Syrian Refugees

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.16.16

* Superfans of Seinfeld will remember the Michigan bottle scam, wherein Kramer and Newman try to return bottles to Michigan for the 10 cent deposit. Apparently, that's a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, as this poor sap is learning the hard way. [11 Points] * Intelligence Squared is circulating a petition to fix the presidential debate. They want to see robust policy discussions not gotcha questions... maybe this'd work if Donald Trump weren't one of the candidates. [Change.org] * You need to take care of yourself in order to fight the legal battles that need to be fought. [Katz Justice] * Now that the D.C. Circuit has upheld the FCC's right to enforce net neutrality, what will the Supreme Court do about it? [Slate] * Has the fact that there are only 8 justices on the Supreme Court affected its cert rate? [Empirical SCOTUS] * U.S. District Judge David Godbey ruled, no, Texas, you can't sue the federal government over Syrian refugees. [Huffington Post]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.01.16

* It really isn’t okay that there are children that go hungry. Harvard Law student Thomas Tobin knows there is something that can be done to alleviate the problem. [Arkansas Online] * The Supreme Court rejected requests for expedited audio in today’s two big cases: Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt and U.S. v. Texas. When are we going to be able to force them to put cameras in there and be done with it? [Fix the Court] * Are the lawyers to blame for the giant Sharp / Foxconn deal falling through at the last second? And what can be done to salvage it? The clock is ticking and stock prices are falling. [Quartz] * Remember a few months ago when Republican governors were all butthurt about Syrian refugees? U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled Indiana Governor Mike Pence was way outta line about the whole mess. [Wonkette] * The EEOC is going after employers that discriminate on the basis of sexuality, saying such actions are banned under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. About time. [Buzzfeed] * Looking back at one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of all time to understand how important filling Justice Scalia’s seat really is. [Huffington Post] * A Sikh officer in the Army is suing, complaining his religious observations have subjected him to increased testing. [New York Times] * For those of you who missed last week's event at NYU Law, here's video from "Love, Law, and... Clerkships," featuring Professor Barry Friedman, Judge Alison Nathan (S.D.N.Y.), and our very own David Lat. [YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjX6wLQmMIM&index=1&list=PLBC7DDA1DA3578169

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 12.03.15

* In the wake of yet another tragedy, how should the Second Amendment be balanced? [Slate] * What are the legal ramifications of "crying porn"? Yup, apparently 'crying porn" is now a thing. [Law and More] * All the ways Evenwel v. Abbott could (further) gut the Voting Rights Act. [Talking Points Memo] * What's the problem with international labor monitoring? [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * Texas Governor Greg Abbott is just being the absolute worst over the issue of Syrian refugees. [Wonkette] * Would lawyers be okay with non-lawyers providing some legal advice? [2 Civility]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.02.15

* Did 50 Cent's lawyers spend too much of the bankrupt rapper's money while representing him? With $123,455.92 in expenses, sex-tape plaintiff Lastonia Leviston says Fiddy's lawyers from Brewer Attorneys & Counselors were partying like it was their birthday throughout trial. [New York Daily News] * Roger Ailes, the chairman and CEO of Fox News, isn't laughing at ABC's news comedy called Fair and Balanced. Fox trademarked that slogan in 1997, and Ailes says ABC "wouldn't know fair and balanced if it hit them in the ass with a fish." [Adweek] * Following in Dentons' footsteps, yet another Biglaw firm has entered into a "strategic alliance" with a Chinese firm. McGuireWoods will create a referral network with FuJae Partners, but there's no talk of a merger -- yet. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * NJ Gov. Chris Christie says he's been researching legal action he can take against Syrian refugees who have been placed in his state. He's acknowledged it's a federal issue, but this would-be president is going to try to oust them anyway. [NJ Advance Media] * The Illinois Department of Corrections has been suing newly released inmates to recover the cost of their room and board while they were incarcerated. Lovely. This surely "raise[s] moral questions that legislators need to address." [Chicago Tribune]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 11.27.15

* That was fast! When Howard Bashman (of our sister site How Appealing) talks, the U.S. Supreme Court listens. [How Appealing] * She doesn't mention it much on the campaign trail, but Carly Fiorina is the daughter of Article III aristocracy -- the late Judge Joseph T. Sneed III, a prominent conservative on the Ninth Circuit. [New York Times] * Is the supposed "hate crime" at Harvard Law School, involving the placement of black tape on the portraits of African-American law professors, actually a hoax? [Powerline via TaxProf Blog] * Elsewhere in academia, Professor Glenn Reynolds wonders: "If a cabal of Evil Conservatives set out to destroy academia from within, what, exactly, would it be doing differently?" [Instapundit] * Star Wars fans, discuss: "The Law is a Sith," according to Professor Adam Kolber. [PrawfsBlawg] * Can states bar Syrian refugees? Professor Ilya Somin thinks not (at least under current Supreme Court precedent). [Volokh Conspiracy] * Thoughts from Professor Ronald K.L. Collins on Hines v. Alldredge, the occupational speech case previously discussed by Tamara Tabo. [Concurring Opinions] * What can be done about problematic prosecutors? [New York Times via How Appealing]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.17.15

* "[F]irms have increasingly turned to mergers in hopes that rubbing two coins together might create a third." Per the chairman of Seyfarth Shaw, Biglaw firms that are facing stagnant growth must change ASAP or suffer the consequences. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Given the recent terror attacks in Paris, many U.S. governors have threatened to stop accepting Syrian refugees within their states' borders -- whether they have the legal authority to actually refuse them, however, is another question entirely. [ABC News] * The Department of Homeland Security will publish rules governing privacy protections concerning the use of drones. The world can't wait to see the "best practices" the government recommends for spying on citizens without a warrant. [WSJ Law Blog] * Mississippi College School of Law has decided to freeze its tuition for students entering in the fall of 2016. Incoming students will get to pay the low, low price of $32,040 (seriously, that's low for tuition at a private school) for all three years. [National Jurist] * If you want to put together a compelling admissions package when applying to law school, then during your college summers, you should work at a law-related internship instead of drinking all day and having fun. Sorry! [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

By Staci Zaretsky