Afternoon Briefs: Holder says Barr is unfit to be AG; law firm promotes nonbinary gender inclusiveness
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. in 2016. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
Holder op-ed says AG Barr is unfit to be attorney general
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has proved he is unfit to lead the Department of Justice, according to an op-ed by one of his predecessors in the Obama administration, Eric Holder Jr. Barr has been “running political interference for an increasingly lawless president,” although his loyalty should be to the American people and the Constitution, Holder wrote. (The Washington Post)
Littler Mendelson announces initiatives to advance nonbinary gender inclusiveness
Littler Mendelson has announced some initiatives to promote nonbinary gender inclusiveness at the law firm. Employees will be allowed to choose nonbinary identifiers in the law firm’s human resources system and to include preferred pronouns in their signature block. (Law360)
Senate confirms 9th Circuit judicial pick rated ‘not qualified’ by the ABA
The U.S. Senate confirmed Lawrence VanDyke to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco on Wednesday, despite his “not qualified” rating by the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary. VanDyke is the 50th appellate-level judicial nominee nominated by President Donald Trump to win confirmation. (Law.com)
Second judge blocks Trump plan to use military funds for border wall
Two federal judges in two days have blocked the Trump administration from using $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build a border wall. U.S. District Judge David Briones of Texas ruled Tuesday, and U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. of California ruled Wednesday. In July, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an injunction that had barred the administration from using a different pot of money for the wall—$2.5 billion in Defense Department drug-fighting funds. (NPR, the Associated Press)
