Original Jurisdiction

As the holiday season ramps up, those of us who have so much to be thankful for should think about—and reach out to help—those who are less fortunate. So as I did last year, I wanted to shine the spotlight on a lawyer who has devoted their entire career to working in the public interest. Amol Sinha is a nationally recognized civil-rights leader who has dedicated his career to advancing racial justice, holding institutions accountable, promoting and defending rights and liberties, and spearheading impactful work to protect democracy. Since 2017, he has served as executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ)—which has doubled in size, and tripled in terms of its budget, under his leadership. In our conversation, Amol and I discussed his long career in public-interest law, including his past positions at the Innocence Project and the New York Civil Liberties Union; what he’s most proud of during his time at the ACLU-NJ, including groundbreaking decarceration efforts; his response to critics claiming that the ACLU has abandoned its commitment to free speech in favor of “woke” causes; and, in a very timely discussion in light of the recent election, what he and his ACLU colleagues across the country are focusing on as Donald Trump returns to the White House. Thanks to Amol for joining me, and thanks to NexFirm for sponsoring. Happy holidays! P.S. I've been having issues with the LinkedIn preview pane; I have no idea why the image for this post is my photo rather than Amol's. https://bit.ly/3B4NXNt #podcast #podcasts #podcasting #law #lawyer #lawyers #attorney #attorneys #legalcareer #legalcareers #ACLU #civilrights #civilliberties #politics #DonaldTrump #publicinterest #publicinterestlaw #probono

How will AI transform the practice of law and the legal profession? How will it affect employment opportunities for attorneys? What changes will it bring to legal education and the training of young lawyers? I tackled all of these topics in the latest episode of the Original Jurisdiction podcast, in conversation with Ross Guberman. One of the nation’s leading authorities on legal writing, Ross has conducted thousands of writing workshops and has written two authoritative books on the topic, Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates and Point Taken: How to Write Like the World’s Greatest Judges. Ross’s most recent venture is BriefCatch, a legal-tech startup that produces an amazing writing and editing tool of the same name. It harnesses the power of technology, including AI, to help lawyers produce their very best written work product. And as Ross revealed in our conversation, BriefCatch has used AI to address one of legal writing’s most annoying aspects: Bluebooking, i.e., adherence to the copious, complex, confusing conventions for citing authorities of different types. If you hate The Bluebook, then you’ll love this forthcoming addition to BriefCatch. Thanks to Ross for joining me, and thanks to NexFirm for sponsoring. The next episode of the podcast will appear in January. Happy holidays! https://bit.ly/3BmKha6 #podcast #podcasts #podcasting #law #lawyer #lawyers #attorney #attorneys #legalcareer #legalcareers #writing #legalwriting #legaltech #legaltechnology #technology #BriefCatch #AI #artificialintelligence #GenAI #generativeAI

Here’s the latest installment of Judicial Notice, the weekly legal news roundup that I send out each weekend to subscribers of Original Jurisdiction, my Substack newsletter. In this edition: 'unretirements' by federal judges, a new White House counsel pick, a Trump nominee with an enemies list, and time running out for TikTok. Thanks to Lateral Link for sponsoring the Job of the Week, an exclusive opportunity for a New York litigation associate. I'll post the information in the comments, and interested candidates can reach out to Vered Krasna at vkrasna@laterallink.com. Thanks for your readership, and have a great week! https://bit.ly/3Bh4KNv #judge #judges #judiciary #federaljudge #federaljudges #federalcourt #judicial #judicialnomination #judicialnominations #legal #law #lawfirm #lawfirms #lawyer #lawyers #Biglaw #attorney #attorneys #legalnews #legalcareer #legalcareers #SCOTUS #supremecourt #biglaw #KashPatel #TikTok #DavidWarrington

Happy holidays! I have a present for you: a new Supreme Court law clerk hiring roundup. With one exception, all the active justices have hired at least one clerk for OT 2025. At least six active justices have hired at least one clerk for OT 2026 or beyond. Clerk hiring can offer clues into a justice's retirement plans. Based on Justice Thomas having hired four clerks for October Term 2025 (2025-2026) and Justice Alito having hired one clerk for OT 2025, with the other three to be hired very soon, I'm guessing that neither is retiring anytime soon. You can read the full story at Original Jurisdiction, my newsletter about law and the legal profession—which celebrated its fourth anniversary on December 4. Once again, have a wonderful holiday season! [Note: Apologies—an earlier LinkedIn post, shared last week, mistakenly linked to an earlier SCOTUS clerks hiring roundup.] https://bit.ly/4iknDzH #supremecourt #SCOTUS #law #lawyer #lawyers #lawclerk #lawclerks #clerk #clerks #clerking #clerkship #clerkships #justice #justices #judiciary #judicial #federalcourt #federaljudiciary

If Donald Trump gets another Supreme Court seat to fill during his second term, who are some of the leading candidates for the opening? Here are my top four potential nominees. Three of them would make history as the first Asian-American justice, and one of those three would also be the first openly gay/LGBTQ justice. Who are these judges, and why are they strong SCOTUS contenders? Read more over at Original Jurisdiction (link below). https://bit.ly/4eXdS7K #SupremeCourt #SCOTUS #lawyer #lawyers #attorney #attorneys #litigation #appellatelaw #appellate #appellatelinkedin #judge #judges #federaljudges #judging #law #politics

