ABA Journal - Law News Now
Because its "ostensible and predominant purpose was to inspire patriotism, the "under God" phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance doesn't violate the Constitution's establishment clause, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. In its opinion (PDF), the court also reversed an injunction banning students from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in the district's schools and ruled in a separate case that the "In God We Trust" motto on U.S. currency is also constitutional, Bloomberg reported. In a dissent to today's case, Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote that the "under God" phrase, inserted into the pledge during the Cold…
ABA Journal - Law News Now
Because its "ostensible and predominant purpose was to inspire patriotism, the "under God" phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance doesn't violate the Constitution's establishment clause, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. In its opinion (PDF) court also reversed an injunction banning students from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in the district's schools and ruled in a separate case that the "In God We Trust" motto on U.S. currency is also constitutional, Bloomberg reported. In a dissent to today's case, Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote that the "under God" phrase, inserted into the pledge during the Cold War,…
Crunching the BigLaw Numbers: Equity Partner Profits Drop Less than 1%
Equity partners at the nation’s top law firms didn’t have to take much of a financial hit last year, thanks to layoffs of associates and staffers. Legal consulting firm the Zeugheuser Group crunched the numbers, charting financial results reported as of March 1 for 52 of the nation’s top 100 law firms and 15 firms in the second 100. The American Lawyer collects the results and publishes them as they trickle in. Zeughauser's findings (PDF): Profits per equity partner dropped an average of only .8 percent at the top law firms, while their gross revenues dropped an average of 3.8…
ABA Journal - Law News Now
Equity partners at the nation’s top law firms didn’t have to take much of a financial hit last year, thanks to layoffs of associates and staffers. Legal consulting firm the Zeugheuser Group crunched the numbers, charting financial results reported as of March 1 for 52 of the nation’s top 100 law firms and 15 firms in the second 100. The American Lawyer collects the results and publishes them as they trickle in. Zeughauser's findings (PDF): Profits per equity partner dropped an average of only .8 percent at the top law firms, while their gross revenues dropped an average of 3.8…
Federal Judge Impeached by House in Unanimous Vote
The House of Representatives voted 412-0 today to approve the first of four articles of impeachment against New Orleans District Judge Thomas Porteous. The article found the judge was engaging in misconduct by not disclosing his relationship with a lawyer before him in a hospital case, the Times-Picayune reported. House votes on the other three articles are pending. "Litigants have the right to expect a judge hearing their case will be fair and impartial, and avoid even the appearance of impropriety," said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. "Regrettably, no one can have that expectation in Judge Porteous' courtroom. We hope the…
Quinn Emanuel Makes Kathleen Sullivan Name Partner
Partner John B. Quinn announced today that it's changing its name to add its appellate chair, Kathleen Sullivan, as a name partner to the firm which is now known as Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. "Kathleen Sullivan would be on anyone's list of the top three or four advocates practicing in the United States today," Quinn said in a press release (PDF). Sullivan is a former professor and dean at Stanford Law School who has been at Quinn Emanuel since 2005. Last year, Sullivan was also considered by scholars and others as a potential U.S. Supreme Court nominee. (In 2008,…
After a Disappointing Year, Howrey Plans to Axe Up to 10% of Its Partners
Howrey is planning to oust up to 10 percent of its partners, a move that follows a year of disappointing revenue numbers. Howrey is expected to cut between 25 and 30 partners, most of them in the United States, Legal Week reports. The decision to make the cuts was made before Christmas, according to the story. Both equity and nonequity partners will be let go. Last month the law firm laid off 29 associates and 65 staffers from its 10 U.S. offices. The move comes after Howrey saw a 35 percent drop last year in profits per equity partner and…
EEOC Subpoenas Law Firm Documents in Sex Harassment Probe
The Malaise Law Firm in San Antonio, Texas, is clashing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the agency’s investigation of alleged sexual harassment at the law firm. The EEOC announced in a press release that it has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to enforce a subpoena for information from the firm. The EEOC had sought the addresses of people working in the law firm’s personal injury department, identifying them as potential witnesses, but the firm refused to fully comply, according to a court document (PDF by Texas Employment Law Update) filed by the EEOC. The firm, which touts its…
N.J. Judge Reprimanded for Rant About Undocumented Aliens, O.J. Remark
Two New Jersey judges have been reprimanded for making remarks in the courtroom that touched on race, ethnicity or physical disabilities. One of the judges, James Citta of Ocean County, ridiculed a defendant’s English-speaking skills and compared another to O.J. Simpson, according to the New Jersey Law Journal, NJ.com and the Associated Press reports. The other judge, James Convery of Essex County, asked a Hispanic lawyer when she became an illegal alien, according to the New Jersey Law Journal and NJ.com. He also joked about a litigant’s hearing aid and "Bionic" hip and knee replacements, the stories say. Both waived…
Prosecutor: Third Trial for Hal Turner, the Blogger Accused of Judge Threats, Is Highly Likely
For a second time, jurors were unable to reach a verdict in the trial of a blogger accused of threatening three federal appeals judges for their ruling in a gun rights case. Blogger Harold Turner, aka Hal, was charged after he wrote that Judges Richard Posner, William Bauer and Frank Easterbrook “deserved to be killed” and “must die” for their ruling, according to the Associated Press and the New York Law Journal. Turner also published work addresses and photos of the judges. "If they are allowed to get away with this by surviving, other judges will act the same way,"…
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