The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

The Morning Wrap

Money Laundering: U.S. prosecutors accused a Costa Rica-based company of helping criminals around the world launder more than $6 billion in illicit funds linked to everything from child pornography to software for hacking into banks, Reuters reports.

Debt Collectors: Federal regulators are widening an investigation into whether the nation’s biggest banks used flawed documents and incomplete records to collect on delinquent credit card debts, according to the Washington Post.

No Haters: Facebook Inc. plans to bolster efforts to keep hate speech off its pages amid complaints the site allowed content that encouraged violence against women, prompting companies to suspend advertisements, Bloomberg reports.

D.C. Lawyer Ordered to Stay in Jail for Contempt

A Washington lawyer and former judicial officer who has been in jail for more than a month for contempt will remain behind bars after appearing this afternoon before a District of Columbia Superior Court judge.

George Crawford was incarcerated on April 15th for the second time since late 2012 for failing to pay court-ordered sanctions in a civil lawsuit over unpaid loans. Following closed-door settlement talks today that lawyers later characterized in court as unsuccessful, Judge Gregory Jackson sent Crawford back to jail. The parties are scheduled to return to court to update Jackson on any progress on May 30.

Crawford's attorney, Washington solo practitioner Leonard Long Jr., declined to comment. Lead counsel for plaintiff First Washington Insurance Company, Stephen Neal Jr. of Alexandria, Va.'s DiMuroGinsberg, also declined to comment.

White House Eyes Lawyers for D.C. Circuit Vacancies

The White House is evaluating at least four Washington lawyers to fill vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a key appellate court that is the centerpiece of the battle between the Obama administration and leading Republicans over judicial nominations.

Several Washington lawyers who specialize in appellate work said the White House is eyeing three veteran U.S. Supreme Court litigators—Patricia Millett of Akin, Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; David Frederick of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel; and Cornelia "Nina" Pillard, a former Justice Department lawyer who is now a Georgetown University Law Center professor. U.S. District Judge Robert Wilkins in Washington has also had his name come up as a potential pick, the lawyers said.

A White House spokesman declined to comment on potential nominees. Millett, Frederick, Pillard and Wilkins also declined interview requests on Tuesday. Public scrutiny of the process intensified when The New York Times on Monday first reported the names of three potential nominees.

The Times reported that Obama will nominate three people to the influential court at the same time—a move that could find major opposition from the Senate Republicans who blocked the nomination of Caitlin Halligan, the president's first pick for the D.C. Circuit. Halligan withdrew from consideration in March after Republicans twice blocked a confirmation vote and her nomination languished for almost three years.

New Judicial Vacancy Announced in D.C. Superior Court

Updated 5/29/13 at 9:20 a.m.

The commission that vets applicants for the District of Columbia's local courts is accepting submissions from lawyers who want to take retiring D.C. Superior Court Judge Natalia Combs Greene's seat on the bench.

The District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission announced today that it is accepting applications through August 16 and letters of recommendation or endorsements through September 6. Greene will retire at the end of September and is seeking appointment as a senior judge.

Greene's seat is one of three open seats in Superior Court. The White House, which nominates judges to the city's local courts, is vetting applicants already recommended by the commission for the other vacancies.

DOJ Official Will Return to Covington & Burling in July

Updated 5:44 p.m.

A U.S. Justice Department lawyer who served in Lanny Breuer’s front office in the Criminal Division is leaving his post this week and will return to Covington & Burling in July.

Daniel Suleiman, the deputy chief of staff and counselor to assistant attorney general, has worked for nearly three years in the division. Suleiman also oversees the office of policy and legislation and the office of administration. He will return to Covington as special counsel on July 1.

Suleiman left Covington for Main Justice in 2010 to serve as counsel to Breuer, who was then the head of the Criminal Division. In March, Breuer, one of the longest-serving Criminal Division leaders in DOJ history, rejoined Covington in newly-created role of vice-chairman of the firm.

