Posts on ‘July 31st, 2009’

After President Barack Obama wins confirmation of his first Supreme Court nominee, the Court will still lean conservative — and it will still decide only a handful of cases each year. The lower courts, in contrast, will have the final word in more than 99 percent of federal cases. These courts are up for grabs, and Obama’s impact on them could be sweeping, says Jenner & Block’s Eric R. Haren. He describes how Obama may be able to completely reshape a conservative-dominated judiciary — even in a single term.

Stephen Lamb, who left the bench of the Delaware Court of Chancery this week, will join Paul Weiss as a partner, the firm said Wednesday. Lamb, who served as the court’s vice chancellor, oversaw numerous corporate legal skirmishes during his 12-year term. He will split his time between New York and Wilmington, Del., where Paul Weiss plans to open an office this fall.

California’s Judicial Council on Wednesday ordered the state’s courthouses closed once a month starting Sept. 16, despite ongoing complaints from labor groups, sheriffs and some judges that the closures are unnecessary and potentially dangerous. “I hate it,” said council member Richard Hoffman, a justice on the 4th District Court of Appeal. The third-Wednesday-each-month closures will save an estimated $85.3 million and are a key part of the judicial branch’s overall plan to close a $393 million deficit.