Football

* District Judge Henry Wingate suspends Mississippi’s death penalty. The full written decision is expected later this week. [BuzzFeed]

* Wondering why Roger Goodell is taking a hardline over Deflategate? He’s just acting like any good dictator and securing his power. [Washington Post]

* Trying to get bail set in a massive insider trading case? It helps if you’ve got God as a character reference. [Dealbreaker]

* Of all the dumb, stupid, obvious, %^$*#, frustrating AF horse hockey. Alabama is in the process of closing 45 out of 49 DMVs around the state. For the uninitiated: Alabama passed a strict voter ID law in 2011 and now there’s this new barrier to getting the proper identification. I guess it isn’t a stretch to pencil in Alabama as red in 2016. [Daily Kos]

* In less depressing news, read contemporary coverage of the passage of the 19th Amendment. [The Nation]

* … And right back to the depressing: a commenter places the blame for a lack of women lead counsel squarely with clients. Oh good, I was afraid for a minute that the legal industry might actually have to do something about gender issues. [What About Paris?]

* Rest in peace, Amelia Boynton Robinson. The civil rights activist died today at age 104. Best known for her fight for voting rights in the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march, she was portrayed by Lorraine Toussaint in the movie Selma. [WTOP]

A chat about the Southern District of New York case against the NFL.

One hundred of Tom Brady's peers think this whole thing is silly and not a big deal.

Football fans and frankly fans of all sports should really shift their attention to Florida where a federal judge is set to hear oral argument today as to whether a class action lawsuit against DraftKings can move forward.

How could anyone in the courtroom concentrate while the star quarterback's face was melting off?

* “[H]e’s just a litigious person. Unless he has something going on in the public eye, he can’t exist.” Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling filed a suit against V. Stiviano and TMZ, accusing them of invading his privacy by sharing a recording of his racism. [New York Post]

* A jury found that an ex-municipal court judge who was convicted of insurance fraud was lying when he claimed that he’d been attacked outside the courthouse by thugs wielding a toilet tank lid. We guess you could say that the jurors were able to flush out all of this guy’s crap. [ABA Journal]

* Talk about a Hail Mary suit: Ted Wells of Paul Weiss and NFL locker-room bullying report fame is being sued for defamation by the former Miami Dolphins offensive-line coach who happened to be one of the casualties of his investigation. [Washington Post]

* Deutsche Bank’s general counsel will step down from his position at the end of the year. Deutsche Bank joins JPMorgan and Bank of America as the third big bank to have announced a change in GC within the past month. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

* If you’re considering applying to law school, here are five steps you can take to write a “great” personal statement. Surprisingly, one step isn’t mentioning your guaranteed employment at a family firm after graduation. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

* Interesting… audio of Richard Nixon’s only oral argument before the Supreme Court. [Concurring Opinions]

* Aaron Hernandez’s lawyers want his murder indictment tossed. Tom Brady is relieved he now has the second-dumbest Patriots legal challenge. [NECN]

* There’s a robust piranha-smuggling operation in the United States. That’s… Sharknado levels of terrifying. [Legal Juice]

* In between ripping Rosie O’Donnell, the GOP “debate” actually talked a little about the Constitution. [Dorf on Law]

* New York’s responsible banking law is unconstitutional. Banks rejoice. [Reuters]

* The New York Times broached the subject of “resting bitch face.” How do lawyers avoid the phenomenon? [Attorney at Work]

* God Donald Trump is entertaining. [What About Clients?]

* Why aren’t the poor a suspect class? [PrawfsBlawg]

Even the appearance of impropriety, let alone any actual wrongdoing, is apparently enough to warrant harsh penalties in the NFL.

* A reminder to stay safe when you watch the GOP debates tonight — drinking games can seriously jeopardize your health. [Raw Story]

* The Washington NFL team has filed a notice of appeal to the Fourth Circuit over their canceled trademark registrations as they move their failure off the field and into the courts. [Bloomberg BNA]

* Penn State unveils a new logo. Critics call it a “hypnotized dog looking at cupcakes,” but it actually looks more like the vacant stare of someone who has seen something but refuses to tell authorities about it. [TaxProf Blog]

* How to take good notes. Apparently, “actually take notes” is the first step. Good to know. [Survive Law]

* Congrats to occasional Legal Cheek blogger Amy Woolfson on her Harvard Law scholarship. Welcome to our side of the pond. [Legal Cheek]

* Dumb people can get ripped off on Craigslist. And not just when you take a “JD required” job as a catsitter. [Lowering the Bar]

* Understand the tax implications of your student loan forgiveness program. [Lawyerist]

* Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh likes hanging out with the Supreme Court. Harbaugh characterizes Justice Thomas as very enthusiastic. Seriously. This guy thinks someone else is enthusiastic. [Wall Street Journal Law Blog]

* Darren Wilson isn’t racist, everybody. I mean, he thinks black people have bad upbringings and prefers to eat out “Where it’s not a mixing pot,” but he really wants you to know he’s not racist. [Gawker]

* Whatever happened to the SCOTUS clerks of ten years ago? [Excess of Democracy]

* How terrifying is Heien v. North Carolina? Cops are now stopping people for air fresheners and using it as a pretext to search the car… and courts are approving it. [The Marshall Project]

* A Shearman & Sterling partner arrested in a DWI sweep. [The East Hampton Star]

* Do you use LinkedIn Pulse to grow your brand? You probably should. [Law and More]

* The true story of a prosecutor who went undercover and strapped on a wire for over 3 years to root out corruption in the judicial system. His new book is titled Operation Greylord (affiliate link). [My Fox Chicago]

