Tag: Gender

* Out of the mouths of babes federal judges: “Those conclusions – that the president’s statements on national security are not always to be taken literally or to be trusted – are legal victories for his Justice Department….” Did you think you’d ever see a something like this written about the U.S. president? That’s our Trump! [USA Today]

* A good New Year’s resolution for the federal judiciary? Chief Justice John Roberts says that while progress has been made when it comes to protecting law clerks from sexual harassment, “[t]he job is not finished until we have done all that we can to ensure that all of our employees are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect.” [Washington Post]

* The American Federation of Government Employees, a labor union for federal employees, has filed suit against the government, claiming that requiring essential employees to work without pay during the shutdown — an “inhumane” practice for people who don’t know when their next paycheck is coming — violates the Fair Labor Standards Act. [CNN]

* Barbara Underwood really made a name for herself during her short tenure as New York’s first female attorney general. After she was thrust into the role, she quickly began her assault against President Donald Trump, eventually taking down his charitable foundation after alleging that he was using it as a front for his his private businesses and political campaign. [NBC News]

* Yet again, it’s time for women in Biglaw to celebrate fractional achievements for gender equality. According the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance, 39 percent of new partners named at Am Law firms were women, which was a “slight uptick,” but “the numbers really haven’t changed that much in the last five years.” Hooray. [Big Law Business]

* It’s a new year, so you know there are going to be a bunch of interesting new laws. Here are just a few: In California, domestic-violence convicts can lose their gun rights for life; in Hawaii, physician-assisted suicide is now legal; in Virginia, legislators and their staff members must undergo mandatory sexual-harassment training; and in New York City, non-binary people can now list their gender as “X” on birth certificates. [Wall Street Journal]

* Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer spent Monday with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, chatting about all sorts of things related to the Russia probe. They presumably spoke about more than Trump’s choice of Russian dressing. [POLITICO]

* During a meeting held at Debevoise & Plimpton’s New York office, the members of the Weinstein Company’s board ratified their decision to fire Harvey Weinstein from his own company. Every employment lawyer’s worst nightmare later resigned from the board. [DealBook / New York Times]

* “Democratic attorneys general are getting national injunctions to stop the Trump administration. In just two short years, the national injunction went from rare to routine.” The Trump presidency has ushered in the era of nationwide injunctions, and not everyone seems to be a fan of this type of one-size-fits-all jurisprudence. [CNN]

* In case you missed it, come 2019, there will be three legal genders in California: male, female, and non-binary. Under the Gender Recognition Act, citizens of the Golden State may select non-binary as an option on state-issued IDs, driver’s licenses, and birth certificates. Congratulations on this landmark legislation. [Esquire]

* The number of this year’s law firm mergers is set to break records, but you better get ready for MOAR MERGERS. Per Janet Stanton of Adam Smith Esq., deals are happening behind the scenes, and partner defections may serve as an indication of merger talks. Can you think of a firm that’s been losing partners? [Am Law Daily]