Developing: The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law.A concurrence by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. provided the fifth vote…
SCOTUS rejects request to allow all Texas voters to use mail-in ballots
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an emergency application to allow all voters in Texas to use mail-in ballots. The Supreme Court rejected a request…
COVID-19 hasn’t stopped this lawyer from advocating for wellness and recovery
It may often seem like most, if not all, of your contacts on social media are complaining about wearing face masks, having to social distance…
Afternoon Briefs: California law schools announce fall online classes; law protects monuments, state AG says
2 California law schools announce plans for fall online classes Because of COVID-19 concerns, fall 2020 classes will be online at the University of California…
Trump can’t transfer military funds to build border wall, 9th Circuit rules
A federal appeals court in a pair of rulings held Friday that the Trump administration’s diversion of military money to build a wall between the…
Judge requests reduced charge for man who slapped his hand over face mask order, DA says
A Texas man who was shown on video in an altercation with a county judge and a hardware store employee over an order to wear…
Deal to acquire Concordia law school no longer in place; dean says news was big surprise
The Concordia University School of Law in Idaho will close, following months of uncertainty for the Boise institution. The Idaho Statesman reported Thursday that…
Police union sues state attorney general over plans to publish names of disciplined cops
The union that represents New Jersey state troopers is suing New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to stop his plan to publicly release the names…
Judges in 3 states testify in favor of continued use of remote proceedings post-COVID-19
A former California state and federal trial judge told Congress Thursday that COVID-19 has opened the judiciary to new technology, and he doesn’t expect that…
2-year suspension recommended for lawyer over ‘aggressive tactics and relentless vindictiveness’
Chicago lawyer Joel Brodsky, best known for representing an Illinois police officer convicted of murdering one of his ex-wives, should be suspended for two years…
Former BigLaw lawyer can return to practice after prison sentence, state supreme court says
A former Fox Rothschild partner who was sentenced to federal prison for insider trading is free to practice law again, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled…
Afternoon Briefs: Judge won’t block book by Trump’s niece; ex-BigLaw lawyer wants harassment lawsuit tossed
Judge tosses bid to block Mary Trump’s book A New York judge has ruled that he doesn’t have the authority to block publication of a…
Afternoon Briefs: Judge won’t block book by Trump’s niece; ex-BigLaw lawyer wants harassment lawsuit tossed
Judge tosses bid to block Mary Trump’s book A New York judge has ruled that he doesn’t have the authority to block publication of a…
2020 ABA Medal goes to William Neukom, founder of the World Justice Project
William Neukom, a former ABA president and founder of the World Justice Project, will be awarded this year’s ABA Medal, the association announced Thursday. “Bill…
Remove underperformers? Increase cash? New law firm survey shows changing views
Law firms responding to survey questions about a hypothetical recession became more willing to take tough measures as the COVID-19 crisis worsened, according to recent…
Twitter dismissed from Rep. Devin Nunes’ defamation suit over parody accounts
A Virginia judge has dismissed Twitter from a $250 million defamation suit filed by Republican California congressman Devin Nunes that targeted parody accounts claiming to…
SCOTUS upholds limits on habeas review for some asylum-seekers
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld restrictions on habeas review as applied to an asylum-seeker who was subject to a quick deportation process. In
With latest appellate confirmation, Trump has appointed 200 federal judges
With the confirmation Wednesday of Cory Wilson to a federal appeals court, President Donald Trump has appointed 200 federal judges. Every federal appeals court vacancy…
Justices have a lot to say, but all is quiet in the Supreme Court
Afternoon Briefs: Another law firm cuts pay; officer fired in shooting death of Breonna Taylor
Another law firm cuts pay for lawyers and staffers Holland & Hart is reducing profit distributions to equity partners and cutting pay for salaried lawyers…
Privatized services and onerous fees hurt public confidence in the justice system, ABA report says
About 10 million Americans owe more than $50 billion in debt related to their involvement in the criminal justice system, according to a report released…
Bayer will pay up to $10.9B to resolve Roundup litigation
Bayer AG has agreed to pay up to $10.9 billion to settle current and potentially future litigation contending that its Roundup weed killer causes cancer.…
Trial by Zoom: A strange but true story of how one lawyer prepared for court
On June 12, I was in federal court cross-examining a witness about strawberry shortbread. Only, I wasn’t in the courthouse, and neither was the judge.…
Fighting landlord’s suit, Jenner & Block says COVID-19 pandemic entitles it to rent abatement
Jenner & Block says abatement provisions in its Chicago lease cover situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is entitled to an $840,000-plus credit for…
In Amazon’s ‘Gary Busey: Pet Judge,’ is what you see really what you get?
