A Brief Programming Note: A Baby Announcement
Fear not—I'll continue to publish and podcast, but at a temporarily altered tempo.
Welcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking on the button below. Thanks!
My husband Zach and I are delighted to announce the birth of Chase Baron Lat-Shemtob. He was born on Monday, July 17, at 10:46 p.m. (MDT), weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and measuring 19.5 inches in length. He is doing well, as are his Papa (me), Daddy (Zach), and big brother Harlan.
Like Harlan, named after Justices John Marshall Harlan and John Marshall Harlan II, Chase is also named after two Supreme Court justices—Justice Samuel Chase, a Founding Father,1 and Chief Justice Salmon Chase, a leading abolitionist. Chase shares his middle name with Zach and Zach's mom.
We are grateful beyond words to our incredible surrogate, Holly, for her selflessness. We are also profoundly thankful to her husband Josh and their two boys for their support over the past year.
As a self-employed person, I will not be taking parental leave, since I’m paid to produce. So I will continue to generate content, both newsletter stories and podcast episodes.2 But as a sleep-deprived, stressed-out, working parent of two, I beg your indulgence if I’m a little less prolific than usual.3
As always, I deeply appreciate your readership and, to my paid subscribers, your financial support. Not only does your generosity make my newsletter and podcast possible, but you’re keeping Chase in diapers—no small feat, given how often the little guy goes. So, from the bottom of my (elated but exhausted) heart, thank you!
Yes, Justice Samuel Chase was impeached. But it was arguably a “witch hunt,” and today his acquittal is viewed by many as a victory for judicial independence.
I like to think that my former website, Above the Law, played a role in improving parental-leave policies in Biglaw. We started publicizing the policies at different firms, praising the industry leaders, and the scrutiny caused talent-hungry firms to start competing with each other on this benefit.
For example, I won’t be writing a full story about Tirien Steinbach’s departure as Stanford Law School’s associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion (but you can read about it over at the Free Beacon).
Mazeltov!
Congrats!