Women in the Law

Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw partner in mansion rent dispute; 115 court employees have COVID-19

BigLaw partner is accused of failing to pay mansion rent A affidavit filed in housing court alleges that Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner A. Mark Getachew has stiffed his landlord on rent of $11,000 per month for a Connecticut mansion since arriving in June. Getachew and his wife said the…

Oct 26, 2020 4:36 PM CDT

Law firms must do more effective damage control to survive

When I sat down to write this column, my thoughts were interrupted by a mechanical noise coming from my backyard. It was the comforting sound of the weekly “test run” of the generator that keeps our house powered during electrical outages.

Oct 26, 2020 3:10 PM CDT

In written answers, Barrett notes ‘3 hurdles’ to overturning Affordable Care Act but avoids specifics

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett mentioned “three hurdles” to overturning the Affordable Care Act when she provided written answers Tuesday to follow-up questions from Senate Judiciary Committee members.

Oct 22, 2020 2:47 PM CDT

Senate Judiciary Committee sends Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to full Senate

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to send the nomination of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the full Senate. The committee voted without the support of the 10 Democratic members, who boycotted the meeting.

Oct 22, 2020 9:17 AM CDT

First-ever ABA Giving Day addresses COVID-19 and racial justice

A new ABA initiative is encouraging lawyers to invest in projects that “counter the impact of COVID-19 and champion racial justice across America.”

Oct 21, 2020 10:05 AM CDT

Teaching was one of Ginsburg’s many strengths, say former students and clerks

Before Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to the federal bench, she argued and won several landmark gender discrimination cases before the U.S. Supreme Court—in spite of the justices all being men who sometimes made flippant remarks about gender during her oral arguments.

Oct 15, 2020 5:28 PM CDT

As SCOTUS confirmation hearing ends, a ‘well qualified’ Barrett avoids controversy and opinions

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett remained unflappable during her confirmation hearing this week, as she politely deflected questions about her views on cases establishing rights to abortion and same-sex marriage.

Oct 15, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

Barrett had ‘rare gift of lifting everyone around her;’ former clerk and law student praise her kindness

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett is kind and brilliant, according to a former law clerk and a former law student who said she has been a mentor and source of encouragement.

Oct 15, 2020 1:42 PM CDT

Barrett won’t give her opinion on ‘contentious matter’ of climate change

Are climate change and global warming happening? U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett said she wouldn't comment on the "contentious matter" at her confirmation hearing Wednesday.

Oct 14, 2020 5:37 PM CDT

Is Barrett an adequate Ginsburg replacement? Debate over philosophy is appropriate, she says

If a senator wants to vote against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett because of her judicial philosophy, she is OK with that.

Oct 14, 2020 4:59 PM CDT

‘I hope that you aren’t suggesting that I don’t have my own mind,’ Barrett tells senator

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the U.S. Supreme Court nominee, pushed back Wednesday when Democratic Sen. Christopher Coons of Delaware contrasted decisions of the late Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia.

Oct 14, 2020 2:09 PM CDT

SCOTUS nominee says she’d keep an open mind about cameras in the high court

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett said Wednesday her federal appeals court has allowed video recording of oral arguments, and she would keep an open mind about the issue in the high court.

Oct 14, 2020 12:00 PM CDT

Sen. Booker complains of rushed nomination process for Barrett, notes Notre Dame profs’ call for delay

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey posed a series of questions to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Tuesday, eliciting an unequivocal statement that she condemns white supremacy. But Barrett mostly avoided other questions premised on current events.

Oct 13, 2020 6:11 PM CDT

After seeing George Floyd video, Barrett says she wept with her daughter

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett said Tuesday it’s obvious that racism still exists in the United States, and it is personal for her multiracial family.

Oct 13, 2020 4:17 PM CDT

Barrett says she doesn’t see Roe v. Wade as ‘super precedent’

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the U.S. Supreme Court nominee, has acknowledged that seven cases are “super precedent,” but Roe v. Wade isn’t one of them.

Oct 13, 2020 2:53 PM CDT