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The Daily Docket

The Daily Docket

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

 

By Shruthi Krishnamurthy

Good morning, and happy Veterans Day. Today’s edition breaks down the key moves the U.S. Supreme Court made on Monday. Meanwhile, as law firms race to automate routine work, this legal AI company said it has raised $500 million in fresh funding. And the prosecutor who quit instead of following a DOJ order to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams has joined Paul Clement’s conservative law firm. Finally, here are some photos capturing stunning fall foliage around the world. Let’s dive in!

 

Inside SCOTUS: Same-sex marriage, voting rules, tariffs and more

 

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The U.S. Supreme Court took up a series of consequential cases and made notable moves on Monday. Here’s a look at the latest developments:
  • The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by a former Kentucky county official to overturn its landmark 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Read more about the court’s decision to leave its same-sex marriage precedent intact.
  • The top court agreed to hear Mississippi's defense of a state law challenged by Republicans that allows a five-day grace period for mail-in ballots received after Election Day to be counted. More on the case that could lead to stricter voting rules nationwide.
  • The court also appeared inclined to reject a Rastafarian man's bid to sue state prison officials in Louisiana after guards shaved him bald in violation of his religious beliefs. Learn more about the case testing religious freedom protections for prisoners.
  • President Trump said the U.S. faces an economic and national security disaster if the Supreme Court rules against his use of an emergency powers law to impose sweeping tariffs against nearly every country. Read more on what’s at stake in the high court.
  • Lastly, the Trump administration told the top court that it continues to seek a halt of a judge's order requiring it to fully fund food aid for 42 million low-income Americans this month even as lawmakers take steps toward ending the federal government shutdown. More on the legal battle over food aid amid the shutdown.
 

More top news

  • U.S. Senate passes bill to end government shutdown, sends to House
  • U.S. consumer watchdog says it is legally blocked from accessing funds
  • Trump threatens to sue as BBC admits erroneous speech edit
  • Trump pardons Giuliani, others accused of seeking to overturn his 2020 defeat
 
 

Industry insight

  • Danielle Sassoon, who resigned as a top federal prosecutor rather than comply with an order from Trump's DOJ to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has joined prominent conservative lawyer Paul Clement's law firm Clement & Murphy as a partner. Read more. 
  • Moves: Baker McKenzie added senior IRS attorney Doug Wick to its tax practice … Willkie hired M&A partner Heather Weigel from Davis Polk … Baker Botts recruited corporate partner Josh Cole from Ashurst … Vedder Price added M&A shareholder Jordan Chrisholm from Cozen O’Connor … Troutman Pepper Locke hired energy partner Thomas Heffernan from Kirkland … IP partner Brian Paul Gearing joined Pillsbury from Crowell & Moring.
 

$500 million

That's how much legal AI company Clio said it has raised in a funding round led by New Enterprise Associates, valuing the company at $5 billion. The funding comes as demand for AI tools that automate professional and office work grows, with firms looking to streamline routine tasks, reduce costs, and improve decision-making. Learn more.

 

In the courts

  • Visa and Mastercard announced a revised settlement with merchants who accused the card networks of charging too much to accept their credit cards, after a judge rejected an earlier $30 billion accord as inadequate. Read more here.
  • Research and development company InterDigital sued Amazon in Delaware federal court for allegedly violating its patent rights in digital video technology. Read the complaint.
  • U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Cummings in Chicago ruled that private equity firm GTCR can move forward with its acquisition of medical device coatings maker Surmodics. Read more here.
  • Environmental groups sued Alaska's wildlife authorities seeking to halt a predator control plan that lets game wardens hunt down unlimited numbers of bears from helicopters over a vast area roamed by a protected caribou herd. Read more here.
  • OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT violated German copyright laws by reproducing lyrics from songs by best-selling musician Herbert Groenemeyer and others, the regional court in Munich ruled. Read more here.
 

Attorney Analysis