Depositions

* Later today, the Supreme Court will hear its “last great case of the Obama era” when arguments are presented in U.S. v. Texas, the biggest immigration case to come before the high court in a century. Given the current makeup of the Court, this case may be resolved with a 4-4 split, which would mean the president’s deportation-relief plan will be blocked in Texas. [Los Angeles Times]

* HBO’s “Confirmation,” a film about the Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas Supreme Court hearings, was an excellent presentation of the media mob that ravenously feasted upon a law professor’s sexual harassment allegations against America’s most silent justice. The fact that our country is in the middle of yet another highly politicized battle over a SCOTUS confirmation only made this more enjoyable to watch. [New York Times]

* Did Barnes & Thornberg help Avid Life Media defraud Ashley Madison subscribers? This is what plaintiffs allege in a consolidated lawsuit that’s been filed against the extramarital affairs website, and they’re seeking access to attorney-client privileged emails between the firm and the company to prove their case. [Big Law Business]

* A new partnership between Fresno City College, Fresno State, and San Joaquin College of Law will allow students to purchase a “one-way ticket to law school.” That ticket won’t be worth much after graduation, though, because San Joaquin Law’s most recent bar passage rate for first-time takers was a shockingly low 29 percent. [Visalia Times-Delta]

* Thanks to the popularity of hip-hopera Hamilton, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has scrapped plans to replace Alexander Hamilton’s face on the $10 bill with a woman’s. Instead, it will be Andrew Jackson whose face is replaced with a woman’s on the $20. Not to worry, Jackson fans — the new bill won’t be issued until around 2030. [CNN]

* Bill Cosby’s wife is scheduled to be deposed for the second time in a defamation suit filed by women who claim her husband called them liars after they came forward with sexual assault allegations against him. This time around, lawyers for the plaintiffs will be limited in that they’ll be prohibited from asking her “improper questions.” [ABC News]

Three legal superstars agree to end their legal battle.

* The deal to combine drug giants Allergan and Pfizer in an inversion was called off after the US Treasury announced new rules to limit the tax benefits of moving the corporate headquarters overseas. [Quartz]

* Should the IRS be going after the Pittsburgh Penguins for letting Sidney Crosby live in the owner’s house? [Bloomberg / BNA]

* Pretty sure Vivia Chen has covered all the options in her latest article exploring the benefits of having women leaders at law firms. [Careerist]

* Corporations may be taking an active role in opposing the recent spate of anti-LGBTQ legislation, but that still doesn’t make them people. [Reuters]

* “Jackie” from the Rolling Stone UVA rape article, which is now the subject of litigation, will have to testify in the pending action, despite her lawyer’s claim that revisiting the incident would be traumatizing. [Gawker]

* Is the Bible about to become the official state symbol of Tennessee? [NPR]

* Claiming to be a sovereign citizen is silly, and it certainly won’t insulate you from charges of chid sex abuse and kidnapping. [Jezebel]

Some practical pointers from legal technology columnist Jeff Bennion about how to use Microsoft Excel during depositions or at trial.

There is no future where an app on our smartwatches will present an opening statement for us, but adapting to technology -- or failing to adapt to technology -- can certainly affect the level of care you give your clients.

The news is abuzz with a court sanctioning a lawyer for his sexist remarks, but everyone's missing the bigger picture.

What did this lawyer say to draw the judge's ire?

When lawyers behave this badly, a harsh benchslap is not far behind.

* For the horde! If you thought Dentons was done gobbling up law firms to create its international legion of lawyers, then you were dead wrong. The firm will likely merge with 500-lawyer Australian firm Gadens and 200-lawyer Singaporean firm Rodyk & Davidson in 2016. [Reuters]

* Thanks to this ruling, lawyers for model Janice Dickinson may depose Bill Cosby in the defamation case she filed against him after he denied raping her. Cosby’s former lawyer, Martin Singer, who the comedian recently dumped for Quinn Emanuel, may be deposed as well. [Los Angeles Times]

* If daylight saving time has been messing with your head, you’ll feel better to know that even the Supreme Court was having trouble with the time. Both clocks in the SCOTUS courtroom were hours behind thanks to an electrical malfunction. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Law school graduates have been having a rough time when it comes to bar passage in recent years, but Biglaw firms likely have nothing to worry about — in fact, many partners didn’t even know a problem like this was happening. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

* “[T]he Harvard crest . . . should be a source of shame for the whole school.” According to a student movement at Harvard Law that’s been dubbed “Royall Must Fall,” the school was endowed by a “brutal” slaveowner and yet still bears his family’s seal. [Harvard Crimson]

Columnist Tamara Tabo opines on the deposition of Alan Dershowitz in his litigation with Paul Cassell.

Columnist Tamara Tabo reports on the latest developments in the ongoing legal battle between two legal luminaries, Alan Dershowitz and Paul Cassell.

* Gun control advocates finally seem to have the monetary resources to take on the NRA. [New Yorker]

* This is how to deal with Biglaw induced rage. [Daily Lawyer Tips]

* A commentator’s take on the double standard pervading the cases against misleading law school advertising [The Legal Watchdog]

* Colorado and Arizona bar results are in, still more bad news. [Bar Exam Stats]

* That’s a no-go on copyrighting yoga poses. [Overlawyered]

* Let the countdown to the unsealing of Bill Cosby’s latest deposition begin! [Gawker]

* Reforming the world of debt collection. [Pacific Standard]

* A biting take on legal system reform. [The Onion]

* A law school class that actually changed something. [Chronicle of Higher Education]

* Justin Bieber’s lawyers send around nasty notes after naked pics of the singer go viral. [TMZ]

* Paid justice? Prosecutors are paid by an insurance company for “handling” their cases. Sounds suspect. [Texas Tribune]

* Badass Ph.D. coldly takes down lawyer during a deposition. [Medium]

* Highlights from the Academy for Private Practice. [CodeX]

* The behavior that got Dewey into so much trouble is still going on. [Big Law Business / BNA]

You may have a lot of goals for a deposition, but one should be ensuring that at the end of the day you have a transcript that you can actually use to win your case.

You wouldn't expect the word "butthurt" to be used professionally by lawyers during legal proceedings -- until now.

It's harder than you realize to draft witness examinations and many lawyers don't realize the depth of their ignorance in this area, according to veteran litigator Mark Herrmann.

The lawyer's assailant has been charged with murder.

This is what happens when a judge just wants a party to suck it up and deal.