Ed. word: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson again to the pages of Above the Legislation. Subscribe to her Substack, Authorized Ethics Roundup, right here.
At present marks precisely two years of the Authorized Ethics Roundup. For a few of you, meaning we’ve began our Mondays collectively since August 2023.
And what a tremendous couple of years it has been:
100 Weekly Roundups (that includes 1,000+ Headlines & 200+ Studying Suggestions plus Ethics Historical past, Reform Updates, Pop Tradition, Trivia, Occasions & Extra)
19 Bonus Content material Posts
2 Summer season Studying Lists
Newly-Launched Authorized Ethics & Democracy Tracker for the most recent information
300+ Job Listings
2,200+ Subscribers From 49 States and 55 Nations
2,500+ Distinctive Reader Views Weekly
1 new pet – scroll to the top to satisfy Bertie, who arrived in our family final week
Thanks for becoming a member of me on this journey.
To have a good time the LER’s second birthday, I’m sharing some shoutouts from subscribers over the previous yr earlier than we cowl final week’s headlines (once more 15, though I attempted laborious to maintain it at 10).
For the remainder of August, I’ll be placing the Roundup on pause to atone for a number of writing tasks and spend time with household. However don’t fear, I’ll be again after Labor Day to assist navigate no matter emerges within the subject of authorized ethics! Now for the shoutouts.
Listed below are among the nice issues subscribers have been saying within the LER’s second yr.
“I help your work as a result of I taught moral precepts to hundreds of regulation college students over my 35 yr profession as a professor of regulation and I imagine that authorized ethics are important to safety of democracy and the rule of regulation.”
“Nice option to sustain with vital developments within the subject.
“Love, love, love what you’re doing!”
“I admire having the ability to sustain with the most recent ethics information.”
“Excellent spot to go to maintain up with ethics developments. I additionally like listening to about your journey within the regulation.”
“I’m instructing Skilled Accountability from a public curiosity perspective and discover the Roundup to be the perfect supply of ‘ethics within the information’ which I take advantage of every week to start out the category.”
“Retains me updated on nationwide developments and tendencies.”
Have you learnt somebody who would love the LER as a lot as these readers? If that’s the case, please share it.
#1. “Trump Ally Jeffrey Clark Ought to be Disbarred Over 2020 Election Effort, DC Panel Says.” From the Related Press: “Jeffrey Clark, the previous Justice Division official who aided President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the outcomes of the 2020 election, must be stripped of his regulation license, a Washington disciplinary panel dominated on Thursday. Clark, who’s now overseeing a federal regulatory workplace, performed a key position in Trump’s efforts to problem his election loss to Joe Biden and clashed with Justice Division superiors who refused to again his false claims of fraud. The D.C. Board of Skilled Accountability’s suggestion will now go to the D.C. Courtroom of Appeals for a ultimate resolution. Underneath the second Trump administration, Clark has been serving as performing head of the Workplace of Info and Regulatory Affairs, part of the Workplace of Administration and Finances that’s liable for reviewing govt department laws.” Learn extra right here.
#2 “Lots of Signal Amicus Briefs in Help of Maryland’s Federal Judges.” From the Maryland Every day Report: “Lots of of attorneys and pro-democracy teams have signed amicus briefs in help of Maryland’s federal judges, who’re dealing with an unprecedented lawsuit by the Trump administration over a standing order that seeks to protect due course of for folks dealing with deportation. Three amicus briefs, endorsed by teams throughout the political spectrum, help the judges. … Eleven retired federal judges, who have been appointed by each Republican and Democratic presidents, state in an amicus temporary that the lawsuit ‘threatens the judicial position to its core.’ … Legal professionals Defending American Democracy and the Legal professionals Society for the Rule of Legislation Institute, together with retired federal appellate Decide J. Michael Luttig — a outstanding anti-Trump conservative who was appointed to the bench by President George H.W. Bush — additionally filed an amicus temporary asking for the case to be tossed.” Learn extra right here.
