While so many GOP members raise a ruckus about nonexistent voter fraud, when election fraud actually happens those same GOP members sit on their hands and turn a blind eye.
* Matthew Riehl, the gunman in the Colorado shooting this weekend who killed a deputy sheriff and wounded four police officers and two civilians, was a former lawyer in Wyoming whose alma mater, Wyoming Law, warned students about his "suspicious behavior" in early November. [Denver Post; Laramie Live] * In his 2017 State of the Judiciary Report, Chief Justice John Roberts focused on court emergency preparedness, but included an addendum about sexual harassment within the judiciary, announcing that proper procedures must be in place to "ensure an exemplary workplace for every judge and every court employee." No mention of the recently retired Judge Alex Kozinski was made. [Washington Post] * Joel Sanders, the former CFO of failed firm Dewey & LeBoeuf who was convicted on securities fraud and conspiracy charges, has reached a settlement with the SEC, but the agency will move forward with proceedings against Stephen DiCarmine, the firm's ex-executive director. [New York Law Journal] * As usual, the new year brings with it a slew of new laws. In some states, voter ID laws will go into effect, while in others, police won't be able to arrest people for immigration enforcement purposes. Plus, pets will be treated more like children after divorces in at least one state. [CNN] * Speaking of new laws, marijuana is now fully legal in California, and if you're 21 or older, you can now purchase and possess up to an ounce for recreational use. This a "monumental moment" for the Golden State, but don't forget that the Feds still consider the drug to be an illegal Schedule I narcotic. [Los Angeles Times]
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Minorities who want to vote are not safe from the Supreme Court yet.
Yes, that happened.
* Taking a phone call for one client while meeting with another leaves a terrible impression. [Reboot Your Law Practice] * Constitution Smonstitution. A look at Trump's new plan. [Huffington Post] * The Avengers are taking a side in this year's election. [Salon] * Texas is straight-up lying to voters about its voter ID laws. [Slate] * Disturbing allegations surrounding Anthony Weiner's sexting habit. [The Slot / Jezebel] * Here's what to bring to a presidential debate party. [Law and More]
* SCOTUS is having none of the North Carolina voter ID bullsh*t. [Huffington Post] * Being a good defense lawyer is about finding and owning the paths to winning. [Katz Justice] * Some people really want to give UNT Dallas College of Law another shot at accreditation. [Texas Lawyer] * The lowdown on the recent decision requiring class action plaintiffs to disclose litigation funding. [Dando Diary] * A comparison of how Hurst and Whole Woman's Health have been applied differently by state courts. [Empirical SCOTUS]
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* North Carolina really wants to keep its voter ID law alive. [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * RIP Gawker. [Gawker] * Even Biglaw firms know Martin Shkreli is toxic. [Law360] * Which SCOTUS cases from this past term are already getting cited by lower courts? [Empirical SCOTUS] * Breakdown of how Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane wound up a convicted criminal. [Vice] * Northwestern Law professor Deborah Tuerkheimer discusses sexual assault on campus. [Legal Talk Network] * Donald Trump and Roger Ailes are teaming up, but maybe it isn't Hillary Clinton who should be worried. [Law and More]
Casting a ballot takes a lot of hard legal work.