"I was lucky enough to convince Dan over two and half years ago to join me at the Department of Justice," Breuer said. "Now that I'm back at Covington & Burling, I was doubly thrilled to convince Dan to yet again join me."

This Week in The National Law Journal

Counting the Hours: Jenna Greene explores the decision by public defenders in Missouri to track their time in the same vein as private attorneys. It's more work, but proponents hope it will help in the long run by proving to state officials that the office is stretched too thin.

Objections Mount to Toyota Deal: Amanda Bronstad reports that more than three dozen objections have been filed to a proposed $1.6 billion settlement with Toyota over sudden acceleration claims. One point of contention: the $200 million that would go to plaintiffs lawyers.

Wilmer's Billing Snapshot: Matthew Huisman takes a look at billing records for Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr disclosed in bankruptcy proceedings for Wilmer client Eastman Kodak Co.

Latham Fights Disqualification: Latham & Watkins is fighting to remain lead trial counsel for a freight rail company in a case billed as one of the largest antitrust matters of all time. Zoe Tillman has the story.

The Morning Wrap

News Phones: The conflicting reports about how and when the Justice Department notified News Corp., the owner of Fox News, that it had subpoenaed phone records from the news agency as part of a leak investigation, as reported by The New Yorker.

Circuit Filler?: Patricia Millett, longtime U.S. Supreme Court advocate, is a leading contender for one of three DC Circuit slots, The New York Times reports.

'God's Plant': A high-profile Florida attorney says he is willing to put $3 million of his own money into a petition drive to get the issue on the November 2014 ballot, saying he'll "take God's plant over Big Pharma's pills," the Sun Sentinel reports.

In Fourth Circuit, a Spotlight on Warrantless GPS Tracking

There's no dispute that the traffic stop one morning in May 2009 was legitimate. The driver of a Pontiac Grand Prix failed to use a signal before turning into an exit lane to leave Interstate 95 in South Carolina.

The authorities initiated a traffic stop on the exit ramp that morning near Charleston. The passenger, police would later say, was nervous. His arms and legs were shaking, according to court records.

The stop wasn't random. Local and federal investigators, working on a drug case, secretly were monitoring the movement of the car via a global positioning device—one that had been attached without a warrant.

TV Broadcasters Sue Internet Streaming Service

Updated at 2:37 p.m.

Television broadcasters filed a copyright infringement lawsuit yesterday against FilmOn.com Inc., a company that allows users to stream live television programs online. The networks are seeking a court injunction, accusing FilmOn of "exploiting…some of the most valuable intellectual property created in the United States."

The lawsuit is the latest stage of litigation playing out in courts on both coasts over the technology employed by FilmOn and another company offering the same service known as Aereo Inc. Aereo and FilmOn previously butted heads in trademark disputes—FilmOn founder Alki David adopted the name Aereokiller for his service—but recently reached a settlement, allowing them to focus on the larger challenges brought by the networks. David agreed to stop using the Aereokiller name, according to sibling publication Am Law Litigation Daily.

The plaintiffs include the ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC television networks, as well as Telemundo, Disney and local affiliates of the big networks that air programming around the Washington region. Jenner & Block partner Paul Smith, co-chair of the firm's media and First Amendment practice, is lead counsel for the Fox plaintiffs. Arnold & Porter intellectual property partner Robert Garrett is lead counsel for the other plaintiffs.

Two Senate Aides Tapped for SEC Commissioner Seats

Two U.S. Senate aides have been nominated to serve as commissioners of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

President Barack Obama tapped Democrat Kara Stein, legal counsel and senior policy advisor to Senator Jack Reed (D - R.I.) and Republican Michael Piwowar, who is the chief economist for the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

Stein has worked on Capitol Hill in various jobs since 1997, but spent a year as an associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. If she's confirmed, that means Wilmer alums will occupy two out of five SEC commissioner seats. (Commissioner Daniel Gallagher is a former partner at the firm.)