#3 “US Appeals Courtroom Extends Suspension of 98-Yr-Previous Decide in Health Probe.” From Reuters: “The U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Federal Circuit mentioned on Monday that it will lengthen its suspension of 98-year-old choose Pauline Newman for an additional yr after figuring out that she had not complied with an inside investigation into her health to serve on the Washington, D.C.-based court docket. A committee of the court docket’s lively judges decided that stories from docs chosen by Newman didn’t eradicate the necessity for her to undertake ‘a full neuropsychological battery of exams’ to determine whether or not she was able to persevering with to serve.” Learn extra right here.
#4 “Authorized Watchdog Recordsdata Bar Complaints Towards Justice Dept. Legal professionals.” From the New York Occasions: “A authorized watchdog group accused three Justice Division attorneys {of professional} misconduct on Thursday, saying they’d made false statements to a federal choose in a high-profile case difficult the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau. The accusations by the group, the Authorized Accountability Middle, have been formally filed with the grievance committees of bar associations in Washington and different cities the place the attorneys lived or practiced. The transfer represented a uncommon try to hunt skilled sanctions in opposition to rank-and-file division attorneys who’ve appeared in court docket on behalf of the federal authorities. ‘The rule of regulation is underneath direct assault proper now, and its biggest menace comes when these throughout the authorized system fail to do their duties and get up in opposition to the assault,’ mentioned Michael Teter, the chief director of the group.” Learn extra right here (reward hyperlink).
#5 “Weak Ethics and Deep Politics at DOJ within the Epstein Case.” From Government Features: “As defined by the Division of Justice, the Deputy Lawyer Normal’s job is to ‘advise[] and help[] the Lawyer Normal in formulating and implementing departmental insurance policies and applications after which offering general supervision and path to all organizational models of the Division.’ For that reason, it’s extraordinary that the present DAG, Trump’s former lawyer Todd Blanche, is main the administration’s response to the Epstein controversy.” Learn extra right here.
# 6. “Obvious AI Errors Drive Two Judges to Retract Separate Rulings.” From Fox Information: “Two U.S. judges in separate federal courts scrapped their rulings final week after attorneys alerted them to filings that contained inaccurate case particulars or seemingly ‘hallucinated’ quotes that misquoted cited circumstances — the most recent in a string of errors that recommend the rising use of synthetic intelligence in authorized analysis and submissions. In New Jersey, U.S. District Decide Julien Neals withdrew his denial of a movement to dismiss a securities fraud case after attorneys revealed the choice relied on filings with ‘pervasive and materials inaccuracies.’ … In Mississippi, U.S. District Decide Henry Wingate changed his authentic July 20 short-term restraining order that paused enforcement of a state regulation blocking range, fairness and inclusion applications in public faculties after attorneys notified the choose of great errors submitted by the lawyer.” Learn extra right here.
#7 “Barrister Loses Enchantment Towards Disbarment for Sexual Harassment.” From Authorized Futures: “A barrister disbarred for sexual harassment has misplaced his attraction in opposition to the sanction. Robert Michael Kearney, who was referred to as in 1996, admitted to sexually harassing a lady throughout a mini pupillage and, individually, two pupils at social occasions. A Bar disciplinary tribunal mentioned misconduct equivalent to this ‘must be deterred.’ It was really the second time he had been disbarred for these actions, after the Excessive Courtroom overturned the unique resolution on the idea of obvious bias on the a part of the tribunal panel and ordered a recent sanction listening to.” Learn extra right here.
#8 “Girl Suffers a Cardiac Arrest Whereas Taking the Bar Examination — and Proctors Allegedly Didn’t Cease to Present Assist.” From Individuals Journal: “A take a look at taker suffered a cardiac arrest whereas taking the bar examination — and proctors administering the analysis allegedly didn’t cease with a purpose to present an help. The incident occurred on July 30, because the New York State Board of Legislation Examiners was administering the New York State Bar Examination at Hofstra College in Hempstead, N.Y., a spokesperson for the school instructed Individuals.” Learn extra right here.
#9 “College of Michigan Legislation Professor Loses Race, Intercourse Bias Enchantment.” From Bloomberg Legislation: “The College of Michigan and a former dean of its regulation college defeated a Black feminine regulation professor’s bid to revive her race and intercourse discrimination lawsuit.” Learn extra right here.
