Morning Wrap

Back in Court: The California Supreme Court has ordered opposing parties to file briefs in support of their position on Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban, The Recorder reports via Law.com. decide whether the ballot measure was an improper revision of the state constitution, rather than just an amendment, and whether it violates the separation of powers. The court also asked how the nearly 20,000 marriages performed before the proposition was passed on election day would be affected.

Getting the Boot: Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft is set to oust current managing partner and former chairman Robert Link Jr., The AmLaw Daily reports. Link's name was not included on a recommended slate of candidates for the firm's management committee given to partners yesterday. The proposed management slate would appear to suggest the firm wants to de-emphasize its focus on capital markets.

A Preemptive Missive: Though the Obama team has not officially announced that Eric Holder Jr. has been tapped to be the next attorney general, The Washington Post fired off an editorial today, saying the former deputy attorney general needs to answer questions about his role in President Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Mark Rich. The editorial calls the pardon "unconscionable" and says the Senate needs to ensure that the Justice Department does not have a leader that would allow the kind of partisanship that has been seen over the past eight years.

Team Obama Looks To Homeland: In more Obama Land news, Ariz. Gov. Janet Napolitano has been named the president-elect's choice to serve as secretary of homeland security, The Washington Post reports. A longtime supporter of Obama, Napolitano first came to national prominence in 1991 when she served as a lawyer forAnita Hill in her sexual harrassment against then-nominee and later Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Surveilling Gotham: A New York Police Department request to get broader latitude to eavesdrop on terrorism suspects has become embroiled in a struggle with the Justice Department that has left the police commissioner and the attorney general accusing each other of putting the public at risk, The New York Times reports. Federal officials have refused to grant the police departments' requests to relax the standards for surveillance, and have said requests submitted by the department could actually jeopardize surveillance efforts by casting doubt on their legality.

Comments

[movie fan]

if Napolitano’s years of experience neglecting to secure the Mexico-AZ border are any indication, then she’s on track to do a horrendous job securing the whole country