* Nope, Black History month still isn’t racist. Here’s an explanation one more time for those that need it. [Popehat] * Hey! Now there is science to back up what we all knew: Voter ID laws suppress the vote. [Talking Points Memo] * Not everyone gets access to the same justice: non-prosecution agreements are reserved […]
Supreme Court blocks Obama's climate plan. Is this the first sign of a new, more aggressive role for the Supreme Court?
"Decrypting Crypto" is a go-to guide for understanding the technology and tools underlying Web3 and issues raised in the context of specific legal practice areas.
* Uh-oh! Martin Shkreli may have gotten more than he bargained for when he bought the one and only copy of the Wu-Tang Clan's "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin." An artist whose work appears on the album's packaging has filed a copyright infringement suit against the smug pharma bro. [WSJ Law Blog] * A Texas ADA was arrested this weekend for DWI after crashing into a parked car. According to police, it appeared as if she was trying to leave the scene. She's been a prosecutor for almost a year, and hasn't been put on a leave of absence for her alleged transgressions (yet). [FOX 7 Austin] * "I don't understand why donors should not donate money to the Law School because some moron, some racist decided to put black tape on some portraits." Some alumni (not this guy) are uncertain if they'll continue to donate to Harvard Law. [Harvard Crimson] * President Obama has proposed a cybersecurity plan that'll cost $19+ billion. Americans will learn how to better secure their accounts to prevent illegal hacks. That's a lot of cash to teach people not to use "123456" as their password. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * Have your birthday cake and eat it too, because the terms of Warner Music Group's "Happy Birthday to You" settlement have been disclosed, and up to $14 million is up for grabs for those who've had to pay licensing fees to use it. [L.A. Now / Los Angeles Times]
Fortunately for Clinton, criminal indictment will likely never happen because she has a "get out of jail free" card from her Constitution-shredding bedfellow.
* Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz has pledged to "spend whatever political capital is necessary" to create the most conservative Supreme Court in our country's history. Uh-oh! Voters better elect him, or else we'll be "one justice away from ... unlimited abortion on demand." [ThinkProgress] * A shakeup at the top? More than 20 Schiff Hardin partners -- including the firm's former managing partner, practice group leaders, and an executive committee member -- are leaving to start their own firm thanks to an apparent leadership dispute. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * On the seventh anniversary of his signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, President Obama took action to address the gender pay gap. Companies with 100 employees or more must now include salary info on their annual EEO reports. [New York Times] * Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's legal team filed the first of what's sure to be many appeals: They've asked the First Circuit to overturn his conviction and death sentence, as well as an order that he pay more than $101M to his victims. [Reuters] * For some reason, people are highly opposed to the ABA's proposal to lift its ban on law students receiving pay for their credit-bearing externship positions. Yes, let's continue to make indebted students pay for their experiential learning opportunities. [ABA Journal]
* “This is, since the recession, the most robust job growth we’ve seen." Nearly all students who worked at Biglaw firms this past summer as associates received offers of full-time employment. Offer rates haven't been this high in more than a decade. [National Law Journal] * Mommy, wow! I'm a big kid now! Affluenza teen Ethan Couch was finally deported from Mexico and booked into a juvenile detention center. Today, we'll see if he'll be moved to a big-boy jail, and in February, we'll see if his case is moved to the grown-up court system. [Associated Press] * Sorry, Hillary Clinton, but President Obama has no desire to be on SCOTUS. According to White House press secretary Josh Earnest, while Obama “would have plenty of ideas for how he would do a job like that,” he "may have other things to do." [The Hill] * It's so hard to get execution drugs that Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is asking state legislators for alternative methods for carrying out death sentences, like death by firing squad, electrocution, and hanging. Seems reasonable? [Reuters] * Arizona is so eager to kill people it hired Alston & Bird to go up against the Food and Drug Administration in the state's quest to obtain the release of a shipment of execution drugs that it had imported to the country from India this summer. [BuzzFeed News]
Another week, another unconstitutional action by President Obama -- and this week's episode features his administration’s favorite state sponsor of terrorism, Iran.
It wouldn't be the first time a former president sat on the highest court.
* Martha Coakley joins BU Law faculty. A job she will somehow manage to lose in a landslide to an unqualified Republican. [Boston Globe] * You’ve heard all about the Ted Cruz birther controversy, but maybe Cruz is just being trolled for being such a tremendous dick while at Harvard Law School. [Needs Further Review] * […]
Here are five questions about Benghazi that an effective cross-examination would address.
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* The Supreme Court may undo President Obama's legacy... of executive actions. [Talking Points Memo] * Speaking of United States v. Texas, it just may be Chief Justice John Roberts's worst nightmare. [Slate] * Today is a special anniversary: six years, the Supreme Court issued its Citizens United decision, and democracy hasn't looked the same since. [Huffington Post] * Interesting data analysis from Professor Derek T. Muller: as full-time law faculty numbers shrink, law school administrator numbers grow. [Excess of Democracy] * Benghazi is getting a Michael Bay movie -- and the congressional hearing is still raging on. [Rolling Stone] * Attorneys for Daniel Holtzclaw, the Oklahoma City police officer convicted of raping eight women while on duty, have filed a motion seeking a new trial; they suspect discovery shenanigans on the part of the prosecution. [Gawker] * Nope. Hillary Clinton may not be a radical, but she also isn't a moderate Republican. [Lawyers, Guns and Money] * Seven legal tech considerations for 2016, from lawyer and legal-tech enthusiast Steven J. Best. [Legal Tech Blog]
Obama's no Al Gore, but he's doing what he can.
In arrogant and king-like fashion, President Obama engaged in his weekly flagrant violation of the Constitution, not once but twice.
Barack Obama responds to Second Amendment-obsessed critics.
* If you haven't been watching Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer, then you're missing Dean Strang's turn on the catwalk. The compassionate defense attorney has turned into an "unlikely sex symbol." Are you part of the #StrangGang? [The Guardian] * Sometime later today, President Barack Obama will announce a sweeping package of executive actions related to gun restrictions. Stay tuned, grab your popcorn, and get ready for some hardcore constitutional litigation. [Washington Post] * Happy New Year! We're not even a full week into 2016, and the first Biglaw merger has already been announced. Lewis Roca Rothgerber has picked up Christie Parker & Hale, a 40-lawyer Southern California IP boutique. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Hipsters, thou shall be avenged sevenfold: The Justice Department has filed suit against Volkswagen in the wake of the automaker's massive emissions scandal. The DOJ is seeking billions in damages over VW's air-pollution violations. [New York Times] * According to Ethan Couch's lawyer, it may be weeks or months before the affluenza teen returns to the United States. A judge issued a temporary stay in his case after Couch argued that being deported from Mexico would somehow violate his civil rights. [CNN] * Robert Wonsch, an Oklahoma process server, was arrested after allegedly coercing his female clients into performing sex acts in exchange for lowering his fees. He's now facing several criminal counts. Good Lord, talk about ineffective service of process... [Reuters] * Dale Bumpers, President Clinton's impeachment defense lawyer, RIP. [New York Times]
