Seventh Circuit

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.07.17

* Well, well, well... it seems that another law school has succumbed to the allure of the GRE. Which T14 law school has decided to accept the GRE for admissions purposes? We'll have more on the law school that hopes to reel in those sweet, sweet STEM majors later today. [Law.com] * Make Twitter great again? Lawyers from the White House and the Department of Defense had reportedly warned President Trump about the ramifications of the transgender military ban for days before he announced the policy via Twitter without warning because he was tired of being "slow-walked." [POLITICO] * Rep. Maxine Waters is reclaiming her time to call Alan Dershowitz a racist. The congresswoman is upset the Harvard Law professor claimed that a D.C. grand jury will be "unfavorable" to the Trump administration in the Russia case because of its liberal leanings and "ethnic and racial composition." [Free Beacon] * According to Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department will federally prosecute anyone and everyone who so much as thinks about leaking classified information -- but not members of the press, because they're "after leakers, not journalists." Perhaps he ought to relay this information to his boss. [CNN] * Kirkland & Ellis is looking for law students to join its army of summer associates in 2018. The magic number of summers is somewhere around 245, but they "could go over." Do you have what it takes to be one of the few many, the proud prestigious? Be all you can be at K&E. [Big Law Business] * Crap, it looks like the legal profession lost a ton of jobs in July. We're talking four figures worth of jobs -- 4,300 jobs, to be exact. All in, the profession has only seen an increase of 600 jobs since January, and is still down by about 50,000 jobs since pre-recession highs in May 2007. [Am Law Daily] * The Seventh Circuit will rehear "Making a Murderer" star Brendan Dassey's case en banc, following a 2-1 decision that Dassey's confession to murder was coerced and that his conviction should be overturned. Perhaps the full court won't be as sympathetic to Dassey's situation... [Washington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.02.17

* "We have a very crappy judicial system." Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit says the Supreme Court has far too few justices, and is calling for 10 more to be added to the high court's ranks, as he thinks the current arrangement on the bench is "[m]ediocre and highly politicized." Tell 'em how you really feel, Your Honor. [Chicago Tribune] * "This is deeply disturbing." The Justice Department's civil rights division is planning to sue colleges and universities that engage in "intentional race-based discrimination" in their affirmative action policies -- that is, discrimination against white applicants. Hmm, wasn't this recently before SCOTUS... twice? [New York Times] * RIP, billables: Microsoft wants to completely eliminate the billable hour by entering into alternative fee arrangements with all of the firms it works with in the future. Twelve Biglaw firms and one intellectual property firm will spearhead this movement as the company's strategic partners. [Big Law Business] * The Department of Education has filed a motion for summary judgment in a suit brought by the ABA over public service loan forgiveness, claiming that its forgiveness eligibility determinations won't be final until 10 years have passed and that any eligibility letters sent thus far are nonbinding and merely advisory. How comforting for law grads drowning in debt? [Law.com; ABA Journal] * The Senate has confirmed King & Spalding partner Christopher Wray as the new director of the FBI. During his hearings, Wray said he'd resign if he were ever asked to do something immoral or illegal, as his "commitment is to the rule of law, to the Constitution, to follow the facts wherever they may lead." [CNN]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.12.17

* The allegations about Marc Kasowitz's drinking problem might be salacious, but the issue of alcohol abuse by lawyers is serious. [Law.com] * Fun for legal nerds everywhere: Chief Judge Diane Wood benchslaps parties for shoddy jurisdictional statements! [On the Case / Alison Frankel via How Appealing] * And more fodder for #appellatetwitter types: Adam Feldman ranks the most-cited justices of the last Supreme Court Term. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Chris Geidner wonders whether another shoe will drop concerning the emails of Donald Trump Jr. [BuzzFeed] * The trial judge in this defamation case ought to read this analysis by Professor Eugene Volokh -- or at least watch The Big Lebwoski ("For your information, the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint."). [Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * Professor Paul Horwitz comes to the defense of the latest controversial comments by the artist formerly known as Judge Richard Posner. [PrawfsBlawg]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.31.17

