Supreme Court Confirms The Bill Of Rights Is Just About Making Money, Strikes Down Trademark Disparagement Provision
It's not that the decision is wrong, it's that the reasoning is just a cynical lie.
Morning Docket: 01.17.17
* "Every single racial slur you can think of for Asian Americans is a trademark right now. And almost any kind of slur you could think of for any group is a registered trademark right now. The law’s not working." Asian-American rock band The Slants will make their debut before the Supreme Court this week, and when all is said and done, trademark law's prohibition on the registration of disparaging marks may be forever changed thanks to their First Amendment argument. [Washington Post]
* Zachary Warren, the low-level Dewey & LeBoeuf employee who wound up being criminally charged along with the failed firm's head honchos, has been cleared of all charges. After completing 350 hours of community service in accordance with the requirements of a deferred prosecution agreement, Warren's indictment has been sealed, and he's now working as an associate at Williams & Connolly. [Big Law Business]
* For all of their talk about wanting to prevent women from leaving the practice of law, many Biglaw firms that once made big promises about onsite day-care facilities have allowed those plans to fall to the wayside after being hamstrung by significant costs and liability issues. Today, about 10 law firms have set up day-care programs for attorneys' children, and for those that have, it's a real "distinguisher in recruiting." [Am Law Daily]
* According to the results of a new study performed by Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court in conjunction with students at Yale Law School, while Asian-Americans are plentiful within our country's attorney workforce, very few of them have managed to ascend to the most prestigious leadership roles in the legal profession. What could be causing this to occur? Implicit bias may be playing a role. [Washington Post]
* "[I]t would be your word against mine and nobody will believe you." A Republican politician in Connecticut who "love[s] this new world" because he "no longer [has] to be politically correct" currently stands accused of grabbing a town employee by the p*ssy pinching a town employee's groin. He's been charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, and he's scheduled to appear in court at the end of the month. [Westport Daily Voice]
* The University of Washington at Tacoma is rethinking its plans to create a law school that's separately accredited from the one at the University's Seattle campus. Before moving forward, UWT wants to build up its undergraduate pre-law program to make sure the demand will be there in the future. Unlike some schools, "[t]he last thing [UWT] want[s] to do is to start a law school and it not to be successful early." [News Tribune]
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SCOTUS To Decide If Offensive Names Can Be Trademarked
The outcome of this case could affect the Washington Redskins in its trademark battle.
Morning Docket: 09.20.16
* Alecia Schmuhl, the lawyer accused of teaming up with her husband and plotting to kill the managing partner of the law firm she was fired from, has taken a deal in her case and could serve anywhere from 10 to 45 years in prison under the terms of her plea agreement. She'll be sentenced by the middle of January 2017. [Washington Post] * Two heads are better than one, especially when it comes to taking over a Biglaw titan's position as chairman at K&L Gates. Longtime chairman Peter Kalis will step down at the end of February, and come March, James Segerdahl will serve as the firm's global managing partner, while Michael Caccese will serve as chairman of the firm's management committee. We'll have more on this later today. [Big Law Business] * A big old welcome back to Biglaw: Brackett Denniston III, who has served as general counsel at GE for more than two decades, is throwing in the in-house towel to get back to the daily grind of law firm life. He recently rejoined Goodwin Procter -- a firm where he previously worked for about 15 years -- as senior counsel, and while there, he hopes to work on "hard cases" and mentor some of the firm's younger lawyers. [WSJ Law Blog] * What do the Redskins and the Slants have in common, aside from names that some may consider offensive? As it turns out, the football team and the rock band are fighting the same fight before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. They both claim the First Amendment bars the USPTO from refusing to register their "disparaging" marks, and the Supreme Court may soon grant cert on either one of their cases. [Associated Press] * If you're planning to apply to law school during this admissions cycle despite the state of the job market for entry-level attorneys, then you may want to follow this 10-week timeline for submitting your applications. Don't forget that the goal here is to get ahead of the game, take advantage of rolling admissions, and submit all of your materials before those pesky December LSAT test-takers. [U.S. News & World Report]
Morning Docket: 12.23.15
* It's the Miss Universe pageant lawsuit you've all been waiting for: attorneys at a Colombian law firm say they will be filing suit due to Miss Colombia's crowning and de-crowning, noting "the crown is an acquired right that cannot be taken away from us.” [WGNO] * The Federal Circuit handed down a major ruling yesterday, saying that the government can no longer bar the registration of offensive trademarks due to restrictions on free speech. This will likely be appealed to SCOTUS, but the Redskins must be pretty pumped. [Reuters] * In an effort to avoid another Kim Davis fiasco (and to protect clerks' religious beliefs), Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin has signed an executive order directing that his state prepare new marriage licenses without the names of county clerks. [Associated Press] * Lil Wayne may be a "motherf**kin' cash money millionaire," but he reportedly can't spare the cash to pay his attorneys' fees. This marks the second time in recent months that he's been sued for allegedly failing to pay his lawyers what they're owed. [SPIN] * Lakeisha Holloway, the woman accused of using her car to mow down and kill a pedestrian and injure many others on the Las Vegas Strip, has been charged with murder with a deadly weapon. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. [NBC News]