Kmiec Chosen for Ambassador to Malta
Douglas Kmiec, the conservative Pepperdine University law professor and prominent supporter of President Barack Obama, is likely headed to the Mediterranean. The White House said today that Obama has chosen Kmiec as the new ambassador to Malta, the archipelago nation...
DOJ Wins Rehearing in Suit Alleging Unlawful Wiretap, Surveillance
Scott Tooley narrowly won an appellate court victory earlier this year in his suit against top government officials, accusing them of invading his privacy through purported wiretaps, clandestine surveillance and “terrorist watch lists.” Now he may lose again. A three-judge...
Patton Boggs Helps Free Lawyer Detained in Belarus
Earlier this year, Patton Boggs partner Joseph Brand compared the plight of client Emanuel Zeltser to a James Bond movie or something written by Kafka. But the twisted tale, it seems, is finally over. Zeltser, a New York-based lawyer, had...
New Push for Court-Appointed Counsel in Immigration Cases
By Marcia Coyle Five immigrant rights organizations have filed a petition asking the Department of Justice to begin an official rulemaking to permit immigration judges to appoint counsel in certain cases. "The massive increase in the number of immigration detainees,...
Ninth Circuit's Kozinski is Admonished, and He Apologizes
The judicial council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, assigned to look into allegations against 9th Circuit chief judge Alex Kozinski, issued its memorandum opinion this morning, admonishing him but concluding that no further action or...
A dozen themes frame Sotomayor hearing
Most of the story lines are already set for Sotomayor's hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and just about all of them end with her winning confirmation as the next justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. That doesn't mean, though, that she'll have an easy time.
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LEGAL BUSINESS
Financial reform plan could prompt suits
President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to reform the financial regulatory system would create a new consumer protection agency, toughen regulations, and close loopholes blamed for contributing to the financial crisis. It could also open the floodgates for more litigation against banks and other financial institutions, say lawyers who represent the industry.
Pushing Limits
John Olson, a senior securities partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, says he knows which two cases are about to become the talk of the securities bar. One, the SEC's action against billionaire Mark Cuban, has already generated a lot of hype. But the other one — a suit that has so far kept a low profile — could be even more significant.
Health care bill brings on lobbying rush
With health care reform, Congress is prepping to reshape roughly one-sixth of the economy. Big pharmaceutical and insurance companies have poured millions of dollars into lobbying over the broad strokes of the legislation. But even the details will send shocks through smaller players across the country, and they're spending money on K Street, too.
FEATURED NEWS
Finally, Franken is in
After eight months of electoral dispute, former comedian Al Franken may be sworn in as Minnesota's second senator and take his seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee as early as this week. We spoke with Perkins Coie partner Marc Elias, who argued for Franken in front of the state supreme court, about the recount.
Chabad tries court to get rabbis' books back
At issue in the legal fight between the Chabad-Lubavitch sect and the Russian Federation is an irreplaceable library of rare books, manuscripts and thousands of pages of handwritten rabbinical teachings that were once held by the Chabad-Lubavitch head rabbis but were left behind when the rabbis fled for safety during the world wars.
Supreme Court says states can regulate national banks
State attorneys general won a major turf war in the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29 as the justices held that states may enforce their anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws against national banks. The high court, in a 5-4 ruling, struck down a regulation issued by the chief federal regulator of national banks that pre-empted the states' power to enforce those laws.
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COURT NEWS
- Courthouse call riles judiciary
Monday, June 29, 2009 - Big class actions against the feds may falter
Monday, June 22, 2009 - CIVIL ACTIONS
Monday, June 29, 2009
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A judge questions prosecutors' cooperation with defense lawyers; the DOJ comes under fire for not overseeing outside monitors; the Supreme Court disperses to teach and lecture for the summer; King & Spalding acquires big names; Fannie Mae's defense lawyers demand a mediator; and the Civil Division feels like home for Bill Orrick in this week's column.
