Above the Law

* "Eat sh*t, Bob." Last Week Tonight's John Oliver convinced a judge to dismiss a defamation suit filed by Robert Murray of Murray Energy, finding that the comedian was well with his First Amendment rights to criticize the coal baron and his company on HBO. [Hollywood Reporter]

* Former Skadden associate Alex van der Zwaan has already pleaded guilty to lying in the Russia investigation, but special counsel Robert Mueller isn't nearly done with the Biglaw firm. According to sources, "[l]awyers at Skadden are on edge," which means we should get ready for some juicy Skaddenfreude. [New York Times]

* This weekend, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee released their declassified rebuttal to Republican claims that FBI and DOJ officials abused their powers, calling those claims a "transparent" attempt to undermine the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference. [NBC News]

* "Do better NKU. Dont let him teach us." Students and alumni of Northern Kentucky University Law School are demanding action after former dean Jeffrey Standen was allowed to resign and then return as NKU's highest-paid full-time professor following sexual harassment allegations, but the school says it can't fire him. [Cincinnati.com]

* How are you reacting to the scrutiny of sexual harassment in the workplace? That's just one of the questions the ABA Journal and Working Mother want you to answer in this important survey for women and men working in law firms. [ABA Journal]

* Audacious: former Mercer Law student Stephen McDaniel, who took apart the body of Lauren Giddings after brutally murdering her, seeks habeas corpus. [WGXA]

* "Did #MeToo really bring a reckoning to the legal industry?" A discussion featuring Katherine Ku, Dahlia Lithwick, Leah Litman, Ian Samuel, and me. [Vice]

* Speaking of #MeToo and the legal profession, look for more disturbing stories like this one to emerge in the weeks ahead. [Medium]

* Best friends: which amici in the Supreme Court have the strongest track records in major cases? [Empirical SCOTUS]

* Speaking of SCOTUS, if you were a billionaire who dropped $32.5 million on beachfront property, you too would hire Paul Clement to seek certiorari in your takings case. [SFGate]

* As someone with a mild case of prosopagnosia (aka face-blindness), I totally agree with Eugene Volokh's recommendations about nametags at conferences. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

* Divorce lawyer and former Playboy model Corri Fetman, no stranger to our pages, is running for Cook County Circuit Court judge -- and calling out her opponents for running body-shaming attack ads. [Chicago Reader]

* Here's what the United States can -- and can't -- learn from the small, happy, and fairly homogenous nation of Denmark (by Megan McArdle via Glenn Reynolds). [Instapundit]

* If you share my confusion about blockchain, here's a recommendation: check out the new Integra Wallet, just released by legal-blockchain pioneer Integra Ledger. [Artificial Lawyer]

* Speaking of leveraging the power of blockchain, you simply must check out Casey Flaherty's new Magic Money Machine™. [3 Geeks and a Law Blog]

* If you work a lot with expert witnesses, you might want to check out Courtroom Insight, for reasons explained by Jean O'Grady. [Dewey B Strategic]

* Congratulations to Professor Jennifer Levi, recipient of the ABA Stonewall Award for her pioneering work on transgender rights! [Western New England University]

THIS BIGLAW DAD MAKES ME FEEL BAD ABOUT MYSELF: I should try to learn from him, but, since I'm a guy, my impulse is to challenge him to some kind of combat. But I'd probably lose. I think I'll just drink and play some Playstation. She never judges.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ABOUT TO UNLEASH A NEW WAVE OF JUDICIAL NOMINEES: I think I will trying sneezing on them, War of the Worlds style, and see if that helps.

ANOTHER NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL GETS ON THE GRE TRAIN: It's getting to be like when the conductor says "there's another train right behind us" but everybody crowds onto the subway car anyway. Then it randomly skips your stop because it decides it need to be an "express" train without really telling you.

THE NCAA IS TRYING TO SHOW HOW COLLEGE ATHLETES ARE VERY MUCH LIKE PRISONERS: When it comes to whether or not those athletes are "employees" of their universities. The NCAA has made this argument for years, but it's good to remind ourselves to be disgusted by it every now and again.

BANK PAYS MEN TWICE AS MUCH AS WOMEN: If the wage gap were a man, he'd be in worse trouble than Harvey Weinstein.