{"id":154053,"date":"2026-06-08T16:07:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T00:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/06\/08\/legal-ethics-roundup-supervising-clerks-scrutinized-in-wake-of-sex-scandal-high-profile-discipline-gifts-for-judges-lack-of-candor-from-doj-lawyer-reprimanded-for-faking-dementia-more\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T16:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T00:07:30","slug":"legal-ethics-roundup-supervising-clerks-scrutinized-in-wake-of-sex-scandal-high-profile-discipline-gifts-for-judges-lack-of-candor-from-doj-lawyer-reprimanded-for-faking-dementia-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/06\/08\/legal-ethics-roundup-supervising-clerks-scrutinized-in-wake-of-sex-scandal-high-profile-discipline-gifts-for-judges-lack-of-candor-from-doj-lawyer-reprimanded-for-faking-dementia-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal Ethics Roundup: Supervising Clerks Scrutinized In Wake Of Sex Scandal, High-Profile Discipline, Gifts For Judges, Lack Of Candor From DOJ, Lawyer Reprimanded For Faking Dementia & More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ed. note<\/u>: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup,\u00a0<\/strong>here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Happy Monday!<\/p>\n

The past week has been a whirlwind of celebrations and quality time with family. My daughter Grace graduated from high school and heads off to the University of Michigan in the fall. \ud83c\udf93<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
East Lansing High School Graduation (photo by Renee Jefferson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I still managed to make time to scour the headlines, so let\u2019s dive right in.<\/p>\n

\n

Highlights from Last Week \u2013 Top Ten Headlines \ud83d\udcf0<\/h3>\n

#1 \u201cSex, Lies, And Inadequate Supervision Of Law Clerks.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0David Lat<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Original Jurisdiction:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe salacious allegations against Judge Eleanor Ross have overshadowed a more important issue: judges delegating too much responsibility to their clerks.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#2 \u201cLosing Trust in Justice Dept., Judges Call Out Its Lawyers\u2019 Behavior.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0The New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe federal courts have long assumed that the government\u2019s lawyers are trustworthy. Now judges across the country are criticizing their lack of candor.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#3 \u201cOutrage Over Justice Alito\u2019s Son Distracts From Real Scandals.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Gabe Roth<\/strong>\u00a0(Fix the Court) in\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito<\/strong>\u00a0cannot participate in any cases involving the Treasury Department because his son Phil works as an\u00a0attorney<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0there.\u00a0Justice Amy Coney Barrett<\/strong>\u00a0has two adopted children from\u00a0Haiti<\/a><\/strong>, so she should be disqualified from hearing an ongoing\u00a0case<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0involving Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.\u00a0Chief Justice John Roberts<\/strong>\u00a0must disqualify himself from cases argued by attorneys from the firms where wife Jane, a legal\u00a0recruiter<\/a><\/strong>, has made placements. Each of these assertions is wrong as a matter of common sense \u2014 and of law. Nevertheless, critics are inventing or overstating scandals, often against the justices whose decisions they oppose, as the public becomes increasingly frustrated with the results of many high-profile cases. But spotlighting tenuous or unfounded allegations makes meaningful reform that much harder to achieve. If everything\u2019s an outrage, then nothing is.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#4 \u201cHigh-Profile Discipline Brings Unique Challenges.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWhen a disciplinary complaint concerns a high-profile attorney, lawyers who routinely handle disciplinary matters face additional layers of complication relating to fairness, confidentiality, transparency, and public confidence. These issues were explored in \u2018Process and Public Trust Facets of High-Profile Lawyer Investigation,\u2019 a session at the American Bar Association\u2019s 51st National Conference on Professional Responsibility in Los Angeles. Panelists agreed that a lawyer\u2019s notoriety shouldn\u2019t affect regulators\u2019 decision to pursue discipline. \u2018It\u2019s not fair for notoriety to matter,\u2019 explained\u00a0Ellen C. Brotman<\/strong>, of BrotmanLaw in Philadelphia.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#5 \u201cLuxury Trips, Bird Hunting, Football Tickets: Here Are Gifts Alabama\u2019s Federal Judges Accepted.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0AL.com:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThere were Alabama football tickets, plus a flight to the 2016 game against Tennessee. Five pistols and a shotgun, $6,200 worth of gravel, a mission trip to Honduras. Even a German shorthaired bird dog. And at least 23 bird hunting trips over the past two decades.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#6 \u201cThis Federal Judge Ruled Against Trump. Then the Death Threats Rolled In.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a060 Minutes:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cFederal judges say criticism from\u00a0President Trump<\/strong>\u00a0can put their safety at risk. The White House says the president \u2018understands the dangers of political violence.\u2019\u201d Read more and watch\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#7 \u201cBlanche Says Justice Dept. Won\u2019t Proceed With Trump\u2019s $1.8 Billion Fund.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0The New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe acting attorney general told lawmakers that he would leave in place an order forcing the I.R.S. to drop investigations into President Trump, his family and his businesses.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#8 \u201cTrump\u2019s Chief Nevada Prosecutor Shirks DOJ Orders, Boosts Allies.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cPresident Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0top Nevada prosecutor,\u00a0Sigal Chattah<\/strong>, pushed to launch investigations at the behest of former clients and friends while repeatedly bypassing Justice Department orders recusing her from cases, according to three people with direct knowledge.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#9 \u201cLawyer Reprimanded for Claiming He Had Dementia to Get Excused From Case.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0ABA Journal:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cAn Iowa lawyer who was appointed to represent a criminal defendant was recently reprimanded for claiming that he had dementia, so that he could be excused from the case.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#10 \u201cAmerica\u2019s Top Women Lawyers On Career Success, AI, And Raising The Bar.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Forbes:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe discussion, which has been edited for length and clarity, centered on AI disruption and the future of law practice, the qualities clients value most, what it takes to reach the top and how women can succeed.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Get Hired \ud83d\udcbc<\/h3>\n

