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• THE INFLUENCE 50
• Judge rules for Florida landowners and against DOJ in property dispute
• Report calls for interagency efforts to combat federal courthouse threats
• In D.C., judges' backgrounds are changing
• INADMISSIBLE
• Federal Circuit declines to revisit standard for appellate review of claim construction
• U.S. Sentencing Commission issues first study in 20 years on mandatory minimums
• Want to win at the high court? Study shows hiring a high court vet doesn't hurt
• Doomsday at the high court: What to do?
• COURTSIDE: Rainy days and third Mondays always get them down
• Rule sought for unsealing grand jury records
• Not quite ready to quit
• Judges may take bigger role guiding pro se

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THE INFLUENCE 50	Top
Our annual special report on Washington lobbying reveals the industry kept a firm hand on the tiller last year as it navigated through health care and financial reform, reporting a steady rise in revenue in 2010.
Judge rules for Florida landowners and against DOJ in property dispute	Top
Continuing a string of recent losses for the U.S. Justice Department, a federal claims judge in Washington this week rejected the government's formula for compensating a group of landowners involved in a property dispute in Florida.
Report calls for interagency efforts to combat federal courthouse threats	Top
A new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that security efforts at federal courthouses nationwide have kept pace with the growing number of threats, but that the federal agencies with a hand in security could do a better job of communicating.
In D.C., judges' backgrounds are changing	Top
Six of Obama's nine D.C. Superior Court nominees confirmed to date have worked for the Public Defender Service in Washington. This marks a noticeable departure from the George W. Bush administration, whose nominees mostly worked in private practice or as prosecutors.
INADMISSIBLE	Top
Name redaction; Clemens' attorneys cry foul on legal fees; here there be treasure — and lawsuits; agreeing on probation for Mahler; Ivey multitasks; a pro bono award for NLRB; and 17 lobbying hits for Google in this week's column.
Federal Circuit declines to revisit standard for appellate review of claim construction	Top
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has taken a pass on an opportunity to revisit its seminal 1998 ruling on appellate review of claim reconstruction. A split decision by the full Federal Circuit denied rehearing of a case involving review of a district judge's decision on the definition of patent claims.
U.S. Sentencing Commission issues first study in 20 years on mandatory minimums	Top
Black convicted offenders are the racial group least likely to earn relief from mandatory minimum sentences for assisting the government, according to a major study of mandatory minimum penalties by the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
Want to win at the high court? Study shows hiring a high court vet doesn't hurt	Top
The evidence continues to mount: You have a significantly better chance of winning at the Supreme Court if a veteran advocate argues your case before the justices.
Doomsday at the high court: What to do?	Top
What would happen if some or all of the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court were taken out in a terrorist attack? It's a question that the framers of the Constitution did not anticipate, and policymakers ever since have not thought much about. As a result, the answer is the same as for the departure of a single justice: the clunky nomination and confirmation process.
COURTSIDE: Rainy days and third Mondays always get them down	Top
The Supreme Court will be slightly less visible this month as it begins its new term. With little fanfare, the Court announced Tuesday that it was canceling its public session on Oct. 17, the third Monday of its October cycle of sittings. "The Supreme Court will no longer sit for a non-argument day in its October session," the Court press release stated, without offering a reason.
Rule sought for unsealing grand jury records	Top
For months, the U.S. Justice Department vigorously opposed the unsealing of former president Richard Nixon's 1975 testimony in the Watergate investigation, but they lost that dispute over the summer. Now, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. is pitching a change in the rules to create tighter control over the release of historically significant grand jury material.
Not quite ready to quit	Top
Some legal public service advocates are planting seeds among senior firm lawyers that pro bono work has numerous rewards — and that they can continue on that path after they retire by starting new careers with nonprofits.
Judges may take bigger role guiding pro se	Top
Noting the rise in pro se litigants, and acknowledging that traditional legal services groups can't always meet those needs, the D.C. Superior Court is considering changes to its judicial conduct guidelines that would encourage judges to take a more "affirmative role" in ensuring that unrepresented parties understand what's going on.

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