Conservatives

Which law schools do you think came out on top of these lists?

These law schools fall right into the center of most political debates.

Stare decisis only matters when it’s convenient for this version of the high court.

Which law schools do you think came out on top of these lists?

We need more conservative law professors. But: What if we already have a lot of them?

If you don’t like the 'Potato Head' brand anymore, use the free market you used to pretend to care about to buy your toddler a Heteronormative Man action figure or whatever.

Which law schools do you think came out on top of these lists?

Actually, conservatives are pretty pissed that the Chief isn't always on their side.

Which law schools do you think came out on top of these lists?

There's now bipartisan support for further investigation of the information documented in the Mueller report.

The professors who purport to be allies have done the most damage to students with marginalized backgrounds. Will it get better?

Which law schools do you think came out on top of these lists?

Can conservative white guys really sue for discrimination and harassment? Yup!

Did your law school or alma mater make the cut?

* “Our goal will be to be as transparent as possible about our results, while complying with our various legal obligations.” The Justice Department may have chosen not to bring charges against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, but that didn’t stop the State Department from reopening its investigation into her email scandal just one day later. [Associated Press]

* Has the Roberts Court turned liberal? Not really, says Linda Greenhouse. Considering that “today’s conservative justices are a good deal more conservative than the liberal justices are liberal,” the results of the high court’s last two blockbuster cases were really about righting wrongs that flew in the face of existing laws. [New York Times]

* This month, Risa Goluboff, the first woman to ever serve at the helm of UVA Law, began her stint as dean, and a great number of the burning questions that she was asked in this interview relate to work/life balance. Perhaps the next time another man is named dean at a law school, he’ll have to answer similar questions. [Big Law Business]

* A judge has ruled that Bill Cosby’s sexual assault trial may proceed over the objections of his lawyers, who were apparently upset they weren’t able to cross-examine Andrea Constand, the comedian’s accuser, during a preliminary hearing earlier this year. “It’s our position we’re not going to re-traumatize victims,” said a prosecutor. [NBC News]

* Arthur Olick, bankruptcy pioneer and Anderson Kill partner, RIP. [WSJ Law Blog]

* In case you haven’t been keeping score like we have, these are the firms that recently raised salaries: Kaye Scholer, Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst, and Kasowitz Benson. If you’re worried you’ve missed any of our coverage on pay raises, you can check out our omnibus 2016 salary chart where we collect these stories. [2016 Salary Increase / Above the Law]

* Brexit isn’t just the financial undoing of a nation anymore: Boston Beer, the brewer of Sam Adams Boston Lager, has filed an intent-to-use trademark application to turn Brexit into a hard cider made from apples sourced in the UK. Just close your eyes, think of England, and take a swig before the next time you look at your 401(k). [WSJ Law Blog]

* This term at the Supreme Court was a big letdown for conservatives. First, Justice Antonin Scalia passed away, and then the high court continued to shift leftwards, leading liberals to prevail in some of the Court’s most influential decisions, from affirmative action to abortion rights. Better luck next term, conservatives. [Washington Post]

* Even though the school has offered buyouts to all of its tenured faculty and laid off staff, Dean Andrea Lyon says the worst is over for Valparaiso Law. Meanwhile, the school’s former dean says it could close, but doesn’t think it’s likely. Right now, he’s more worried about whether Valpo’s former students will survive. [Indiana Lawyer]

* Trinity Western University may have to take its law school aspirations to the Supreme Court of Canada. As it stands, there are three provinces that refuse to accredit the law school based on the fact that students and staff must sign a discriminatory covenant to abstain from sexual activity unless it’s between husband and wife. [CBC News]

* Former TV Judge Joe Brown can no longer practice law in Tennessee because he’s been placed on disability inactive status. Brown had a petition for discipline filed against him this fall after an unseemly outburst in court, which he now blames on complications from diabetes medication, hypertension, and stress. Get well soon. [Commercial Appeal]

* Yup, the criminal justice system is super broken. After being jailed for 2 years in Rikers and still fighting to clear his name for a crime even the victim’s family doesn’t think he committed, Enger Javier now wants to be a lawyer. [Gawker]

* Emotional tale of the lives behind mandatory minimums, though this one might have a happy ending. Demaryius Thomas’s mother, recently released from prison after 15 years after being pardoned by President Obama, is going to the Super Bowl. [ESPN]

* Should conservatives accept the delegation of legislative power? Heresy! [Library of Law and Liberty]

* Is there an issue with cognitive decline on the U.S. Supreme Court? And will anyone do anything about it? [Los Angeles Times]

* It’s a jungle out there: If you’re a lawyer, when you wake up, you better be running. [Associate’s Mind]

* Yup, a law student is suing over a wafer-less Kit-Kat. [Yahoo]

* We previously mentioned Orrick’s opening up in Houston; here are the identities of 13 of the new partners. [Legal Business]

* Great advice for making the most of networking opportunities. [Rebooting Your Law Practice]

* ATL managing editor David Lat will be in San Francisco a week from today, and you’re cordially invited to meet him at this cocktail reception and Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link) book signing. [FBANC via Eventbrite]

* 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]

* “Say you’ll remember me, getting groped in a nice dress…” Uh oh! This pop star seems pretty pissed! Taylor Swift has filed a countersuit against a radio DJ who sued her because he claims he was fired for inappropriately touching the singer backstage at a concert. [Rolling Stone]

* Charleston School of Law has a new president, and hopefully his tenure will be less wrought with disaster than that of his predecessors. He says he’ll be paid one whole dollar per year as his salary until he can turn things around. [Charleston Post and Courier]

* At a speaking engagement at Santa Clara Law earlier this week, Justice Antonin Scalia proclaimed that the Supreme Court has been “liberal” throughout the entirety of his 30-year tenure. We’d like to beg His Honor’s pardon; that can’t be true. [WSJ Law Blog]

* As this article so eloquently puts it, “[t]he Supreme Court is about to climb back into Americans’ bedrooms.” Today, the high court will review several petitions from non-profit groups that want to be exempted from ACA’s contraception mandate. [USA Today]

* Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the number of firms that are trying to enter the market. To establish a presence in the Lone Star State, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton is saying howdy to some new partners and merging with Crouch & Ramey. [ABA Journal]

Ed. note: In honor of Columbus Day (and Canadian Thanksgiving), Above the Law will be on a reduced publication schedule today. We will be back in full force tomorrow. Stay tuned for today’s news!

* Who is Amy Berman Jackson? If you’ve been watching Jeopardy! lately, you’ve probably been trying to figure out which law firm reigning champion Matt Jackson works for as a paralegal. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that his mother is a D.D.C. federal judge. [Washington Post]

* Another SCOTUS term is upon us, and while Chief Justice Roberts tends to cast his votes on the issues through a conservative lens, there’s talk that he could be a “wildcard.” Hmm, perhaps Justice Kennedy will have a pal to swing with this year. [MSNBC]

* Choose your path wisely: Bloomberg Markets released its ranking of the 50 most influential people last week, and not a single practicing lawyer made the cut. Attorneys who chose career alternatives, however, made a killing. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

* Marcel Aubut, who recently resigned in disgrace from his position as Canadian Olympic Committee president after allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate touching came to light, has also decided to leave his Biglaw firm and seek counseling. [NBC Sports]

* Late last week, California adopted an exacting digital privacy law that will require police to get warrants to access all manner of electronic information, from emails to texts to metadata. Please thank the Golden State for keeping your sexts safe. [WSJ Law Blog]