@ New York Times
- Obama’s Journey to Reshape Afghan War
When President Obama joins other NATO leaders Sunday and Monday, the full extent of how his Afghan strategy has changed — from “war of necessity” to withdrawal on his terms — will be apparent. - NATO Summit Shadowed by Tensions Over Pakistan
The meeting on long-term security for Afghanistan opened in Chicago under the shadow of tension between the United States and Pakistan over an unfinished deal to reopen supply routes for the war. - Some Gay Rights Advocates Uneasy About Long Jail Time for Dharun Ravi
Some argue that pinning blame on Dharun Ravi, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, ignores the complicated social pressures that drive gay teenagers to kill themselves. - Group of 8 Leaders Confront German Focus on Austerity
Meeting at Camp David, leaders of the world’s richest countries banded together to press Germany to back more pro-growth policies to halt the deepening debt crisis in Europe. - 20th Anniversary of the Vows Column
Six couples profiled in the first year of the Vows column look back at two decades of marriage — and divorce. - Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, Lockerbie Bomber, Dies at 60
Mr. Megrahi was the only person convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. - From Cubicles, Cry for Quiet Pierces Office Buzz
Research shows that more than half of office workers are dissatisfied with the level of “speech privacy” in their offices, and managers are hearing their complaints. - Amanda Burden, Planning Commissioner, Is Remaking New York City
Amanda M. Burden, New York’s City Planning Department director, is in Year 11 of a likely 12-year tenure.Fans of Amanda M. Burden, the planning commissioner, call her a visionary who will leave behind a much-improved city. But critics say the sum total of her ambitions will be a gentrified city […] - Pakistan Blocks Twitter Over Cartoon Contest
The government blocked access to the social networking service on Sunday, after holding Twitter responsible for promoting a blasphemous cartoon contest, officials said. - Italy Quake Kills 5 and Causes Widespread Damage
An earthquake struck the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna on Sunday, killing five people, wounding dozens and damaging historic buildings as well as warehouses and factories. - More…
@ SCOTUSblog
- This week at the Court
On Monday we expect orders from the May 17 Conference as well as opinions in argued cases. Our list of “Petitions to watch” for that Conference is here. On Thursday, the Court will meet for its May 24 Conference. We also expect opinions on Thursday. Our list of “Petitions to watch” for the May 24 [...] - SCOTUS for law students: A campaign finance face-off (sponsored by Bloomberg Law)
The Supreme Court is accustomed to having the last word on matters of constitutional interpretation. But in the application of First Amendment free speech principles to restrictions on corporate campaign spending, the Montana Supreme Court invoked one of the lessons from first-year law school – that facts matter – to uphold state restrictions on independent [...] - Friday round-up
Coverage of the Court yesterday was dominated by the news that, earlier this month, Justice Breyer was the victim of a break-in at his Georgetown home. Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News reports on the story, as do Bill Mears of CNN, the New York Times, Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger of The Washington Post, James [...] - Petition of the day
The petition of the day is: - Relist (and hold) watch
John Elwood reviews Monday’s relisted and held cases. Monday was a big day. Facebook raised the price range of its IPO to $34-38 a share, up from $28-35; in a related story, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that he was buying Greece, Spain and Portugal with change he found under his sofa cushions, thus resolving the [...] - Thursday round-up
Coverage of Monday’s decision in Hall v. United States continued yesterday. Writing for this blog, Ronald Mann argued that the case, in which the Court held that tax liability incurred from the post-petition sale of a family farm is not dischargeable under Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code, is “emblematic of the Court’s long-standing skepticism of the [...] - More…
@ ABA Journal
- Woman Charged with Killing Infant in Suicide Attempt While Pregnant Is Granted Bond
A Chinese immigrant jailed in Indiana for over a year on charges that she killed her viable fetus by eating rat poison in a suicide attempt while pregnant has lost her bid to have the controversial criminal case dismissed by the state supreme court. However, in letting stand a prior Indiana Court of Appeals order requiring a Marion County judge to set bond for Bei Bei Shuai, the court also […] - Wall Street Journal: Dewey & LeBoeuf Is Getting Prepared for Possible Near-Term Bankruptcy Filing
Citing unidentified sources, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) is reporting that Dewey & LeBoeuf is working with a restructuring specialist and hopes to be ready to make a potential bankruptcy filing by the end of next week. However, an actual filing could come some time later or conceivably not at all, according to the newspaper, since no final decisions have been made. While the law firm […] - Bank Blames Greenberg Traurig in High-Profile Contempt Case, Says Firm Had Access to All Documents
