Syracuse University College of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.10.19

* It's probably sociopathic to make "I just killed a deer" part of your online dating banter, but it's downright stupid when you make it part of your online dating banter while trying to woo a game warden. [CNN] * Ahoy maties! Maritime firms Jones Walker and Fowler Rodriguez merge. [Daily Business Review] * Coming legal developments that could revolutionize the law. [Law.com] * Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law now covers police officers shooting innocent people in the back. [Slate] * Federal judge calls for "bone-crushing" discovery. Hopefully the sets a new precedent and judges start asking for "disemboweling" briefing and "waterboarding" voir dire. [Law360] * Another online J.D. program -- and this one's bringing in students with higher LSAT scores than the residential program. [New York Law Journal] * The good and bad news for employers when it comes to workplace class actions. Isn't the good news for employers always, "the Supreme Court is about to make these illegal"? [Corporate Counsel]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.13.16

* You may think that your law school graduation speaker is cool, but you should think again, because your law school graduation speaker probably isn't Vice President Joe Biden. This spring, the Veep will be delivering the commencement address at Syracuse Law, his alma mater. [Syracuse.com] * Bill Mateja, one of Polsinell's finest white-collar criminal defense attorneys, will be representing Texas AG Ken Paxton in his latest foray into the wrong side of the justice system. How do we know Bill Mateja is good at getting his clients off? "Unlike many attorneys, Bill Mateja does not expect repeat business." [Big Law Business] * The Supreme Court may be behind the times when it comes to technology (cellphones are typically banned inside the courtroom's walls), but the justices will allow a group of about a dozen deaf and hard-of-hearing lawyers to use them to see a live transcript during their swearing-in ceremony next week. Congratulations to all! [ABC News] * FBI Director James Comey acknowledges similarities between arguments made in the gun-control debate and Apple's quest to maintain privacy through encryption, but says "[w]e can't resolve these really important issues that affect our values -- technology, innovation, safety and all kinds of other things -- in litigation." [WSJ Law Blog] * "There's a plaintiff who's sure, his tunes could've made gold, and he's buying a lawsuit in C.D. Cal." Ever seen a cause of action for the falsification of rock n' roll history? It's taken about 40 years to happen, but now Led Zeppelin is going to trial over a copyright claim to its hit song "Stairway to Heaven." [THR, Esq. / The Hollywood Reporter]

Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 05.11.12

* Dewey seriously have one chairman again? Good Lord, this law firm is literally falling apart! Martin Bienenstock had “no plans to file bankruptcy” because he knew he was taking the first life raft off this sinking ship. [WSJ Law Blog] * When Dewey WARN people? When it’s already too late. In case you missed it last night, the firm was served with its first suit following its en-masse layoffs. The more the merrier, because it’s a class action. [Bloomberg; WSJ Law Blog] * Elizabeth Warren can’t decide whether she’s white or Native American. Apparently it depends on her geographic location, because she was white at UT Law, but a minority while at Penn Law. [Boston Globe] * Racial profiling still ain’t easy, but Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio “will fight this to the bitter end.” The Department of Justice has filed a civil rights suit against the no-nonsense Sheriff and his department. [Associated Press] * New Jersey Governor Chris Christie must be gearing up for his inevitable 2016 presidential run, because yesterday he vetoed an online insurance marketplace required by the Affordable Care Act. [New York Times] * Syracuse Law recently broke ground on a $90M building that will serve as its new home. May political plagiarizers continue to grace the law school’s halls for years and years to come. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky