SXSW

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.11.19

* According to House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), special counsel Robert Mueller is making “a mistake” by not putting President Trump under oath for in-person testimony, since “he's made plain in the past [that] he feels it's perfectly fine to lie to the public.” [NBC News] * Per his lawyer, Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann will be suing CNN for at least $250M because the news network was “probably more vicious in its direct attacks” than the Washington Post. [The Hill] * Lynne Patton, purported “law school grad” and actual prop for Rep. Mark Meadows, will soon be seen on reality TV, with Trump’s permission, of course. [CNN] * Texas lawyers have filed suit against the State Bar of Texas, claiming that the use of their mandatory dues to fund diversity programming and other legislative initiatives is unconstitutional. [SE Texas Record] * Women are dominating the playing field at this year’s SXSW festival and conference, making up about 68 percent of the attorneys who will be featured as speakers or panelists during the event. [Texas Lawyer] * In a split vote, the Maryland Court of Appeals reinstated “Serial” podcast subject Adnan Syed’s murder conviction, ruling that even though he may have had ineffective assistance of counsel, that wasn’t enough to overcome the rest of the evidence against him. [Reuters] * Bill Powers, former UT president and former UT Law dean, RIP. [Statesman]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.16.15

* Last week in court, a murder suspect in Louisiana apparently pooped his pants during a case status hearing, wiped said poop all over his face, and muttered to himself that "life is like a box of chocolates." Sorry about that crappy candy, dude. [New Orleans Advocate] * According to early Am Law 100 data, New York's most elite and prestigious firms have once again broken away from the rest of the pack when it comes to both revenue and partner profits. Biglaw's best may be back to models and bottles. [Am Law Daily] * Michelle Lee, the first woman to ever serve as director of the USPTO, was sworn in on stage at SXSW Interactive. Michelle Lee, who worked with the Girl Scouts to issue a patent patch (instead of more makeup and sewing patches), is pretty damn awesome. [Mashable] * The federal judiciary has plans to decrease the word limit of appellate briefs from 14,000 to 12,500, and lawyers are pissed. Lawyers from Brown Rudnick say it could result in more acronyms, confusing construction, and less "punctilious citation,” oh my! [WSJ Law Blog] * Lee Smolen, the ex-Sidley Austin partner who faked $69,000 in travel expenses while at the firm (and possibly $379K more), has been suspended from practice for one year and will have to undergo psychiatric treatment. [Legal Profession Blog via ABA Journal] * Taking New York's lead, California is considering requiring all would-be attorneys in the state to complete 50 hours of pro bono work within one year of being admitted. Leave it to people who don't know what they're doing yet to close the justice gap. [Los Angeles Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Defamation

Non-Sequiturs: 08.15.12

* Andrew Shirvell questioned himself for over an hour today in defense of himself from Chris Armstrong’s defamation lawsuit. I’m telling you, life is so much easier when you don’t care about a person’s sexual orientation. [Detroit Free Press] * It looks like Boies Schiller somehow filled the spot left by Elizabeth Wurtzel. [Thomson Reuters News and Insight] * Election Law professor Rick Hasen is disappointed with the Pennsylvania voter ID decision today. [Election Law Blog] * Grumpy baby boomer blogs angrily about law and life, a.k.a. my future. [Grumpy Baby Boomer] * How to dress like a female lawyer from a television show. Funny, I didn’t know “breast implants” were a fashion accessory now. [Levo League] * The Daily Caller dug up an article Michelle Obama wrote about critical race theory while at Harvard. She makes some pretty good points, especially considering the perspective of a young black person trying to deal with Harvard Law School in 1988. But I suspect the context of the article, the theory, the history, the university, and everything else will be missed by most of the readers of the Daily Caller. [Daily Caller] * Here’s a new social network for law students. [Indiana Lawyer] * Buy Tyler Coulson’s book (affiliate link), save a dog. You don’t want to kill puppies, do you? [PR Web] * Lat is on a proposed SXSW panel about haw law firms should (and should not) be using Twitter and other social media. I hope firms don’t listen to him, because it’ll make my job easier. [SXSW PanelPicker]

By Elie Mystal
Crime

Famed Hacker Arrested for Pot Possession En Route To SXSW

Last week, the hacker who became famous as the first person to “jailbreak” an iPhone was booked and charged with felony marijuana possession, police in Sierra Blanca, Texas, told Above the Law. Let's learn more about George Hotz, his brush with Texas justice, and the legally questionable drug-busting strategy employed by local law enforcement in Sierra Blanca...

By Christopher Danzig