Back in November 2013, the U.S. Senate passed the so-called “nuclear option,” eliminating the threat of squelching the president’s executive branch and judicial nominations by filibuster. Under the new rules, a nominee only needs 51 votes to break a potential filibuster, instead of the 60 votes previously needed. Democratic senators lubricated nominees’ paths to confirmation…. Keep reading →
Whenever the government gets involved with “helping” students suffering under crushing debt obligations, I wonder if “the government” even partially understands how students think. There is a new proposal in the budget that would bring significant changes to the student loan forgiveness program. Specifically, the “Public Sector Loan Forgiveness” program. Currently, students with massive amounts… Keep reading →
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York today ruled that the $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron Corporation in Ecuador was the product of fraud and racketeering activity, finding it unenforceable. The nearly 500-page ruling finds that Steven Donziger, the lead American lawyer behind the Ecuadorian lawsuit against the company, violated the… Keep reading →
Utah.Gov today announced new updates to the features of its Utah Bill Watch mobile application. The award winning Bill Watch free app helps concerned citizens track bills and receive instant updates as bills move through the Utah Legislature. The newly added features allow users to create and share lists of legislative priorities with like-minded advocates…. Keep reading →
In a major victory for the San Diego County Water Authority and water ratepayers throughout San Diego County, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Curtis E. A. Karnow on Tuesday tentatively ruled that in setting rates for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California violated cost of service requirements of… Keep reading →
Give this man a federal judgeship.’ That sounded as if I were desperate, which I was . . . . – Judge Leslie Southwick, in response to a Washington Post headline during his confirmation struggle. In The Nominee: A Political and Spiritual Journey, Judge Leslie H. Southwick chronicles the long path to his current seat on the… Keep reading →
Yes, benchslaps are great fun to read about, especially if you enjoy a little schadenfreude. But benchslaps are not fun to receive — and they’re not always justified. Because of the prestige of judicial office, judges generally get the benefit of the doubt when dishing out benchslaps. But sometimes judges go too far. For example, some observers… Keep reading →
So much for collegiality. When a divided state Supreme Court issued its opinion, one of the dissenters went further than registering disagreement — he wrote a scathing dissent labeling the majority “untruthful” and guilty of crafting a decision “based solely upon whom they want to win or lose” without regard for the law. This is… Keep reading →
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) applauds U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson (R–Ohio) and Bruce Braley (D–Iowa) for introducing bipartisan legislation aimed at preventing teen abuse of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines by prohibiting the sale of OTC cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to anyone under the age of 18. The Preventing Abuse of Cough Treatments (PACT)… Keep reading →
It’s not really surprising that lawyers get paid a lot of money. – Judge Denise Cote, defending Goodwin Procter partner Michael Bromwich’s hourly rate of $1,100for his role as monitor in the Apple e-book case, during a “particularly tense exchange” with Gibson Dunn partner Ted Boutrous, counsel to Apple. (As noted yesterday, Gibson Dunn is home to Ted Olson, the nation’s top-billing partner.) Originally post… Keep reading →