Sexual Abuse

Former Biglaw Partner Gets Fired From His General Counsel Role After Arrest On Sex Abuse Charge

His former employer says the alleged behavior is "shocking and intolerable."

Judge Comes Forward With Devastating Story Of Sexual Abuse At Rockefeller University

It's important that the judge is talking about the abuse he suffered.

Prosecutors Trying Not To Piss Away Another R. Kelly Prosecution

There's another pee tape, because of course there's another pee tape.

3 Brett Kavanaugh Accusers Versus All The Kavanaugh Denials

Here's the state of play with all the Kavanaugh accusers and Kavanaugh's various denials.

The Biglaw Firm Defending The Catholic Church

The sexual abuse allegations out of Pennsylvania have attracted a major Biglaw firm.

Morning Docket: 06.14.18

* The New York American Inn of Court presents, “Fast Times at Ruth Bader Ginsburg High.” You'll never think of Phoebe Cates the same way again. [New York Law Journal] * In the wake of decades of sexual abuse, Michigan State turned to former Republican governor John Engler to serve as interim president and steer the school back from this tragedy. His response is to smear the victims. The only shocking thing about this is that anyone expected a different result. [Detroit Free Press] * Apple is making it harder for law enforcement to crack into your phone. If they can follow this up with a longer lasting battery, we might forgive them for removing the headphone jack. [CNN] * A reminder that the next shoe in the Supreme Court's attempt to resuscitate Lochner is about to drop. [Vox] * United Lex and LeClairRyan's new deal has the legal technology community buzzing. But banking on law firms to embrace change hasn't always panned out. [American Lawyer] * When the revolution comes, they'll point to our highly developed law of golf balls as proof of our decadence. [Law.com] * Due process suit brought by journalists on the infamous United States kill list will go forward. [Courthouse News Service]

Harvey Weinstein’s Lawyers Dare To Use Meryl Streep To Impugn Women’s Sexual Misconduct Claims

The three-time Oscar winner was NOT happy.

Non-Disclosure Agreements In The #MeToo Era

Should we ban the use of NDAs when sexual misconduct is involved? Let’s weigh the pros and cons.

Harvey Weinstein And The Cost Of Silence

Our civil tort system, for all of its strengths, has its weaknesses and failings.

Prosecutorial Discretion Or Selective Prosecution

Why wasn’t Harvey Weinstein prosecuted for sexual abuse when it was in the public interest to do so?

What’s Wrong With The Criminal Justice System: Dennis Hastert Edition

Dennis Hastert may not be a good guy, but his sentencing far exceeded the specific crime that landed him in court.

Morning Docket: 04.11.16

* Professor Victor Williams of the Catholic University of America School of Law, who's been called the "Republican Lawrence Lessig" by some, is running a write-in campaign for president with the sole intent of eliminating Ted Cruz as a candidate due to his birth in Canada. He alleges that the Texas senator committed ballot access fraud by falsely swearing that he was a natural born citizen. Thanks to Williams's allegations, a primary disqualification hearing is being held today in New Jersey. [PR Newswire] * Does SCOTUS have a diversity problem? One justice thinks so. In the wake of President Obama calling attention to his nominee's whiteness, Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted the Court's homogeneity, saying that SCOTUS is currently at a "disadvantage from having [five] Catholics, three Jews, [and] everyone from an Ivy League school." [TIME] * Here's an interesting theory: According to Patterson Belknap senior partner Gregory Diskant, because the Senate has failed to give President Obama its advice and consent with regard to his Supreme Court nominee, it can be said the Senate waived its rights, leaving Obama free to appoint Judge Garland to the high court. [Washington Post] * "There is something seductively subversive about having a name that has a secondary street meaning, which, by the way, is not necessarily a bad thing to think of your lawyers as being." MoFo -- a law firm that's perhaps known as Morrison & Foerster in more conservative circles -- has fully embraced its sexy "street name." [Big Law Business] * Prosecutors say former House speaker and disgraced Dickstein Shapiro partner Dennis Hastert paid $3.5M to silence a boy he sexually abused, and molested at least four more children. Because the statutes of limitations have long since run on those crimes, he'll likely serve only six months for banking crimes related to his hush-money payoffs. [AP]

Non-Sequiturs: 03.24.16

* You may have heard about North Carolina’s new anti-LGBTQ law (and the inauspicious circumstances surrounding its passage), but it seems unlikely to withstand constitutional muster. [Slate] * In the latest case before the Supreme Court over the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive provision, the conservative justices -- all male, natch -- fail to grasp the basics of contraceptives, insurance. [Talking Points Memo] * Previewing the issues in United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes surrounding finality under the Clean Water Act. [SCOTUSblog] * Republicans are in favor of open-carry laws, but what about at their own convention? [Gawker] * Vice President Joe Biden has some biting words over Congress’s obstructionist plan over Merrick Garland’s nomination. [Huffington Post] * Is there really strong opposition to free trade? Has the U.S. plunged into a policy without caring about the repercussions of said policy? [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * Jian Ghomeshi was acquitted on sexual abuse charges, and now the complaining witnesses are talking about their experiences with the justice system. [Jezebel]