Class Action

* Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and with the current Court make up, this is the last penumbra we’re going to see for awhile. [USA Today]

* Norton Rose Fulbright in merger talks with Chadbourne & Parke. [New York Law Journal]

* Chief Justice Roberts compared himself to an umpire. Judge Gorsuch compared himself to a replay booth official. The football analogy works, since Gorsuch is going to be one of those scab refs from the 2012 NFL lockout while Garland sits at home. [Law.com]

* Keeping with the football news, former NFL cheerleaders have filed a class action alleging a conspiracy to suppress their wages, which, if true, is easily the sixth or seventh most repulsive thing Roger Goodell does on a daily basis. [ABC News]

* In a letter to the state Supreme Court, 20 law school deans asked California to lower its draconian bar passage threshold. Because it’s ridiculous. [The Recorder]

* Trump is reportedly going to direct the Labor Department to delay implementation of the Fiduciary Rule, surprising no one. [Think Advisor]

* Here’s a roundup of Judge Gorsuch’s wittiest dissents. [Law360]

* Some big reasons why Trump will probably stick to well-worn tradition and select a federal appellate judge to fill Justice Scalia’s seat. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* Class action against Chipotle over burritos containing over 300 calories. [Slate]

* Should lawyers learn how to code? Maybe not. Hell, I’d just be happy if someone showed me how Minecraft works. [Lawyerist]

* Police are spending millions spying on protesters because the Bill of Rights is merely advisory these days. [Washington Post]

* A look at “ageism in the digital era.” I’m sure no one will read it because it’s not properly Snapchatted. [Digiday]

* Law professors weigh in on Mike Pence’s night at the theater. Honestly, has anyone considered that they may have just been chanting, “Boourns“? [TaxProf Blog]

* The Pawnee Nation has filed suit against the federal government over oil-and-gas operations on tribal lands. If the last 400 years are any indication, they may be out of luck. [Pawnee Nation]

* University of Chicago 3L Joshua B. Pickar is a Rhodes Scholar. Congrats. [Rhodes Trust]

* NYU Law’s Ricky Revesz writes about the tragic flaw in the Clean Air Act and its deadly consequences. [Not Your Grandfather’s Coal Plant]

* Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley said some incredibly offensive sh*t in college that she now says she’s grown out of. [Gawker]

* Way harsh: Florida paper refuses to endorse any Republican for president saying, “[T]he kind of person who should be running is not in the race.” [Sun-Sentinel]

* Some concrete suggestions to improve the transparency of courts. The article is geared towards Maryland’s court system, but is a useful read for anyone who cares about justice. [Baltimore Sun]

* Justice Scalia’s death is the end of the conservative era of the Supreme Court. [Slate]

* A putative class action has been filed over the water crisis in Flint. You can’t say that was unexpected. [The Hill]

* More people lining up on the “of course we need to replace Scalia soon” bandwagon, and this time it’s folks who really care about the ethical running of the Court. [Fix the Court]

* Studying for the February bar exam? Here are some tips to make it through. [Associate’s Mind]

* Stories of Justice Scalia bullying the “little people” may tarnish his legacy. [Washington Monthly]

* A purported class action has been filed against Facebook for those texts notifying you of friends’ birthdays. [Forbes]

* So what does Obama think about “originalists” who vow to prevent him from making any nominee to the Court? Bonus point if you said he’d drop the f-bomb. [C-SPAN]

* A frank look at Justice Scalia’s real legacy by Columbia Law Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw. [Democracy Now]

* Did the Supreme Court just become the defining issue of the 2016 election? [The Nation]

* Tips for making success a habit. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

* Almost everyone has a story (or has a friend who has one) about an AirBnB gone awry — it’s the price of our new shared economy — but is this the weirdest story of all? [San Francisco Chronicle]

* The only graphic you’ll ever need to keep track of your state-by-state obligations for expert witnesses under Daubert and Frye. [The Expert Institute]

* What would Humphrey Bogart be like as an attorney? [Guile is Good]

* That hashtag you’re using might just be a registered trademark, but that doesn’t mean it should be. [Buzzfeed]

* Yale Law students filed a class action representing people held in quarantine for 21 days amid fear of the Ebola virus. [Hartford Courant]

* The Sixth Circuit holds 10 weeks of constant video surveillance from a public road does not constitute a search under the Fourth Amendment. You know if you just assume you are always being watched, none of this really bothers you. [Volokh Conspiracy]

* Understanding the rapid fire world of SnapChat is essential if you don’t want to get left behind in the dustbin of history. [Associate’s Mind]

* Tackling the thorny issue of access to justice, in law school and after. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

* The ABA House of Delegates joins the call for cameras in the Supreme Court. What do they have against puppies? [Fix the Court]

* When we say, “life without parole,” what do we really mean? [The New Yorker]

* Living the goddamn dream! This Biglaw attorney is retired… at age 33. [Mr. Money Mustache]

* Law school lecture goes viral! In fairness, “don’t talk to the police” seems like extra relevant advice after binge-watching Making a Murderer. [The Blaze]

* Pissed off about price gouging on Super Bowl tickets? Well, the Third Circuit sure isn’t going to help. [Bloomberg BNA]

* Is there a way to wish anger away? It may not be easy, but here are some tips to help with anger management. [Katz Justice]

* The ACLU has filed a class action over Louisiana’s underfunding of the public defender system. [ACLU]

* Great advice for keeping your firm’s (and client’s) sensitive information out of the hands of hackers. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

* Congratulations to Elizabeth Wydra, longtime chief counsel of the Constitutional Accountability Center, who takes over as CAC’s new president. [National Law Journal]

* Skadden associate Corey Laplante started a grant foundation to support legal aid and litigation-related nonprofits — and he wants your help. [Bloomberg / Big Law Business]

* Oh, so you’re a recent law grad, have actually found a job, but now realize you hate it? Guess what? YOU ARE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. [Slate]

* Are you pissed because that SoulCycle class certificate expired before you had a chance to use it? Then you might be interested in this class action. [Jezebel]

* Why are there so few conservative law professors? [TaxProf Blog]

* Ted Cruz takes a swing at his former law professor because Laurence Tribe is a Hillary supporter. Ummm, okay? [Talking Points Memo]

* Want to know the easiest way to succeed in law school? Listen to DJ Khaled. [Ms. JD]

* Watch our very own Elie Mystal take on Richard Sander over affirmative action. [Huffington Post Live]

* How do you get better at holiday party small talk? Booze. Is the answer not booze? I coulda sworn the answer was booze. [Associate’s Mind]

* Zombie Baby Jesus is making trouble. That’s so like him. [CBS 12]

* Classes were certified in cases challenging the NCAA’s scholarship caps. [Chronicle of Higher Education]

* Is it even possible to hold law schools accountable anymore? [Medium]

* Is there a legal argument that Donald Trump’s campaign is a hoax? [New York Personal Injury Lawyer Blog]