In the first day of a contempt hearing concerning evidence that wasn’t produced in a federal civil case that resulted in a $67 million judgment against Toronto-Dominion Bank, the institution’s new counsel, McGuireWoods, pointed the finger at its former counsel. Greenberg Traurig, the bank contended Thursday, had access to all documents related to a claim by investors in a venture promoted by […] - Pennsylvania Supreme Court Orders Ouster of Justice Melvin After Criminal Charges Are Filed
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has relieved Justice Joan Orie Melvin of all judicial and administrative responsibilities, ordered her records secured and directed the court administrator to “ensure that the premises are vacated.” The action, announced in a press advisory, follows news today that Melvin has been charged with nine counts, including four felonies, based on accusations she used […] - Harvard Had a Stronger Claim to Facebook than the Winklevoss Twins, Law Prof Says
Policies buried in college student handbooks are being cited by universities asserting that they are due a cut of the profits from inventions conceived on campus. Harvard wasn’t one of them, Stanford law fellow Brian Love writes in the Boston Globe. Facebook was invented by Mark Zuckerberg and his friends working in a Harvard dorm on a Harvard computer network, says Love, who is moving to Santa […] - Around the Blawgosphere: Bloggers Weigh in on LegalZoom IPO Filing; Vote for Best Law Firm Website
The Other Big IPO Today, Facebook makes its historic market debut. But many lawyer-bloggers are talking about a different initial public offering: Last Friday, Web-based legal services provider LegalZoom filed for an IPO of up to $120 million to expand its services in the United States and around the world. Can LegalZoom documents truly compete on quality with a lawyer-for-hire? The answer to […] - More…
@ Volokh
- The PPACA in Wonderland
(David Kopel) That’s the title of a new article by Gary Lawson and me, in Boston University’s American Journal of Law and Medicine, in a symposium issue on the PPACA. Except that unlike Alice, the PPACA neither becomes a Queen, nor wakes up to return to reality. Written before the oral argument, the article provides an overview [...] - Tax Exemption Law and Camp Predominantly Used by Muslims
(Eugene Volokh) An interesting case in Michigan, in which a Tax Tribunal decision was reversed by Camp Retreats Foundation, Inc. v. Township of Marathon (Mich. Ct. App. May 15, 2012). The question is whether a camp was exempt from property taxes; the camp was rentable by the general public (and sometimes rented by the public), but it [...] - Anagrams with Law Professor Names
(Orin Kerr) Kyle Graham takes a look into this critical question. My own name can be turned into “Ink Error,” which certainly was true of my first article or two. Entertain yourself here. - Justice Breyer’s Bad Luck
(Jonathan H. Adler) Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has had a home robbed twice in the past three months. First burglars raided his Carribbean vacation home, while Breyer was there with guests. Then, earlier this month, his Washington, D.C. home was robbed too. - Cloture Vote on the Nomination of Paul Watford to the Ninth Circuit
(Eugene Volokh) I was happy to hear that the cloture vote on the nomination of Paul Watford to the Ninth Circuit will be held Monday, and I very much hope that Paul will be confirmed. For those interested, here’s my post praising Paul, whom I know well, Orin’s post praising Paul, my letter to the Senate Judiciary [...] - Divided D.C. Circuit Rejects Challenge to Voting Rights Act
(Jonathan H. Adler) This morning, in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected a constitutional challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The 60+ page opinion for the Court by Judge Tatel (joined by Judge Griffith) begins: : In Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District [...] - More…
@ Courthouse News
- Patriot Act Memo Will Stay Under Wraps
MANHATTAN (CN) – New York Times reporter Charlie Savage has lost his effort to expose the U.S. government’s secret interpretation of a section of the Patriot Act, a federal judge ruled. - Samsung to Face Apple’s Patent Claims, Both the New and the Old
SAN JOSE, Calif. (CN) – Apple can proceed to trial with most of the claims it made in reply to Samsung’s own patent infringement lawsuit, in addition to the iPhone maker’s original claims that Samsung stole its designs, a federal judge ruled. - Illinois Governor, Not on Hook for Promised Wages
CHICAGO (CN) – Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and his administration are not liable for millions of dollars in promised pay raises to state employees that were never appropriated in the state’s 2012 budget, the 7th Circuit ruled. - Chief Justice Will Lead Lobbying Team
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – California’s chief justice will lead a team to lobby the Legislature to overturn a budget proposal from Governor Jerry Brown that would centralize financial control of the courts and undermine local court independence. - Court Retains Case on Ill-Effects of Termite Spray
PHILADELPHIA (CN) – A couple claiming a purported termite-killing spray ruined their home and caused them to develop a sensitivity to sundry products and chemicals must keep their case in federal court, a judge ruled. - Oil Giant Repsol Sues Argentina
(CN) – Spanish oil giant Repsol YPF and other investors claim in a federal class action that Argentina nationalized their stake in the formerly state-owned energy company YPF and broke its compensation promises. - More…