Did you miss the 500+ job postings from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Upcoming Ethics Events & Other Announcements \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f<\/h3>\n

Did you miss an announcement from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Keep in Touch \ud83d\udcdd<\/h3>\n

Do you have colleagues who care about legal ethics?<\/strong>\u00a0Please share the Roundup with them. I\u2019d love to see our community continue to grow!<\/p>\n

News tips? Announcements? Events?<\/strong>\u00a0A job to post?<\/strong>\u00a0Reading recommendations?<\/strong>\u00a0Email legalethics@substack.com \u2013 but be sure to subscribe first, otherwise the email won\u2019t be delivered.<\/p>\n

\n

Renee Knake Jefferson holds the endowed Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics and is a Professor of Law at the University of Houston. Check out more of her writing at the\u00a0Legal Ethics Roundup<\/a>. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) at\u00a0@reneeknake<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky at\u00a0legalethics.bsky.social<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Legal Ethics Roundup: Supervising Clerks Scrutinized In Wake Of Sex Scandal, High-Profile Discipline, Gifts For Judges, Lack Of Candor From DOJ, Lawyer Reprimanded For Faking Dementia & More<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ed. note<\/u>: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup,\u00a0<\/strong>here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Happy Monday!<\/p>\n

The past week has been a whirlwind of celebrations and quality time with family. My daughter Grace graduated from high school and heads off to the University of Michigan in the fall. \ud83c\udf93<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
East Lansing High School Graduation (photo by Renee Jefferson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I still managed to make time to scour the headlines, so let\u2019s dive right in.<\/p>\n

