SCOTUS

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.25.16

* Democrats held a press conference demanding that Republicans do their job when it comes to filling Justice Scalia's seat on the Supreme Court. My guess is a petition isn't going to change anyone in the GOP's mind on this one. [National Law Journal] * District Judge John Gleeson is stepping down from his position next month. He'll be returning to private practice at... Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. [Wall Street Journal] * Virginia is considering legislation that would actually hid the names of all police officers. Less transparency for law enforcement? That is pretty much the exact opposite of what is needed. [Washington Post] * You know how the NFL has been in the news a bunch for a variety of legal issues? The newly for-profit organization is releasing their tax filings, and their legal expenses are detailed. Ouch. [American Lawyer] * Looks like attorneys formerly of Dickstein Shapiro are making themselves right at home at Blank Rome if their latest win for client Oshkosh Defense LLC is any indication. [Litigation Daily] * Take a look at the details of the sexual assault lawsuit from the 90s against Donald Trump. [Law Newz]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.24.16

* The only way for Republicans to save face is by... confirming Obama's Supreme Court choice (even if it isn't a fellow Republican). [Gawker] * The complicated relationship between Asian-Americans and justice is highlighted by the Peter Liang protests. [New York Times] * The greatest impact of Justice Scalia's passing may be on the Fourth Amendment. [LinkedIn] * One of Justice Scalia's long line of clerks who paid tribute to the legal legend after his passing, Professor Brian Fitzpatrick, speaks out on the jurist's impact. [The Conversation] * Who has the most to lose in the fight over the Supreme Court? The Chief Justice. [MSNBC] * Here's a fun thought experiment: What would Donald Trump have been like as an attorney? [Law and More] * Apparently this is how you should teach in open-carry on campus locations. Horrifying. [Chronicle on Higher Education] * Yes, you must attend mediation, even if you are Shaq. [Daily Business Review] * The long arm of the law takes on Salvadorian death squads. [Guile is Good]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.24.16

* After being called to court by the judge on his bankruptcy case for flaunting cash on Instagram, 50 Cent posted a photo of himself in a room filled with money. When reached for comment, the allegedly bankrupt rapper had this to say: "I don't know what you heard about me, but this judge will write a benchslap about me." [New York Daily News] * Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have said that they will refuse to hold any hearings on a Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia until the next President is sworn in on January 20, 2017. In fact, they won't even give President Obama's future appointee the courtesy of a meeting. Lovely. [WSJ Law Blog; New York Times] * According to a letter from Justice Scalia's doctor, the late jurist suffered from a number of ailments that could have contributed to his sudden death, like coronary artery disease, obesity, and diabetes, just to name a few. Coupled with the fact that he was a smoker, all of his conditions were "quite dangerous." Rest in peace, Your Honor. [Associated Press] * "If you look at the women-of-color research, the numbers are abysmal." Minority women are disappearing from Biglaw firms, and research has shown that it may be due to the fact that they receive less compensation than men and white women, they're denied access to assignments, and they receive fewer promotions. [ABA Journal] * Good riddance to bad rubbish: Robert Hosch Jr., the founder and former managing partner of Butler & Hosch -- the large, Florida-based firm that seemingly collapsed overnight, leaving hundreds of legal professionals jobless and 60,000 foreclosure cases in limbo -- has surrendered his license to practice law in Florida. [Orlando Sentinel]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.23.16

* On the first day of oral arguments since Justice Scalia passed, it looks like Justice Sotomayor is stepping up to take up the snark-mantle. [Slate] * How have the Supreme Court justices avoided the cognitive decline of so many of their peers? [The Atlantic] * Here's how to use your fear of failure to create a noteworthy career in the law. [Katz Justice] * A collection of memorable Scalia quotes. Dissents just won't be the same without him. [Bloomberg / BNA] * New York City Public Advocate Letitia James is taking a close look at a Brooklyn Administrative judge to gauge the impact of foreclosures on communities of color. [Wise Law] * The latest filing by DraftKings in its bid to stay in business in New York sets out all the reasons daily fantasy leagues are different than mahjong. [Courthouse News Service] * The legal robots are here, and they want your jobs. Meet the man behind the startup. [CodeX] * NYU students, come see David Lat talk tomorrow about love, law and clerkships (with Professor Barry Friedman and Judge Alison Nathan). [NYU Law]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.23.16

* It's official: Justice Clarence Thomas hasn't asked a question during oral arguments at the Supreme Court in a decade. No other justice in history has ever done something like this, but Justice Thomas is "confident enough in his own skin not to care." [MSNBC] * Who would make a better SCOTUS justice, Judge Sri Srinivasan of the D.C. Circuit or U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara? President Obama may be wondering when deciding whether to appoint the high court's first Asian-American justice. [New York Daily News] * Judge H. Russel Holland was presiding over the DOJ's action against two allegedly discriminatory polygamous cities on the Utah-Arizona border when he was rushed away in an ambulance. He had a terrible case of bronchitis. Feel better, Your Honor! [AP] * Gowlings, Canada's second-largest firm, merged with UK-based Wragge Lawrence Graham to form an international firm with 1,400+ lawyers in 10 countries. Accept our cautionary congratulations, since layoffs usually follow mergers of this size. [Reuters] * Aww, how cute! After working as a fully integrated firm for almost two years, Squire Patton Boggs has announced its first-ever merger with another firm. Welcome San Francisco-based firm Carroll Burdick & McDonough to the party. [Plain Dealer] * Mayer Brown is relying on a lateral associate to help its Cuba practice shore up client relations on the island through all of her connections there, which have been described as "hot property." She even got her own press release. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.22.2016

* Most lawyers have a relationship to the fictional Atticus Finch. [Guile is Good] * Is Donald Trump's popularity based, at least in part, on a critique of capitalism? Sure, he's in favor of it, but that doesn't mean he won't exploit discontent with the system to get elected. [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * Hey 1Ls! Wanna know why you aren't getting laid? Blame it on Scalia. [20 Somethings] * Burning question alert: When your work actually makes you sick, can you bill vomit time? [Daily Lawyer Tips] * TSwift is putting her money where everyone else's tweets are -- the singer donated $250,000 to Kesha after her devastating court loss, but is it enough. [Huffington Post] * Is the stalemate over who gets to appoint the next Supreme Court justice really about race? [Talking Points Memo] * Anti-gay laws may finally hurt supporters in one place they care about -- their pocketbooks. Why one business is relocating on the precipice of a new "religious liberty" law in Georgia. [Slate] * Justice Scalia's real legacy was pro-big  business. [The Atlantic]

By Kathryn Rubino