The Future of the Supreme Court
presented by Bloomberg Law

Cue the 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' theme.

A great choice.

It isn't going to come to that.

Elect a clown, expect a circus.

And it probably won't be the last time he's forced to do so.

Multiple lawyers put their names on this POS document.

* The full Am Law 200 rankings are available. Let’s just put a link here for handy reference. [American Lawyer]

* Speaking of the second hundred, its growth outpaced the first hundred. Which isn’t too surprising because those firms had more room to grow, but it is a sign that business is flowing toward less expensive platforms. [American Lawyer]

* Trump’s criminal trial set for March 25, 2024. So basically after he’s locked up the nomination. [Law360]

* Speaking of Trump, his lawyers are seeking an audience with Merrick Garland complaining about the “ongoing injustice” of being investigated for that documents crime that the DOJ already gave Trump months to fix before his lawyers lied about it. Not predicting a fruitful meeting for the crew. [Reuters]

* The new British Invasion is less entertaining than the Beatles, but then again the Beatles never drafted an executive compensation clause. [Bloomberg Law News]

* New lawsuit contends that Biden must use the Fourteenth Amendment to avoid a government default. Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues efforts to protect the global economy by throwing pennies in a wishing well. [Politico]

* Neil Gorsuch brands COVID-19 health edicts possibly “the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country.” While some might remind him about slavery and segregation, I’m not sure we should be giving him any ideas. [USA Today]

* Mike McKool leaves McKool Smith. Remember Garfield Minus Garfield? It’s like that. [Reuters]

* Judge rejects candy company’s motion to dismiss in case of man trapped inside hardened chocolate for hours. Willy Wonka declined comment. [Legal Intelligencer]

* Nancy Abudu confirmed to the Eleventh Circuit and all it took was a staggering 495 days or so. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

* Justice Stevens working papers released. One gem involves Scalia chiding dissenters for worrying about damaging the Court’s legitimacy. That tracks. [ABA Journal]

* As part of broader efforts to diversify the ranks of special masters, some argue for rethinking the language of “master” itself. [Law.com]

* Kari Lake’s election challenge going about as well as her election did. [Courthouse News Service]

Also, Elon Musk really needs legal counsel.

And he loves referencing her lyrics.

No, the DOJ hasn't been politicized.

Shockingly, decades of lionizing a judicial writing style based on calling your colleagues stupid creates young judges who call their colleagues stupid.

* When the Trump administration used COVID as a rationale to unilaterally rewrite immigration laws, the Supreme Court thought that was fine. Today, the same justices will scream bloody murder at the idea of the Biden administration using the COVID economic slump to justify forgiving $20K worth of student loans the same way the government forgave millions in PPP loans. Because… reasons. [Reuters]

* Law firms get conservative on legal technology amid recession fears. I guess this means they aren’t trying to bring in tech to reduce attorney ranks. [Legaltech News]

* Rupert Murdoch acknowledges in testimony that Fox News lied about the election. Did these people even have in-house counsel in 2020? [Law360]

* Merrick Garland’s appearance on Capitol Hill tomorrow will very much suck for him. [Esquire]

* The ongoing Neil Gerrard scandal will go to court next week to find out just how much Dechert owes one of its former clients. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Florida court denies the habeas petition a pregnant detainee filed on behalf of her fetus. As always “Life Begins At Conception… Some Terms and Conditions Apply.” [The Guardian]

'You think this is a game? Who do you think you're playing with? F around and find out.'

Basically... is doing a lot of work for everyone in this story.

Be careful what you wish for.

Erwin Chemerinsky calls it like he sees it.

It's a 'Merrick Hates Me' motion .

If Trump takes no position on whether the affidavit should be released, he arguably avoids waiving his rights to challenge whatever action the court takes.