\n

Highlights from Last Week \u2013 Top Ten Headlines \ud83d\udcf0<\/h3>\n

#1 \u201cSex, Lies, And Inadequate Supervision Of Law Clerks.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0David Lat<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Original Jurisdiction:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe salacious allegations against Judge Eleanor Ross have overshadowed a more important issue: judges delegating too much responsibility to their clerks.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#2 \u201cLosing Trust in Justice Dept., Judges Call Out Its Lawyers\u2019 Behavior.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0The New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe federal courts have long assumed that the government\u2019s lawyers are trustworthy. Now judges across the country are criticizing their lack of candor.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#3 \u201cOutrage Over Justice Alito\u2019s Son Distracts From Real Scandals.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Gabe Roth<\/strong>\u00a0(Fix the Court) in\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito<\/strong>\u00a0cannot participate in any cases involving the Treasury Department because his son Phil works as an\u00a0attorney<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0there.\u00a0Justice Amy Coney Barrett<\/strong>\u00a0has two adopted children from\u00a0Haiti<\/a><\/strong>, so she should be disqualified from hearing an ongoing\u00a0case<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0involving Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.\u00a0Chief Justice John Roberts<\/strong>\u00a0must disqualify himself from cases argued by attorneys from the firms where wife Jane, a legal\u00a0recruiter<\/a><\/strong>, has made placements. Each of these assertions is wrong as a matter of common sense \u2014 and of law. Nevertheless, critics are inventing or overstating scandals, often against the justices whose decisions they oppose, as the public becomes increasingly frustrated with the results of many high-profile cases. But spotlighting tenuous or unfounded allegations makes meaningful reform that much harder to achieve. If everything\u2019s an outrage, then nothing is.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#4 \u201cHigh-Profile Discipline Brings Unique Challenges.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWhen a disciplinary complaint concerns a high-profile attorney, lawyers who routinely handle disciplinary matters face additional layers of complication relating to fairness, confidentiality, transparency, and public confidence. These issues were explored in \u2018Process and Public Trust Facets of High-Profile Lawyer Investigation,\u2019 a session at the American Bar Association\u2019s 51st National Conference on Professional Responsibility in Los Angeles. Panelists agreed that a lawyer\u2019s notoriety shouldn\u2019t affect regulators\u2019 decision to pursue discipline. \u2018It\u2019s not fair for notoriety to matter,\u2019 explained\u00a0Ellen C. Brotman<\/strong>, of BrotmanLaw in Philadelphia.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#5 \u201cLuxury Trips, Bird Hunting, Football Tickets: Here Are Gifts Alabama\u2019s Federal Judges Accepted.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0AL.com:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThere were Alabama football tickets, plus a flight to the 2016 game against Tennessee. Five pistols and a shotgun, $6,200 worth of gravel, a mission trip to Honduras. Even a German shorthaired bird dog. And at least 23 bird hunting trips over the past two decades.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#6 \u201cThis Federal Judge Ruled Against Trump. Then the Death Threats Rolled In.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a060 Minutes:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cFederal judges say criticism from\u00a0President Trump<\/strong>\u00a0can put their safety at risk. The White House says the president \u2018understands the dangers of political violence.\u2019\u201d Read more and watch\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#7 \u201cBlanche Says Justice Dept. Won\u2019t Proceed With Trump\u2019s $1.8 Billion Fund.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0The New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe acting attorney general told lawmakers that he would leave in place an order forcing the I.R.S. to drop investigations into President Trump, his family and his businesses.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#8 \u201cTrump\u2019s Chief Nevada Prosecutor Shirks DOJ Orders, Boosts Allies.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cPresident Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0top Nevada prosecutor,\u00a0Sigal Chattah<\/strong>, pushed to launch investigations at the behest of former clients and friends while repeatedly bypassing Justice Department orders recusing her from cases, according to three people with direct knowledge.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#9 \u201cLawyer Reprimanded for Claiming He Had Dementia to Get Excused From Case.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0ABA Journal:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cAn Iowa lawyer who was appointed to represent a criminal defendant was recently reprimanded for claiming that he had dementia, so that he could be excused from the case.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#10 \u201cAmerica\u2019s Top Women Lawyers On Career Success, AI, And Raising The Bar.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Forbes:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe discussion, which has been edited for length and clarity, centered on AI disruption and the future of law practice, the qualities clients value most, what it takes to reach the top and how women can succeed.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Get Hired \ud83d\udcbc<\/h3>\n

Did you miss the 500+ job postings from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Upcoming Ethics Events & Other Announcements \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f<\/h3>\n

Did you miss an announcement from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Keep in Touch \ud83d\udcdd<\/h3>\n

Do you have colleagues who care about legal ethics?<\/strong>\u00a0Please share the Roundup with them. I\u2019d love to see our community continue to grow!<\/p>\n

News tips? Announcements? Events?<\/strong>\u00a0A job to post?<\/strong>\u00a0Reading recommendations?<\/strong>\u00a0Email legalethics@substack.com \u2013 but be sure to subscribe first, otherwise the email won\u2019t be delivered.<\/p>\n

\n

Renee Knake Jefferson holds the endowed Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics and is a Professor of Law at the University of Houston. Check out more of her writing at the\u00a0Legal Ethics Roundup<\/a>. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) at\u00a0@reneeknake<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky at\u00a0legalethics.bsky.social<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Legal Ethics Roundup: Supervising Clerks Scrutinized In Wake Of Sex Scandal, High-Profile Discipline, Gifts For Judges, Lack Of Candor From DOJ, Lawyer Reprimanded For Faking Dementia & More<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ed. note: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup,\u00a0here. Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics. Happy Monday! The past week has been a whirlwind of celebrations and quality time with family. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":154054,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F25006f6d-2882-4395-a462-ef880e8081ff_1290x1538-iFkjYk.jpg?fit=1290%2C1538&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}