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Immigration
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September 11, 2024
Sidley, Other Attys Get $850K In Fees For Migrant Family Suit
A California federal judge signed off on $850,000 in legal fees for Sidley Austin LLP's and Public Counsel's work advising plaintiffs in a class action that saw the federal government ordered to provide mental health treatment for migrant families separated at the border.
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September 10, 2024
Border, Deportations And Dogs Dominate Presidential Debate
Immigration took center stage through much of Tuesday night's presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, with discussion of thwarted border legislation, deportation plans, and unproven claims that immigrants in Ohio have eaten people's pets.
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September 10, 2024
Scientist Nabs $3.8M Win In U. Of Alabama Harassment Suit
A federal jury found that a former University of Alabama at Birmingham scientist should receive nearly $4 million in damages after allegedly enduring years of harassment based on her race and Iranian national origin, an assault by her supervisor and a trumped-up arrest after she complained about the mistreatment.
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September 10, 2024
Biden Says He'd Veto Proposed GOP Continuing Resolution
President Biden said Monday that he would veto House Republicans' proposed continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025, asserting that the funding measure amounts to "brinksmanship" and would "place agencies at insufficiently low levels — both for defense and non-defense — for a full six months."
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September 10, 2024
DeSantis Blasts Mass. Suit Over Martha's Vineyard Flights
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shouldn't have to fight "conspiracy theory" claims in Massachusetts over whether the Sunshine State tricked migrants into boarding flights to Martha's Vineyard, the governor said in a sweeping dismissal bid.
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September 09, 2024
Army Corps Wants Border Fence Deal Rating Dispute Tossed
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has urged the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to dismiss a suit alleging it gave an unfairly low performance rating to a border fence construction contractor on a $789 million deal, arguing the rating was fair and reasonable.
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September 09, 2024
Wash. Ends First Inspection Effort Against GEO Group
Washington State has dropped its original bid to force private prison operator The GEO Group to allow its health agency to conduct spot inspections at an immigrant detention facility, after it launched a new suit alleging officials had been blocked from entering.
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September 09, 2024
Texas Still Not Injured By DHS Parole Program, 5th Circ. Told
Texas' concerns about the Biden administration restarting a parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans following a fraud investigation did little to move the yardstick on whether the state has standing, intervenors hoping to save the program told the Fifth Circuit.
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September 09, 2024
Immigration Nonprofit Can Join 10th Circ. Okla. Suit, For Now
A nonprofit that has backed the Biden administration's opposition to Oklahoma's ban on unauthorized immigrants living in the state can participate in the state's appeal to the Tenth Circuit, but the appellate court said the panel ultimately assigned to the case can decide otherwise.
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September 09, 2024
Engineers' Counsel Requests $220K In Forced Labor Suit
Attorneys representing a class of Mexican engineers who claimed they were lured to the U.S. with false promises of high-paying jobs asked a Georgia federal court to greenlight their request for $220,000 for their work securing a $1.2 million settlement to resolve the dispute.
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September 06, 2024
ICE Is Failing Language Service Obligations, Report Says
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has routinely violated internal standards for providing detainees with language services, leaving detainees unable to communicate severe medical conditions and being deported for missing simple filing requirements, according to a report from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
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September 06, 2024
Advocates Seek Info On How Migrant Children's Ages Are Decided
Two immigration advocacy organizations sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in New York federal court for information on whether it is using a "discredited" method to assess the age of unaccompanied migrant children when making custody determinations.
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September 06, 2024
9th Circ. Says Immigration Board Mischaracterized Calif. Law
A split Ninth Circuit panel ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals on Friday to reconsider a Jamaican man's request to reopen his removal case, saying the board mischaracterized the California law under which the conviction that formed the basis of his removal was vacated.
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September 06, 2024
5th Circ. Urged To Act Fast On Green Card Rule Suit Appeal
A nonprofit immigrant rights group has asked the Fifth Circuit to accelerate its challenge to a lower court's refusal to let them intervene in a Texas lawsuit against a program allowing noncitizen relatives of U.S. citizens to seek green cards, noting a bench trial could proceed soon without its participation.
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September 06, 2024
Immigration Judges May Fix Some Faulty Removal Notices
Immigration judges can use their broad authority to amend documents to fix notices to appear in immigration court that are missing the time and location of the removal hearing, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled Friday.
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September 06, 2024
DOL Allows Visa Extension After US Worker's Resignation
A garden and landscape nursery can extend a foreign worker's H-2A visa based on the sudden resignation of a domestic worker, a U.S. Department of Labor judge said, reversing an officer's refusal to grant the extension.
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September 05, 2024
CFTC Says Ex-Commish's Signature Was Forged For $1.5M Scam
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued the operator of an unlicensed commodity pool for allegedly targeting dozens of Spanish-speaking immigrants in a $1.5 million Ponzi-like scheme that used a fictitious license containing a counterfeit CFTC seal and a forged commissioner signature to falsely promise investors guaranteed monthly returns.
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September 05, 2024
Immigration Orgs Warn White House Not To Pursue Border Act
Immigration and human rights advocacy organizations warned the Biden administration that they would oppose any plans to revive a failed, bipartisan bill that would have introduced a new presidential authority to stop asylum processing at the border, calling the proposal cruel and anti-immigrant.
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September 05, 2024
Feds Seek To Nix EB-1 Visa Suit After Reopening Application
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told a Pennsylvania federal court on Thursday that an Irish steeplechase jockey's lawsuit challenging a denied application for an EB-1 extraordinary ability visa should be dismissed, as it was reconsidering the request.
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September 05, 2024
Texas Judge Extends Block On DHS Spousal Parole Program
A Texas federal judge Wednesday denied the Biden administration's bid to lift a soon-to-expire pause on issuing parole under its new program for certain U.S. citizens' relatives seeking green cards while in the U.S., extending the temporary stay for another 14 days.
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September 05, 2024
Russia 'History Nerd' Avoids Jail In Probe Of Oligarch Ties
A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday allowed a Soviet Union-born Russia history buff to avoid time behind bars for lying the FBI about his affiliation with an anti-Ukraine group controlled by indicted Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev.
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September 04, 2024
Marine Atty Fights Sanctions In Afghan Baby Kidnapping Suit
A U.S. Marine Corps lawyer facing a $15 million lawsuit for allegedly kidnapping an orphaned Afghan baby urged a Virginia federal judge to reject a bid by the baby's cousins for attorney fees as part of a sanctions order against him and his wife.
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September 04, 2024
DC Circ. Says Feds Can Withhold Asylum Assessments
The D.C. Circuit ruled that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services need not honor Freedom of Information Act requests seeking officers' confidential assessments of asylum seekers, saying the agency had sufficiently explained how that disclosure would harm government interests.
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September 04, 2024
Judge Says EB-5 Investors, Fund Must Disclose More Info
An Illinois federal judge told a group of Chinese investors and a development fund on Wednesday they both must provide additional information in a suit accusing the fund of making off with $13.2 million intended for the development of a Hawaii resort.
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September 04, 2024
DHS Seeks To Lift Block On Spousal Parole Program
The Biden administration urged a Texas federal court to restore its policy letting certain foreign relatives of American citizens such as spouses apply for green cards from within the U.S., saying that states opposing the policy haven't shown it caused financial harm.
Expert Analysis
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Justices' Removal Ruling Presents Hurdles, But Offers Clarity
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Campos-Chaves v. Garland and two other consolidated cases endorses a multistep notice practice that could impair noncitizens' access to adequate judicial notice, but its resolution of a longstanding circuit split also provides much-needed clarity, says Devin Connolly at Reeves Immigration Law Group.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
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Series
Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.