* It's a party, and all of Donald Trump's friends are invited! The president's longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has been dragged into the probe of Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 election. House and Senate investigators asked him to provide testimony, but he politely declined because "the request was poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being answered." [ABC News] * "It's nice knowing this will definitely be a beacon for other trans kids and other members of the community to look to as a source for hope." A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit has affirmed a lower court ruling, stating that Title IX protects transgender students' rights to use the bathrooms of their choice. This is the first time that an appellate court has issued a ruling of this kind. [Reuters] * "No one knows how many qualified individuals never even advance their names." Biglaw attorneys would usually jump at the chance to leave private practice and take a gig working for the Labor Department, but under this presidential administration, there seems to be a bit of hesitancy due to their unwillingness to "incur a lifelong Trump association." [Bloomberg BNA] * More and more Biglaw firms have decided to reevaluate the way they evaluate their attorneys. Following Allen & Overy's decision to eliminate performance reviews, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Fieldfisher, Withers, and RPC will each be changing the way they conduct their appraisal policies, and Linklaters will drop financial targets and partner reviews. We may have more on this. [Law.com] * "Death to the enemies of America! You call it terrorism, I call it patriotism. Die." Jeremy Christian, the Portland man accused of killing two men in a racially motivated attack on a train, didn't enter a plea at his arraignment. Instead, he made incendiary outbursts, inviting spectators to shout back at him, calling him a "murderer." His next hearing is on June 7. [Courthouse News Service]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.05.17

* Talk about an alleged fashion faux pas! LuLaRoe, the maker of the "buttery-soft" leggings that have taken the internet by storm, is facing a class-action lawsuit over the quality of the company's leggings. Plaintiffs claim that the leggings as "tear[] as easily as wet toilet paper." LuLaRoe, of course, has stated that the allegations are "completely without merit." [BuzzFeed] * "There's a reason they call it the nuclear option, and that is because there's fallout. And this fallout will be dangerously and perhaps disastrously radioactive for the Senate for years to come." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has set a vote to change Senate rules in order to confirm Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch. [Reuters] * In a landmark en banc decision, the Seventh Circuit reversed itself and ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. This is not only the first time in history that a federal appellate court has come to this conclusion, but it also creates a split from a recent Eleventh Circuit opinion. This will likely be heard by the Supreme Court. [TIME] * Squire Patton Boggs has formed an alliance with Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who credits himself as the one who convinced the president to run for office. At this time, it's unclear what exactly Cohen will be doing for the firm, but he'll be working from the firm's offices in New York, London, and D.C. [WSJ Law Blog] * Dislike: Facebook must turn over digital information from almost 400 user accounts following its failed bid at the New York Court of Appeals to appeal a bulk warrant on privacy grounds. A lone judge dissented, bemoaning the fact that the high court punted on a case that could have disastrous effects on civil liberties. [New York Daily News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.16.17

* What does the future hold for the U.S. Supreme Court? Analysts (including yours truly) opine. [Bloomberg BNA via Storify] * Another prediction of ours has come to pass: congrats to Sullivan & Cromwell partner Brent McIntosh on his nomination as general counsel for the Treasury Department. [Corporate Counsel] * Is it time to break up the Ninth Circuit (as President Trump recently called for)? Professors John Eastman and Brian Fitzpatrick say yay; Judges Sidney Thomas, Carlos Bea, and Alex Kozinski say nay. [House Judiciary Committee] * Anthony Kronman: from dean of Yale Law School to "born-again pagan" (affiliate link). [New Yorker via How Appealing] * Looking for smart, timely takes on the Trump Administration, from an all-star cast of law professors and legal experts? There's a site for that. [Take Care] * Guess who: "Cat-loving judge makes case that has nothing to do with cats all about cats." [Chicago Tribune] * Professor Orin Kerr chats with Professor Barry Friedman about Friedman's latest book, Unwarranted: Policing Without Permission (affiliate link). [Volokh Conspiracy] * The current SCOTUS Term isn't super-sexy -- but there are a few interesting cases on the docket, as Adam Feldman points out. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Attention 2Ls & 3Ls, here's a cool contest -- with $100K in scholarships as prizes! [PR Newswire (press release)]

By David Lat