sentenced to life in prison. [Sun-Sentinel]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.27.16

* Someone disagrees with Judge Posner's take on the role of law professors. [Law and More] * When a judge doesn't want the prosecutor to prosecute the case in which she is the victim because she fears she will not get a fair trial, we all lose. [NOLA.com] * An earlier predictor on how investors are harming homeowners. [Wise Law] * Was this Supreme Court term a rousing success for the liberal justices? If you count ties, then yes. [Empirical SCOTUS] * 7 ways Brexit will impact Biglaw. [Law.com] * A new book -- Professor William Birdthistle's Empire of the Fund (affiliate link), an exposé of how we save for retirement -- is summarized in this fun video inspired by Hamilton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3WxNAAgTMI

By Kathryn Rubino
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By Barbri
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.11.16

* To excel as a lawyer you need to compete against yourself while still keeping your eye on the prize. [Katz on Justice] * High school debaters around the country are debating U.S. domestic surveillance with more depth and nuance than Congress. Maybe they should set the bar just a little bit higher than that. [The Intercept] * You want to organize against Airbnb? Get ready for some strange bedfellows. [Cityland] * Judge Posner sees the bullsh*t behind Republicans' strategy for (not) filling Justice Scalia's seat. [Washington Post] * Maryland Court of Appeals set a potentially dangerous new precedent in the case against the police officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. [Slate] * A noteworthy ruling giving the green light to litigation financing. [Burford Capital] * The growing movement to amend France's self-defense laws to include domestic violence. [Jezebel] * Even some Republicans are calling Indiana's new abortion law overreaching, not that the statement stopped the bill from passing the legislature. [Huffington Post]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.25.15

* Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit completely obliterated a Wisconsin law that required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Posner said any health benefits conferred by the law were "nonexistent." [Reuters] * Judge Richard Sullivan (S.D.N.Y.) wasn't a fan of the Bank of China essentially telling Gucci to "suck it up" when it came to "ridiculous" delays in providing counterfeiters' records, so he held the bank in contempt and is considering assessing millions of dollars in fines. [WSJ Law Blog] * A Pennsylvania attorney activist who launched the "Kane is not Able" campaign has asked the state's highest court to provide clarification on how AG Kathleen Kane should delegate her duties considering the fact she has a suspended law license. [PennLive.com] * A proposed class-action suit has been filed against fashion company Kate Spade over its alleged "imaginary discount prices." If this goes the way of the $4.88M Michael Kors settlement over the same issue, then Kate Spade could be in trouble. [Consumerist] * "Talk about being uprooted!" Vendors who sell wares outside of Brooklyn Law are pissed about the school's plans to install planters on the sidewalks around the building, thereby kicking the vendors not to the curb, but out onto the street. [Brooklyn Paper]

By Staci Zaretsky