Solicitor General

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.03.17

* Kellyanne Conway, President-elect Trump's campaign manager, has accepted a position as his counselor once his administration takes over at the White House, and now her husband, George Conway of Wachtell Lipton, has found himself on the shortlist to become the U.S. solicitor general. He's argued only one Supreme Court case, which is unusual for those being considered for the position. [Bloomberg Politics] * In his year-end report on the federal judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts managed to steer clear of controversial topics -- such as the high court being short handed since Justice Scalia's death or the Senate's failure to confirm Judge Merrill Garland -- instead choosing to focus on the "underappreciated" role of district court judges, writing that "[t]his is no job for impulsive, timid, or inattentive souls." [Washington Post] * "There’s no legitimacy to a Supreme Court justice in a seat that’s been stolen from one administration and handed to another. We need to do everything we possibly can to block it." When it comes to the confirmation process for President-elect Trump's SCOTUS nominee, we can expect to see a battle thanks to Senate Democrats in the wake of Senate Republicans' obstruction of Judge Garland's nomination. [The Guardian] * One day before they were set to go into effect, Judge Reed O'Connor of the Northern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction on the enforcement of the Affordable Care Act's protections for transgender and abortion-related healthcare services. O'Connor is the same judge who issued a nationwide injunction on the enforcement of the Obama administration's transgender protections in schools. [BuzzFeed] * Convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, who is representing himself for the penalty phase of his trial, has rejected a defense based on mental illness because he is "morally opposed to psychology." He'll make an opening statement, but won't call any witnesses or present any evidence. If Roof is sentenced to death, it will be the first time a jury has done so in a case involving a federal hate crimes law. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 12.12.16

* The new treatise on race and the law in the post-Obama age. [The Crime Report] * A deep dive into the Iowans on Trump's SCOTUS shortlist. [Des Moines Register] * And two of the Coloradans too. [Denver Post; Denver Post] * Plus more on who might be Trump's pick for Solicitor General. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Rural areas really need lawyers. [KCUR] * The latest legal challenge to Brexit. [The Independent] * Does Mark Zuckerberg have political aspirations? [Law and More] * RIP retired federal judge, Miles Lord. [ABC]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.02.16

* If only all court filings were as easy as The Onion imagines they could be... Maybe with the next Apple update. [The Onion] * Fascinating, and maybe just a bit unsettling for those that've gotten inked: how law enforcement is using biometric technology in tattoo identification. [Electronic Frontier Foundation] * Are the members of the Supreme Court getting bored waiting for a ninth justice? [Slate] * The true story of how a small, informal lawyer listserv got recognized by the Supreme Court. [New York Personal Injury Blog] * New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, isn't mincing words when it comes to Trump University, calling it a "straight up fraud." [Huffington Post] * Don Verrilli is retiring, here's a look at the Solicitor General's role and success in generating petition grants when he (and his office) recommends them. [Empirical SCOTUS] * A Black Lives Matter activist was convicted on for "attempting to unlawfully remove a suspect from police officers" in a move some have criticized as an attempt to chill lawful protests. [Gawker]

By Kathryn Rubino