I’m not a fan of commercials. To be fair, outside of the Super Bowl, you’d probably be hard-pressed to find many folks who enjoy the…
Judge can’t probe DOJ’s decision to drop Flynn case, DC Circuit says
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Wednesday that a federal judge can’t scrutinize a federal prosecutor’s decision to drop the…
What does police abolition look like?
Recent protests over police brutality have raised the volume on calls to defund the police. But while police…
New York top court doesn’t see C-word as a compliment, orders judge’s ouster
New York’s top court has ordered the ouster of a part-time judge who referred to a lawyer as a “c- – – on wheels” and…
5 years after landmark gay marriage ruling by SCOTUS, lawyer in the case says it’s ‘gone swimmingly well’
Afternoon Briefs: Prosecutor says Trump ally got break; lawyers’ extortion plea
Prosecutor to testify that Trump ally was treated better A prosecutor who resigned in the Roger Stone case plans to tell Congress on Wednesday that…
Prosecutor vows to file whistleblower complaint against public defender for bias blog posts
A California district attorney has vowed to file a whistleblower complaint against a public defender who criticized prosecutors’ role in perpetuating racial bias. Santa Clara…
New York City’s backlog in criminal cases rises to 39,200 after trials postponed
The backlog in criminal cases in New York City has risen by nearly a third since February, the month before all trials in the state…
Top law firms fared surprisingly well during COVID-19 pandemic, survey says
The legal industry has fared surprising well during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey of mostly larger law firms by Wells Fargo Private Bank’s…
Lawyer deaths and series of tornadoes don’t excuse late filing, federal judge rules
The unexpected deaths of two lawyers and a series of tornadoes don’t excuse the late filing of an expert report on damages, a federal judge…
Lawyer disbarred for secretly referring his law firm’s clients to outside lawyers
A Pennsylvania lawyer has consented to disbarment after his conviction for defrauding his law firm out of $3.4 million by secretly referring its personal injury…
Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer pleads guilty in adoption scheme; prosecutor who quit in Roger Stone case gets new job
Lawyer pleads guilty in illegal adoption scheme A lawyer and former assessor in Maricopa County, Arizona, pleaded guilty Friday to human smuggling and communications fraud…
Majority of minority female lawyers consider leaving law; ABA study explains why
Seventy percent of female minority lawyers report leaving or considering leaving the legal profession, according to an ABA report on the challenges that they face.The…
Supreme Court rules disgorgement, with limits, is allowed in SEC civil actions
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 Monday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may seek disgorgement—with some limits—in civil enforcement cases. In an
Judge refuses to stop publication of Bolton book but warns of consequences
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., refused Saturday to block the publication of a tell-all book by former National Security Adviser John Bolton while warning…
ABA Journal’s redesign wins top national award from 2020 Azbees
The ABA Journal was awarded the top national prize for its magazine redesign from the American Society of Business Publication Editors on Friday. In all,…
Meet the acting replacement for a US attorney who was unaware he had resigned
The Manhattan U.S. attorney, who says he was surprised by an announcement of his resignation late Friday, has been replaced by his deputy on an…
With latest acquisition, King & Spalding has added 19 Boies Schiller partners
King & Spalding has added four more partners from Boies Schiller Flexner after acquiring 15 partners from the law firm in April. Robert Hays,…
Afternoon Briefs: Oklahoma top court won’t block Trump rally; cop union loses bid to destroy records
Oklahoma’s top court refuses to block Trump rally The Oklahoma Supreme Court refused to block a campaign rally Friday for President Donald Trump that is…
New York court system’s admin board lifts ban on law firm trade names
The New York court system’s administrative board has lifted the ban on law firms advertising their services under trade or domain names. The revised rule…
Former BigLaw partner agrees to suspension after insider trading conviction
A former partner at two large law firms has agreed to a three-year suspension after his conviction for insider trading. The suspension for Robert M.…
Lethal force laws reexamined after police killings; is reasonableness standard too easy?
Lawmakers in several states are considering revisions to police lethal force laws following the deaths of George Floyd and others during encounters with officers.Seth…
How to raise money during a pandemic: ‘These are the days for legal tech,’ CEO says
Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Michael Grupp, the founder and CEO of Bryter, a no-code platform for building digital applications in the legal and compliance…
Afternoon Briefs: State chief justices on racial inequality; court worker fired for video
State high courts, chief justices issue racial injustice statements A growing number of state chief justices are issuing public statements following the death of…
Law clerk speaks up after judge’s courtwide email sparks debate over removing Confederate symbols
A black law clerk was the first to respond after a federal appeals judge shared an email with hundreds of colleagues in which he opined…
Lawyer who ‘actively avoided’ payment of malpractice settlement gets suspension
An Ohio lawyer who “actively avoided” paying a $25,000 malpractice settlement has been suspended from law practice. The Ohio Supreme Court suspended lawyer Byron Corley…