#10 “Specializing in ‘Individuals Legislation,’ State Chief Justices Encourage ‘Progressive Pathways’ to Legislation License, New Report Says.” From the ABA Journal: “Altering the necessities for a regulation license and supporting monetary assist for public-interest lawyering are among the many ways in which state supreme courts may also help deal with ‘staggering’ unmet authorized wants, in keeping with a report by a gaggle of state chief justices and court docket directors launched Wednesday. The report additionally cites a necessity to deal with ‘a regarding hole in follow expertise’ affecting ‘vital competencies,’ equivalent to consumer communication, authorized writing particular to follow duties, negotiations and oral advocacy. ‘The report particulars the pressing challenges we face in assembly the authorized wants of the general public and supplies a roadmap for a way state courts can lead in addressing these wants and advancing the career,’ says New Hampshire Supreme Courtroom Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald, who commented in an emailed response to the ABA Journal’s questions.” Learn extra right here.
#11 “fifth Circ. Permits Problem To Nonprofit Political Professional Bono Ban.” From Law360: “The Fifth Circuit mentioned Monday a free speech nonprofit has the precise to sue members of the Texas Ethics Fee in an try and conduct professional bono work for a political group, saying the commissioners shouldn’t have sovereign immunity of their official roles and should face the go well with.” Learn extra right here.
#12 “Georgia Lawyer Wins Revival of Race Bias Case Towards State Bar.” From Bloomberg Legislation: “A Georgia lawyer can proceed with claims of racial discrimination within the State Bar’s dealing with {of professional} self-discipline, after the Eleventh Circuit revived her case on jurisdictional grounds. The Georgia Supreme Courtroom’s authority to adjudicate lawyer disciplinary issues doesn’t preclude federal courts from listening to associated federal-law claims, a three-judge panel of the US Courtroom of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit mentioned. They despatched the case again to the decrease court docket for additional proceedings. Marsha W. Mignott, a Black lawyer based mostly in Atlanta, sued the State Bar of Georgia’s Workplace of Normal Counsel and associated defendants … .” Learn extra right here.
#13 “Battle U.: Two Dozen Federal Judges Did Not Recuse in Circumstances Involving the Universities The place They Educate.” From Repair the Courtroom: “As an appeals court docket choose, Amy Coney Barrett included each the College of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Legislation College on her recusal listing. That meant if the Seventh Circuit’s case-assigning software program was about to assign her a case during which both was a celebration, the software program would as a substitute skip her. Battle averted. It sounds easy, however it seems that Barrett is an outlier. In keeping with a brand new report— ‘Battle U.’ — launched at this time by Repair the Courtroom, two dozen federal judges who train at regulation faculties have lately participated in circumstances involving these faculties’ mum or dad universities.” Learn extra right here.
#14 “Associate Struck Off After Sticking ‘Head within the Sand’ Over Invoice.” From Authorized Futures: “A companion whose ‘head within the sand’ strategy meant a case spiraled uncontrolled after he did not serve factors of dispute on a invoice of prices in time has been struck off. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) mentioned Daniel James Skinner, who on the time was a companion at South London agency Capsticks, had been dishonest in what he instructed his consumer as soon as they discovered immediately from the opposing solicitors {that a} default prices certificates (DCC) had been issued.” Learn extra right here.
#15 “Citing Inappropriate Social Media Posts, Mayer Brown Fires Associate Much less Than 2 Months After Hiring Announcement.” From the ABA Journal: “Mayer Brown fired a lateral funds formation companion in early July after a report surfaced of inappropriate social media posts with sexually express language on X, previously generally known as Twitter, in keeping with a report by Legislation.com.” Learn extra right here.
Did you miss the 300+ job postings from earlier weeks? Discover all of them right here.
Did you miss an announcement from earlier weeks? Discover all of them right here.
Say hi there to the latest addition on the Knake Jefferson family – Bertie! She’s a nine-week-old maltipoo havanese. Whereas she isn’t named after a poet (like our microlabradoodle Rilke), we picked her title based mostly on our blissful reminiscences from dwelling in Albert Park, an oceanside village in Melbourne, Australia, and on Albert Avenue in East Lansing.
Renee Knake Jefferson holds the endowed Doherty Chair in Authorized Ethics and is a Professor of Legislation on the College of Houston. Take a look at extra of her writing on the Authorized Ethics Roundup. Discover her on X (previously Twitter) at @reneeknake or Bluesky at legalethics.bsky.social.