Here’s the latest installment of Judicial Notice, the weekly legal news roundup that I send out each weekend to subscribers of Original Jurisdiction, my Substack newsletter. In this edition: Trump’s new AG pick, Cravath’s year-end bonuses, partner defections from Weil, and a Senate deal on judges. Thanks to Lateral Link for sponsoring the Job of the Week, an opportunity for a midlevel to senior commercial-litigation associate or counsel. I'll post the information in the comments, and interested candidates can reach out to Adrienne Levi at alevi@laterallink.com. Programming note: I might not write Judicial Notice next weekend, in light of the holiday, and instead I'll make the JN for December 8 a double edition. Thanks for your readership, and early wishes for a happy Thanksgiving! https://bit.ly/4g3WBup #judge #judges #judiciary #federaljudge #federaljudges #federalcourt #judicial #judicialnomination #judicialnominations #legal #law #lawfirm #lawfirms #lawyer #lawyers #Biglaw #attorney #attorneys #legalnews #legalcareer #legalcareers #SCOTUS #supremecourt #biglaw #MattGaetz #PamBondi Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Milbank LLP Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP U.S. Department of Justice

Congratulations to the 2025 Bristow Fellows! Recipients of these prestigious one-year fellowships at the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) get to work on Supreme Court cases just a few years out of law school. If you aspire to a Bristow, try clerking multiple times. Twenty-four out of the 25 most recent Bristow Fellows completed two or more clerkships. For the names, law schools, and prior clerkships of the new Bristows, check out Original Jurisdiction (via the link below). Also, on a related subject—because Bristow Fellows often go on to clerk at the Supreme Court—I plan to publish my latest SCOTUS clerk hiring roundup shortly after Thanksgiving. If you know of any hires that did not appear in my last roundup, please send them to me by email (davidlat@substack.com) or text (917-397-2751), including the words “SCOTUS clerk hiring” as the subject line of your email or somewhere in your text. Thanks in advance for your tips. Once again, congrats to the new Bristows, their law schools, and their lower-court judges! https://bit.ly/3V6GPa6 #SupremeCourt #SCOTUS #lawyer #lawyers #attorney #attorneys #litigation #appellatelaw #appellate #appellatelinkedin #SolicitorGeneral #departmentofjustice #justicedepartment #legalcareer #legalcareers #fellowship #fellowships

In case you missed this sad news from last week, Theodore “Ted” Olson, the renowned Supreme Court and appellate advocate, passed away on November 13. He was 84. The cause was a stroke, according to his wife, Lady Booth Olson. His death was announced by his longtime law firm, Gibson Dunn. Chair and managing partner Barbara Becker said, “Ted was a titan of the legal profession and one of the most extraordinary and eloquent advocates of our time. He was creative, principled, and fearless—a trailblazing advocate who cared about all people. We mourn his loss profoundly and send our condolences to his wife Lady, a cherished member of our firm family, and to all of Ted’s loved ones.” I wrote about Ted's remarkable life and legal career, as well as my own personal interactions with him, over at Original Jurisdiction. https://bit.ly/3UUeZ0D #law #legal #legalcareer #legalcareers #lawyer #lawyers #attorney #attorneys #SCOTUS #SupremeCourt

Here’s the latest installment of Judicial Notice, the weekly legal news roundup that I send out each weekend to subscribers of Original Jurisdiction, my Substack newsletter. In this edition: Trump’s DOJ picks, drama at The Federalist Society conference, Milbank LLP bonuses, and a major Biglaw merger. Thanks to Lateral Link for sponsoring for both Judicial Notice as a whole and the Job of the Week, a great opportunity for a litigation associate at a plaintiff-side boutique. I'll post the information in the comments, and interested candidates can reach out to Vered Krasna at vkrasna@laterallink.com. Note the UPDATE: Matt Gaetz has withdrawn from consideration as attorney general. Thanks for your readership, and have a great week! https://bit.ly/40Wcy1t #judge #judges #judiciary #federaljudge #federaljudges #federalcourt #judicial #judicialnomination #judicialnominations #legal #law #lawfirm #lawfirms #lawyer #lawyers #Biglaw #attorney #attorneys #legalnews #legalcareer #legalcareers #SCOTUS #supremecourt #biglaw #MattGaetz

Here’s the latest installment of Judicial Notice, the weekly legal news roundup that I send out each weekend to subscribers of Original Jurisdiction, my Substack newsletter. In this edition: White House counsel contenders, SCOTUS retirement speculation, Project Veritas v. CNN, and optimism about M&A work. Thanks to BriefCatch for sponsoring. Please join me and Ross Guberman for a great webinar on Wednesday, November 20, "The AI Revolution in Legal Writing." I'll post the registration link in the comments. And thanks to Lateral Link for sponsoring the Job of the Week, an opportunity for a labor and employment associate in Los Angeles. I'll post the information in the comments as well, and interested candidates can reach out to Buddy Broome at bbroome@laterallink.com or 310-401-1008. Thanks to all of you for your readership, and have a great week! https://bit.ly/3UQ3cR1 #judge #judges #judiciary #federaljudge #federaljudges #federalcourt #judicial #judicialnomination #judicialnominations #legal #law #lawfirm #lawfirms #lawyer #lawyers #Biglaw #attorney #attorneys #legalnews #legalcareer #legalcareers #SCOTUS #supremecourt #biglaw