University of Texas School of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.24.18

* How awesome is Ruth Bader Ginsburg? The Supreme Court justice had two cancerous growths removed from her left lung on Friday and voted from her hospital bed to reject Trump's asylum ban. Nothing can keep her down. [NBC News] * Acting AG Matt Whitaker is getting to know the President in the same way his predecessor did. Word on the street is that Trump was royally pissed that Whitaker allowed federal prosecutors to make him look bad in Michael Cohen's criminal case. [CNN] * Just because the government's shut down doesn't mean your federal cases will be put on hold. Federal courts have funding to get through three more weeks, and "the Southern District of New York will NOT shut down." [New York Law Journal] * As a result of the government shutdown, the Violence Against Women Act was allowed to expire, which means that programs to assist victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse, and stalking will be left without funding. Ugggggh. [Roll Call] * A former employee at UT Law was recently indicted on charges of theft, money laundering, and abuse of official capacity. He's been accused of taking $300K or more from the law school and faces up to 99 years in prison. [Austin American-Statesman]

By Staci Zaretsky