Afternoon Briefs: Top DOJ officials backed family separations; judge forgives gunman who killed her son

Top DOJ officials said to be ‘driving force’ in family separations

Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, told federal prosecutors in 2018 that…

Oct 7, 2020 4:24 PM CDT

Sheppard Mullin lays off staffers as it restores pay

Lawyers and staff members at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton will be getting full paychecks and make-whole payments for money withheld because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct 7, 2020 9:19 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Property law scholar wins ‘genius grant;’ judge says inmates entitled to stimulus checks

Law prof who studied Black land ownership wins ‘genius grant’

Thomas Wilson Mitchell, a law professor at the Texas A&M University, is the only lawyer among 21 winners of the…

Oct 6, 2020 3:15 PM CDT

Judge reprimanded for apparent KKK reference when complaining about court mask mandate

A Tennessee judge has received a public reprimand for complaining that the state supreme court’s “grand wizard” required that masks be worn in court.

Oct 6, 2020 10:17 AM CDT

Supreme Court reinstates witness requirement for mail-in ballots in South Carolina

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday reinstated a South Carolina requirement for voters who use mail-in ballots to obtain the signature of a witness.

Oct 6, 2020 9:46 AM CDT

Michigan governor exceeded her authority to issue COVID-19 orders, state’s top court rules

Michigan’s attorney general will no longer criminally prosecute those who violate COVID-19 executive orders after the state supreme court ruled Friday that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer exceeded her authority by issuing them.

Oct 5, 2020 9:31 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: SCOTUS moves quickly in census case; judge stops policing commission work

Supreme Court expedites case on census count

The U.S. Supreme Court is moving quickly in a case challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to exclude from the census count immigrants who…

Oct 1, 2020 4:42 PM CDT

SCOTUS is back in session amid a loss, a heated election and a world health crisis

The U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes for its new term on Oct. 5 with grief in the air after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a confirmation battle and election controversies swirling all around it and the court’s operations still disrupted by the pandemic.

Oct 1, 2020 2:34 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: The Supreme Court returns to a term like no other

No other first Monday in October, the traditional start of a new U.S. Supreme Court term, ever has been like this one. With the country still in the midst of a pandemic, oral arguments will be held by telephone as they were in May. The justices and the country are still reeling from the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18. Looming large is the coming confirmation battle over the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who would add another staunch conservative to the court.

Oct 1, 2020 9:09 AM CDT

Coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes prompt lawsuits and questions about who’s responsible

A growing number of negligence suits are being filed across the country against nursing homes and other long-term care facilities by families whose relatives died from the coronavirus while living in such facilities.

Oct 1, 2020 4:00 AM CDT

Racial disparities in maternal mortality are exacerbated by COVID-19

New concerns about maternal risks in pregnancy emerged as COVID-19 plowed its way across the country this year. Maternal mortality across the spectrum shows stunning increases in the United States. The number of deaths has risen while declining in almost every other nation.

Oct 1, 2020 2:00 AM CDT

Former bonus leader Cravath isn’t paying special bonuses; it’s reportedly 3rd BigLaw firm to say no

Several large law firms are paying special bonuses to associates this fall, but Cravath, Swaine & Moore won’t be among them. The announcement appeared to surprise Above the Law, which described Cravath as “the perennial bonus leader.”

Sep 30, 2020 11:10 AM CDT

Judges remain skeptical of GOP ballot fraud arguments; litigation keeps rules in flux

Judges have been “broadly skeptical” of GOP arguments of voter fraud, according to a Washington Post review of nearly 90 state and federal voting lawsuits.

Sep 29, 2020 3:54 PM CDT

How contract review software can save your law firm time and money

This type of software is grounded in machine learning and natural language processing, and it assists lawyers in analyzing contracts for their clients more effectively and efficiently, saving tons of time and money, writes lawyer and author Nicole Black.

Sep 29, 2020 9:00 AM CDT

Are businesses liable to ill family members of workers who contract COVID-19?

Do businesses have an obligation to those who have never been at a worksite? Courts have split on the issue, which will likely be raised in new lawsuits alleging that negligence led workers to become ill and pass on the COVID-19 virus to family members.

Sep 28, 2020 9:54 AM CDT