Zephyr Teachout

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.08.17

* While the convict at the center of a UN bribery scheme was no doubt pleased to avoid jail time, he was ordered to get all his private massages with bedroom door open in view of assigned guards to ensure Chinese language messages aren't being passed secretly. That's not a happy ending at all. [Law360] * It's not exactly news that an ethics expert thinks Trump should be impeached. But this time the expert has fun visual aides for everyone whose attention span has been battered by cable news. [Facebook] * Reminder that "Breaking Bad" shouldn't be a blueprint for your legal career. [WTOL] * Miami may no longer be a sanctuary city, but others aren't giving up so easily. When someone brings a dubiously constitutional threat, you bring a lawsuit. That's the Chicago way. [Courthouse News Service] * So-called judge has some problems with the way the administration talks about jurists. [Law.com] * Fried Frank gets malpractice claim kicked to the curb. [Texas Lawyer] * You can't patent podcasts. Phew. That's one fewer category of trolls Thinking Like A Lawyer has to deal with. [The Recorder] * UC Hastings has a new academic dean. [UC Hastings]

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.26.16

* When is a polka dot protected by a copyright? [The Fashion Law] * Did HuffPo uncover a scheme for voter intimidation? [Huffington Post] * Lawyers shooting themselves in the foot. [Law and More] * Everyone's a judge these days. [LegalCheek] * Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout nabbed the endorsement of the local paper. [Poughkeepsie Journal] * NYC is considering legislation on three-quarter housing (between halfway houses and private homes). [Cityland]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 08.25.16

* A lawsuit by New York Giants player Jason Pierre-Paul against ESPN will go forward. The firework enthusiast is mad ESPN reporter Adam Schefter tweeted out a pic of the x-ray of his hand after an accident last Fourth of July. [The Hollywood Reporter] * The Kardashians are changing their #sponsoredcontent ways. [Jezebel] * How lawsuits against Ivy League retirement plans could help you -- by William Birdthistle, author of Empire of the Fund (affiliate link). [Forbes] * A Republican Super PAC is going hard after Fordham Law professor and Congressional candidate Zephyr Teachout. [The Slot] * “I knew you would pull it off.” When clients help their lawyers with an impressive victory. [Katz Justice] * Exactly how readable are the decisions from the 2015 Supreme Court term? [Empirical SCOTUS] * Are immigration glitches hurting American farmers? [Huffington Post] * Should you feel sorry for Scott Brown because he wasn't named in a lawsuit? [Law and More] * This is how the Ivies bust unions. [Lawyers, Guns & Money]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 08.17.16

* Zephyr Teachout, the Fordham Law professor and congressional candidate, wants to take on her opponent's backers. [Gawker] * A somewhat less expensive way for law school to take money from students is gaining in popularity. [WVTF] * Good luck with that whole work/life balance -- the law is a jealous mistress. [Reboot Your Law Practice] * If you can imagine it, Harvard Law School actually used to be more miserable, particularly for black women. [Huffington Post] * Who will be live-tweeting the first presidential debate, or simpler, who won't be? [Law and More] * The conservative legacy of Justice Powell is still felt today. [Truthdig]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 01.27.16

* Color me surprised: Amal Clooney is redefining the power suit. [Huffington Post] * If you haven't watched Mike Huckabee's take on the instant Adele classic, "Hello," you really should. If for no other reason than to see the former governor weigh in on whether he thinks Ted Cruz is a natural born citizen. [Mother Jones] * Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout is running for Congress. You'll remember the politically minded professor previously ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor. [New York Daily News] * An adorably old 102-year-old British lawyer became the oldest to have his master's conferred by Cambridge. [Legal Cheek] * It is easy to get mad when things are unfair, but like momma used to say, "life isn't fair," and there is a lesson to be learned there. [Katz Justice] * Has NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio lived up to his campaign promises? A detailed look. [City and State] * Yes, even lawyers -- heck, especially lawyers -- need to be responsible for their own marketing. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 01.30.15

* Did two little kids get slapped with a lifetime gag order barring them from talking about fracking. But how will they explain their third eye? [The Guardian] * Private equity firm TPG is suing its former PR man -- former Bush spokesperson Adam Levine -- for allegedly stealing confidential documents and threatening to leak them to the press. They probably showed where the Iraq WMDs were. [O'Dwyer's] * So maybe the blizzard of 2015 fizzled for New Yorkers. But winter's not over yet -- how do you interview in a snowstorm? [Corporette] * Simpson Thacher could have some malpractice issues with that $1.5 billion SNAFU. [Law360] * "The Supreme Court's Billion-Dollar Mistake"? Well, they're still half a billion ahead of Simpson Thacher. [New York Review of Books] * Suge Knight accused of murder. Not an archival story. [Los Angeles Times] * As Juggalo Law likes to say, "'Sup With Aaron?" A recap of day 2 of the Aaron Hernandez murder trial, the Patriots scandal that isn't about deflated balls. [ESPN] * Lagarrette Blount marijuana charges dropped like a Boise State linebacker. Huh. I guess this was yet another Patriots scandal. [ESPN] * 30 bats flew into an Arkansas courtroom disrupting a trial. That'll teach them to let Joe Chill go free. [MyFoxNY] * An online CLE on the ethical issues of laterals and collapsing firms. Dewey know any firms who could have used this information? [Bloomberg BNA]

