US politics
fromAbove the Law
2 days agoMorning Docket: 04.03.26 - Above the Law
The Department of Justice may become more aligned with Donald Trump's influence following leadership changes.
"What's at issue is can the president rewrite the Constitution. And basically we are arguing that birthright citizenship is clearly stated in the 14th Amendment and that the Supreme Court actually already decided this issue in 1898," Kohli says.
The lawsuit was filed by Deshanae L. Brown, who alleges she was subjected to discrimination based on her race, sex, and disability, citing violations of federal and state laws including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Effective discovery requires more than compliance - it requires strategy. Litigators can balance expansive discovery rights and privacy concerns without slowing cases down through practical, results-focused approaches that consider proportionality, electronically stored information management, and the specific discovery rules applicable to their jurisdiction.
The legal profession rewards endurance, precision and control. It also quietly normalizes stress, isolation and overextension. For patent practitioners and other IP lawyers, the pressures are uniquely acute: compressed prosecution deadlines, high-stakes litigation exposure, often unrealistic client-driven budget constraints, regulatory whiplash at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and increasingly complex technologies layered with global filing and prosecution strategy.
* Mark Kelly hires Arnold & Porter to sue Pete Hegseth and the Defense Department for threatening to illegally slash his pension. [ The New Republic] * Jerome Powell hires Williams & Connolly to deal with DOJ threats. [ New York Times] * It's striking that critics of the Maduro capture cite specific text from the Constitution and international treaties, and the Deputy Attorney General cites "nuh uh." [ The Hill]
* Judge demands to know why Lindsey Halligan is still listed as "U.S. Attorney" when she is most definitely not a "U.S. Attorney." [ Law360] * Could law firms be on the brink of a financial downturn? [ Reuters] * McGlinchey Stafford will close down. Which might go a ways toward answering the prior question. [ American Lawyer] * "Mid-market legal powerhouse" launches. Which might go a ways toward further complicating that question. [ ABA Journal]
They don't drive it. They don't manage it. They don't control it. They let it control them. And then one day, they look up and realize discovery closed last week, the client is asking why nobody has taken the key depo, the adjuster wants a status report "by the end of the day," and the partner is asking the question that makes your stomach drop: "Where are we on this file?"
It's not only law firms and legal departments that are adopting GenAI systems without fully understanding what they can and cannot do - court systems may also be tempted to adopt these tools to short circuit workloads in the face of limited resources. And that poses some risks and concerns to the rule of law, a notion that hinges on accuracy, fairness, and public perception.
A year or so ago, most legal departments were still testing. AI pilots. Workflow trials. Small process experiments. Everyone was learning cautiously. The stakes were relatively low, and the work was labeled "innovation," which made imperfection forgivable. Then something shifted. Those same pilots became part of day-to-day delivery, and the business started relying on them. Sometimes intentionally, because early results looked good.
Witnesses play a crucial role in personal injury cases, often serving as the backbone of the evidence presented in court. Their testimonies can provide essential context and details that may not be captured through physical evidence alone. In many instances, the accounts of witnesses can corroborate the claims made by the injured party, lending credibility to their narrative. This is particularly important in personal injury cases, where the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff. A strong witness can help