Above the Law

Morning Docket: 01.09.26

* M&A lawyers see busy year ahead. [Reuters]

* Recent judicial nominees can’t give a straight answer about January 6. That said, Trump nominees haven’t been able to give a straight answer to “is segregation unconstitutional” for years. [Balls and Strikes]

* An explainer for Grok’s newfound sexual harassment feature. [Guardian]

* The case for Minnesota prosecuting Renee Good’s murderer. [The Nation]

* DOJ awards law license portability to military spouses — a logical reform that somehow took this long to achieve. [ABA Journal]

* TikTok sues Nebraska AG over withholding records. [Courthouse News Service]

* Harvey Weinstein enters plea talks ahead of upcoming trial. [Law360]

* Luigi Mangione asks judge to boot two charges against him. [NBC News]

* What triggered the fall of McGlinchey? [American Lawyer]

Irony Died A Long Time Ago — See Also

Judge Ho Attacks Judges With “Overinflated Intelligence”: Stop hitting yourself.

Attorney Indicted On 91 Felony Counts: That’s a lot of stalking!

Vibes Can’t Get You That Far: Another hopeful fails to make U.S. Attorney.

All Eyes On Them: See if you can guess the most searched law firms of 2025!

Is This The Year For Critical Ignoring?

The effects of social media have led to unhappy consequences, intended and unintended.

Legal Tech Spending Surges 9.7% As Firms Race To Integrate AI, Says Report On State Of Legal Market

Law firms dramatically accelerated their technology investments in 2025.

Judge With Overinflated View Of His Intelligence Blasts Judges For ‘Overinflated View Of Their Intelligence’

Judge James Ho takes irony to a new level.

A World Cup Ticket Isn’t A Souvenir. It’s A Contract Of Adhesion.

The sticker shock is real, but the fine print is where fans lose almost every meaningful right.

Tales From The Witness Stand: What ‘Winning’ Expert Testimony Looks Like

Join us for an exploration of all things expert witness in 2025. CLE-credit is available for this webinar.

Attorney Accused Of Stalking And Filming Teenager Indicted On 91 Felony Counts

Prosecutors are looking to hold him accountable for his actions.

A New Year, A New You

Tackle the New Year like a lawyer.

Business Origination Skills In The Age Of Agentic AI: Is There Anything New Under The Sun?

Is the legal world is about to be turned upside down?

‘BEWARE’: Trump Order Demands Some Defense Firms Halt Paying Dividends, Buying Back Stock

The executive order says future contracts should be written so that the Pentagon can enforce the mandates, including a cap on executive pay, during periods of ‘underperformance.’

Morning Docket: 01.08.26

* “Bulk” of SDNY prosecutors are spending their days reviewing Epstein files. You know, there are discovery tools that can handle massive productions like this very quickly if the only issue is protecting the victims and not, say, using redactions to cover up and mislead. [Law360]

* Quinn Emanuel equity partners averaging $9 million this year. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Trump seeks millions in legal fees from Georgia election interference prosecution. [NBC News]

* DOJ complaining about Luigi Mangione’s lawyers pointing out that Pam Bondi worked at a lobbying firm that represented United Healthcare. [ABC News]

* Is a pinstripe suit acceptable for interviews? [Legal Cheek]

* Latham sued by former counsel. [Law.com International]

* Polsinelli settles fee dispute with former partner. [Law.com]

ICE Kills Legal Observer In Broad Daylight — See Also

Obviously Wrong, But Probably Not Wrong Enough For Qualified Immunity: Mayor Jacob Frey has since told ICE to leave his state.

Grand Opening, Grand Closing: Firm starts off new year by shutting its doors forever.

So Much Money Can Only Mean One Thing: Layoffs are coming.

Why Keep Up The Act?: Judge makes Lindsey Halligan explain why she’s pretending to be U.S. Attorney.

Texas Supreme Court Just Gave Themselves A New Job: They’ve severed ties with ABA accreditation. Kinda.

The Sharp Increase In AI-Related Risk

Businesses seem *pretty* worried about AI.

Right-Wing’s Fraud Fever Dreams Will Fade Even As Tim Walz’s Decision To Cede Power Goes Down In History

By putting his state above his own ambitions, Tim Walz has ensured that these MAGA lies will swiftly disappear.