By Joe Patrice
9th Circuit

Non-Sequiturs: 10.08.14

* Some marriage equality enthusiasts applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to stay out of the way and let the circuits do their thing. But the history of miscegenation in America suggests the Supreme Court had a moral obligation to interject. [USA Today] * On this subject, Professor Dorf presents a fascinating hypothetical: is it in the strategic interest of an anti-gay marriage conservative lower court judge to strike down same-sex marriage bans in light of the Supreme Court’s cert denials? [Dorf on Law] * One more story while we’re at it, after the Ninth Circuit struck down bans on same-sex marriages, District Judge Robert C. Jones of Nevada, who upheld the ban in the first place, recused himself rather that be forced to issue an opinion in accordance with Ninth Circuit precedent. [BuzzFeed] * If you’ve ever wondered how Islamic State manages to recruit Western youth to the cause, the answer is a “Disney-like” social media campaign. It’s like a Biglaw summer program, but for murder. [Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy] * “Better Hold Off Sexting With High School Students” in Indiana. The Indiana Supreme Court finally weighed in last week after the lower court had okayed a teacher texting a 16-year-old to sneak out of the house for sex. Wait, this required the Supreme Court to weigh in? What is wrong with you Indiana? [Valpo Law Blog] * Looking professional with a pixie cut. [Corporette] * Enter for a chance to win a Chief Judge Randall Rader bobblehead! Yes, these exist. [Santa Clara Law] * The Zephyr Teachout book tour for Corruption in America (affiliate link) begins. Is your town on the list? [Teachout-Wu] * New Orleans taxpayers spent around $75K traveling judges to conferences and resorts last year. Quoth the tipster: “I could make a joke about New Orleans judges going to the third world to learn how to run their courtrooms, but I think I already did.” [The Times-Picayune]

By Joe Patrice
Andrew Cuomo

Morning Docket: 09.12.14

* Following the divisive decision in Shelby County v. Holder, voting rights cases may be heading back to the SCOTUS sooner than we thought. Thanks, Texas and Wisconsin. [USA Today] * Bienvenidos a Miami? Cities compete to be designated as sites where global arbitration matters are heard. Miami is an up-and-comer, but New York is king. [DealBook / New York Times] * Thanks to anonymous donors, the reward for info related to FSU Law Professor Dan Markel’s murder has been raised to $25,000. Not a single suspect has been named since his death. [Tallahassee Democrat] * After losing the Democratic primary to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Professor Zephyr Teachout drank some gin and tonics like a boss before returning to her class at Fordham Law to teach property. [New York Times] * Try as he might, the Blade Runner just can’t outrun the law: Oscar Pistorius might have been cleared on the murder charge he was facing, but now he’s been found guilty on a culpable homicide charge. [CNN]

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 09.10.14

* Sweet billable hours: Congrats to Proskauer Rose on its efforts to keep the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo, New York. It’s the largest deal for the sale of an NFL team in history. [Am Law Daily] * Your firm brings in billions in verdicts, but that’s not prestigious enough. It needs to be on the inaugural list of America’s Elite Trial Lawyers. See if yours made the cut. [National Law Journal] * The best way to dodge traps in the LSAT analytical reasoning section is to display your analytical reasoning capabilities by not taking the LSAT in the first place during a time when law schools are in turmoil. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News] * Law professors Zephyr Teachout (Fordham) and Tim Wu (Columbia) were defeated in the Democratic primary election for New York governor and lieutenant governor, but they lost well. [New York Daily News] * The world wants to know if Ray Rice can be prosecuted for domestic violence, even though he’s enrolled in a pre-trial intervention program. Like the answer to all legal questions, it depends. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
7th Circuit

Morning Docket: 08.27.14

* Judge Posner dished out a whole lot of benchslaps at yesterday’s Seventh Circuit arguments over Indiana and Wisconsin’s bans on same-sex marriage. [BuzzFeed] * Major U.S. and Canadian law firms chow down on Burger King’s whopper of a deal with Tim Hortons. [Am Law Daily] * A recent Delaware court ruling on attorney-client privilege might allow in-house lawyers to speak more freely about wrongdoing at their companies, according to Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon. [DealBook / New York Times] * The corruption trial of former Virginia governor continues; yesterday Bob McDonnell’s sister took the stand. [Washington Post] * A favorable evidentiary ruling for Aaron Hernandez. [Fox Sports] * And good news for Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu, the two law professors running for governor and lieutenant governor of New York: the Times dissed their opponent, Andrew Cuomo, with a non-endorsement. [New York Times] * I recently spoke with one of my cousins Joao Atienza of the Cebu Sun Star, about Above the Law and the world of legal blogging. [Cebu Sun Star]

By David Lat
Antonin Scalia

Non-Sequiturs: 05.30.14

* Confessions of a litigious mind: Trial attorney admits he was trained as a spy. [What About Clients?] * A Fordham Law professor running for governor. [New York Times] * Are messenger bags unprofessional for lawyers? My firm bought us messenger bags with firm logos so this wasn’t a question for me. [Corporette] * New carbon regulations on the horizon and industry is already gearing up for a fight. [Breaking Energy] * FTC charging Jerk.com with deceiving customers. What a paradox, because if the FTC is right this seems like truth in advertising. [IT-Lex] * Larry Klayman is suing the entity he founded, Judicial Watch, for defamation. Somehow Orly Taitz is involved. [South Florida Lawyers] * Hey recent grads! Do you need to frame your shiny new diploma? Mountary is offering a 20 percent discount to ATL readers. Just enter the code “atl20″ at checkout. [Mountary] * Bruce Allen Murphy has a new biography on Justice Antonin Scalia that proposes that far from forging a conservative Court, Justice Scalia's actions have undermined building a conservative team of justices. Also he reminds us that Scalia was totally an affirmative action hire. Video after the jump.... [YouTube]

By Joe Patrice