Is calling litigation ‘without merit’ actually without merit?

Scan corporate financial filings, and it doesn’t take long to notice that companies often dismiss legal actions brought against them as being “without merit” or “meritless.” But a federal court ruling suggests that reliance on such phrases can backfire when it comes to litigation disclosures.

Feb 2, 2024 10:06 AM CST

Yale Law’s Owen Fiss talks about threats to democracy and ‘Why We Vote’

After 50 years as a professor at Yale Law School, Owen Fiss says his students are still idealistic and passionate about the rights won in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. A classroom discussion prompted his new book.

Jan 31, 2024 8:47 AM CST

Prosecutors are ‘quitting in droves,’ and it’s bad news for defendants, law prof says

Prosecutors are “quitting in droves,” while the offices that employ them are getting a fraction of the applications that they have in the past, according to a law professor who studied the problem.

Jan 26, 2024 8:57 AM CST

2020 Supreme Court decision offers ‘dangerous’ path for stealing election, legal scholars say

A 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision on faithless electors appears to allow state legislatures to pursue a “dangerous strategy” for overturning election results, according to an op-ed in the New York Times by two legal scholars.

Jan 24, 2024 10:13 AM CST

Is BigLaw mostly liberal? SCOTUS amicus briefs indicate answer is yes, especially in significant cases

Large law firms are showing their ideological leanings in U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs filed on behalf of likely pro bono clients, according to a study by a law professor at the University of Notre Dame.

Jan 17, 2024 3:59 PM CST

Northwestern law prof’s $5K charitable donation isn’t substitute for attorney fees sanction, federal judge says

A law professor’s $5,000 charitable donation can’t take the place of attorney fees that he was ordered to pay for wrongly seeking to remove a probate motion to federal court, a federal judge in Colorado ruled Monday.

Jan 11, 2024 2:29 PM CST

Access to justice can be achieved, says ‘Law Democratized’ author—but not without change

In 2013, the ABA Journal named Renee Knake Jefferson a Legal Rebel for her work rethinking how legal services could be delivered to consumers. In 2024, she’s looking back at a decade of successes and failures aimed at improving access to justice.

Jan 10, 2024 8:22 AM CST

Supreme Court once again ‘leapfrogging’ appeals court in decision to hear Idaho emergency abortion case

For 15 years, the U.S. Supreme Court did not grant a single petition for certiorari before judgment, which asks the high court hear a case before a federal appeals court weighs in.

Jan 8, 2024 12:35 PM CST

Trump ballot access case on ‘exceptionally fast’ briefing schedule’ in SCOTUS; ‘sprawling’ arguments possible

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Feb. 8 following its decision Friday to hear former President Donald Trump’s petition to overturn Colorado’s decision to keep him off the ballot in that state.

Jan 8, 2024 9:52 AM CST

Trump administration had worst Supreme Court record since at least FDR years, study says

The U.S. Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts “has not been particularly receptive” to former President Donald Trump’s arguments, showing that there is some truth in his claim that the justices “love to rule against me.”

Jan 4, 2024 8:39 AM CST

Profs trade notes as law schools write generative AI policies

Updated: With more generative artificial intelligence platforms becoming widely available, law schools are adjusting academic integrity polices, while professors are exchanging notes on how best to integrate the emerging technology in the classroom.

Jan 2, 2024 1:12 PM CST

Was Jack Smith’s appointment unconstitutional? He has no more authority than Taylor Swift, amicus brief argues

Special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional, leaving him powerless to obtain a quick U.S. Supreme Court decision on immunity claims by former President Donald Trump, according to an amicus brief signed by former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese and two law professors.

Dec 21, 2023 2:21 PM CST

Top 10 news stories of 2023

Every year, we like to take a look back at the news events and stories that most resonated with our online readers. Law firm legal drama, disciplinary cases, a mysterious U.S. Supreme Court case and Barbie lawsuits took the honors in 2023.

Dec 21, 2023 10:04 AM CST

UIC law prof appeals after dismissal of civil rights lawsuit

Updated: A professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law has filed an appeal to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago after his case stemming from his use of abbreviated racial and gender slurs in an essay question in a December 2020 final exam was dismissed.

Dec 5, 2023 2:23 PM CST

Lawyer ran for office in one state while serving in another

Andrew D. Purcell, who was disbarred in Missouri in October and has been assigned a case number by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, learned the hard way that lawyers can get into trouble when they claim to be in two places at the same time.

Nov 15, 2023 8:41 AM CST