* Today, the ABA will vote on a proposed change to the model rules of professional conduct that would prohibit harassment and discrimination by lawyers while practicing law. This may put an end to sexism in the law, but critics say it will chill zealous representation. [DealBook / New York Times; Seattle Times] * "[I]f the polls continue to show that vulnerable Republicans are experiencing backlash, there will be greater momentum to give Garland a hearing during the lame duck." If Donald Trump continues to return unimpressive poll results, some say that Supreme Court nominee Chief Justice Merrick Garland could receive a hearing after all. [The Hill] * "Changing our state's election laws close to the upcoming election ... will create confusion for voters and poll workers." Last week, the Fourth Circuit struck down North Carolina's voter ID law, and now, North Carolina plans to ask the Supreme Court to allow that law to stand via stay in light of the upcoming presidential election. [Reuters] * Who are fourteen of the most successful Harvard Law School alumni of all time? Would it surprise you that five of them are Supreme Court justices, two of them are U.S. presidents, three of them are would-be U.S. presidents, two of them are business magnates, and only one is actively practicing law as an attorney? [Business Insider] * Julie Kay, intrepid reporter on the business of law, RIP. [Daily Business Review]
* Josh Duggar's problems continue: he is being sued by the guy whose pic he used in his Ashley Madison profile. [Jezebel] * Republican statehouses have been doing what they can to make Chief Justice John Roberts look dumb. [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * Zika might be changing American opinions on abortion. [Slate] * Olympic scandal! Moroccan Olympic boxer arrested for sexual assault. [Huffington Post] * NRA v. Police: Why open carry laws make policing difficult. [Salon]
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* Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father of a deceased Muslim soldier who offered a stern rebuke for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during the Democratic National Convention, has taken his law firm's website offline in the face of incredibly harsh criticism from many of Trump's supporters. [RT] * This brings a whole new meaning to the term "gunner": Earlier this week, a campus carry law went into effect at public schools in Texas, and law students at UT Law, Texas Southern Law, Texas Tech Law, Texas A&M Law, U. Houston Law, and North Texas Law may now bring concealed weapons with them to school. [Law.com] * Yesterday afternoon, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 prisoners, the most in a single act since at least 1900. According to White House counsel Neil Eggleston, the president's work is "far from finished," and he expects that clemency will continue to be granted through the end of his final term. [Big Law Business] * After a week of voter ID laws being struck down in battleground states, Texas has agreed to weaken its own voter ID law. Citizens without proper identification will now be able to present a government document with their name and address and sign an affidavit to vote. This will "open the door to voting" for many people. [New York Times] * In response to Freedom of Information Act requests, the Clinton Library has released more than 1,300 pages of files on Supreme Court nominee Chief Judge Merrick Garland. It's really interesting to see what people who refuse to hold a vote for him now had to say when they voted on his D.C. Circuit nomination almost 20 years ago. [POLITICO]
This SCOTUS case has appeared in a lot of decisions recently.
* Are law firms being exploited by their clients to launder money? [Wall Street Journal] * Richard McLaren is the law professor who laid the ground work for Russia potentially being banned from the Rio Olympics over a doping scandal. [New York Times] * An analysis of the legal issues in the new Ghostbusters movie. [The Legal Geeks] * Review of Anxious Lawyer (affiliate link), a new book by AtL columnist Jeena Cho and Karen Gifford. [Legal Ink Magazine] * What does Rick Hasen think will happen in Texas now that the 5th Circuit has struck down its voter ID law? [KUT] * Matthew Dowd and Robert Kulik, the lawyers turned children's book authors we previously profiled, went on TV to discuss their work. [ABC News]
* The Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, rules that Texas's voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act by having discriminatory effects on minority voters (but remands on the issue of discriminatory purpose). [How Appealing] * It appears that yes, Roger Ailes is on his way out at Fox News -- thanks in part to the work of lawyers from Paul, Weiss. [New York Times] * Matt and Melissa Graves, the parents whose two-year-old son was killed by an alligator at Disney's Grand Floridian resort, will not be suing Disney. [Washington Post] * Congratulations to exoneree Jarrett Adams, who served nearly eight years in prison for a crime he did not commit, on his admission to the New York bar. [ABA Journal] * Republican VP nominee Mike Pence is a lawyer, and his Democratic counterpart probably will be as well: shortlisters Tim Kaine, Thomas Perez, and Tom Vilsack are all lawyers, and James Stavridis is a law dean. [New York Times] * A California man gets convicted in a plot to kill two prosecutors, two FBI agents, and federal judge Andrew Guilford -- with a wood chipper. [Los Angeles Times via ABA Journal] * A New York appeals court affirms a ruling in favor of Boies Schiller in a malpractice suit brought by fashion model Mary Anne Fletcher. [Big Law Business] * A bit more about former Attorney General Eric Holder's work for Airbnb (a development we noted yesterday). [American Lawyer]
* Shocker! North Carolina's voter ID law primarily impacted young voters of color. (Actually, I am not surprised at all.) [Democracy Now] * Embrace the nerdiness of Merrrick Garland, you know you want to. [Comic Book Resources] * Does the #HulkvGawk case mean that being an internet smart-ass isn't cool anymore? God, I hope not. [Law and More] * It is easy to blame the poor for their lot in life, much harder to do anything about the underlying issues. [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * Merrick Garland: theater critic. [The Crimson] * It's science! Here is what data science tells us about Merrick Garland. [Ravel Law] * Looking for an easy way for your clients to pay? A new option is coming your way. [My Case] * Fingers crossed! GOP opposition to President Obama's SCOTUS nomination is cracking. [Huffington Post]