Relax, folks. We are aware that the 2009 law school rankings of U.S. News & World Report have leaked, in advance of their official Friday publication date. They're all over the blogosphere and the message boards (links collected below).

We've been sitting on this item for a little while -- coordinating with our other posts this morning, taking into account our traffic patterns, etc. There is a method to our madness.

Ideally we'd hold this item even longer (which would allow us to do a more detailed write-up). But it's clear that you're all dying to talk about the rankings RIGHT NOW. And we don't want to get any more emails and comments of the "why aren't you writing about U.S. News" variety.

So here you go. Rankings and discussion, after the jump (i.e., click on the "Continue reading" link below).

Last week we posted this photo, with captions:

"Speaking of asking people out, have you ever seen a tax law professor bust a move?"

"Well, now you have."

For the record, these captions can be read in more than one way. Was Professor Paul Caron hitting on Professor Shari Motro (profiled here)? Or was it the other way around?

Within the legal blogsophere, Professor Caron is a total rock star. And what's a rock star without groupies?

(Digression: Speaking of Professor Caron, he has prepared this handy list of teaching fellowships for aspiring law professors. It's a great resource for those of you interested in legal academia.)

By the way, after we chastised Professor Caron for wearing a button-down shirt with a suit, the good professor wrote us as follows:

I showed my students your comment about the button down shirt and asked them to vote on whether your fashion sense was correct about button down shirts with suits -- maybe it is a Midwest v. East Coast thing (or perhaps they were just sucking up to me), but the students voted 85% v. 15% in favor of the button downs.

Update/clarification: We can't believe we even have to do this. But for the record, a "button-down shirt" refers to a shirt with a button-down collar.

Time for an ATL reader poll:

Earlier: Writing About the Law: A Correction, and Photographs