* Health care discrimination against the mentally ill is illegal. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. [Vox]

* If you missed Lat’s events at the ABA meeting over the weekend, here’s a recap of one. [American Bar Association]

* Donald Trump’s lawyer responds to the flap over his spousal rape comments. Sort of. Not really. [Funny or Die]

* Does the Supreme Court need an ethics code? And yes, yes it does. [The Faculty Lounge]

* James Woods is suing a Twitter troll for claiming the actor is a “cocaine addict.” They probably just misspelled “hypersensitive blowhard.” [Gawker]

* In baseball, does the “tie go to the runner”? Are you sure? [PrawfsBlawg]

* Tom Brady provides that rare opportunity for sports fans to care about forum selection clauses. But the best part of this story is the comment: “Out of habit, the NRA filed an amicus brief on behalf of the NFL when they heard ‘Clinton’ & ‘Brady’ in the same sentence.” It’s refreshing when commenters are funny. [Deadspin]

* Keeping up with Supreme Court is hard. Even the Fifth Circuit struggles with it (though they’ve since seen the error of their ways). [Huffington Post]

* If you think academia can be a cushy job, you should see what retiring from academia looks like? [TaxProf Blog]

* Can you quit your job without another one lined up? Leigh Abramson has thoughts. [CNN Money]

* A comprehensive snapshot of the business record of the Roberts Court. [Constitutional Accountability Center]

Chase your passions, don't let convention stand in your way, and you might someday have a career like this inspiring lawyer.

A law clerk enlists a star athlete to break important news to her husband.

Reporters getting scoops = good. Doctors giving scoops = Bad.

* According to Justice Jeanette Theriot Knoll of the Louisiana Supreme Court, the SCOTUS decision in Obergefell was not only “horrific,” but it was also “a complete and unnecessary insult to the people of Louisiana.” Gee, tell us how you really feel. [Slate]

* The First Church of Cannabis filed a discrimination suit against Indiana and Indianapolis, claiming laws against marijuana use and possession are infringing upon its members’ beliefs. We’re sTOKEd to see the outcome here. [Indianapolis Star]

* In case you missed it yesterday, a federal judge upheld the TTAB’s prior ruling on the Washington Redskins’ name, and ordered that the team’s trademark registrations be canceled. The team is going for a Hail Mary at the Fourth Circuit. [Washington Post]

* Ex-associate Elina Chechelnitsky’s sexual harassment and gender bias lawsuit against McElroy Deutsch, filled with allegations of better bonuses for men and creepy flirtations, was settled out of court. You go, girl. [New Jersey Law Journal via ABA Journal]

* Crowell & Moring recently dropped a suit against a former client that had allegedly failed to pay almost one million dollars in legal fees. There’s no word on whether the conflict was ever resolved, but if it wasn’t, it’s nice to see the firm isn’t hurting for cash. [Legal Times]

* Government argues that lasers are “insidious instruments normally used for criminal purposes,” which is… not true outside of Bond movies. [Lowering the Bar]

* Local judge sues neighbors after “brutal donkey attack.” I guess you’d call this legal jackassery. [Seattle Times]

* Eagles coach Chip Kelly slapped with $80,000 in back rent. His landlord claims he moved out too quickly because apparently she has never seen Chip Kelly in action. [The Legal Intelligencer]

* Lost in Justice Kennedy’s comments on solitary confinement, Davis v. Ayala raised some important issues about jury selection. [Lawyers, Guns & Money]

* Interesting post on lynching and legal realism. [The Faculty Lounge]

* Saint Thomas More on blogging. [PrawfsBlawg]

* RMJ, the lawyer who revolutionized attorney advertising by taking In re RMJ all the way to the Supreme Court, has died. [Missouri Lawyers Weekly]

* The season finale of Veep offered a fun lesson in constitutional law. [PrawfsBlawg]

* When the Supreme Court hands down Obergefell, will it punt the case by acknowledging a new layer of scrutiny? [Slate]

* Kash Hill on Hulk Hogan’s suit against Gawker. Is a sex tape newsworthy if the guy’s bragging about his sex life on Howard Stern? [Fusion]

* Florida and Florida State football players routinely circumvent the criminal justice system. Which… everyone kind of knew already. [ESPN]

* Why “free IDs” are anything but. [Election Law Blog]

* Did it hurt? When you fell from heaven? [Legal Juice]

* Take this survey to put the time-worn law firm mantra of “collegial and collaborative” to the test. [Adam Smith, Esq.]

* Bruce MacEwen of the aforementioned Adam Smith, Esq. breaks down the Am Law 200. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDI7okOMlYs

This is tin-foil hat territory *before* you consider that Roger Goodell would dump a body in the East River if it would eke out an extra $50 for an NFL owner.

* A social media guide for lawyers. Time to get on Woo Woo! [Associates Mind]

* The growing ranks of Biglaw househusbands. [The Careerist / The American Lawyer]

* Swordsmith sued by hotel chain over allegedly fraudulent gift cards. Swordsmith is still a thing? [Slate]

* After a lawsuit highlighted the deplorable conditions facing the Buffalo Bills cheerleaders, the state legislature is stepping up with a cheerleader protection bill. On a completely unrelated note, I remind you that Isiah Thomas runs a professional sports team in the state of New York. [Politics on the Hudson]

* Before you clear your browser history, take note that you may be obstructing justice. [The Nation]

* A lawyer is suing Avvo to uncover the author of an anonymous negative review. [Tampa Bay Times]

* “We don’t need fewer lawyers. We need cheaper ones.” And that all starts with cheaper law schools. [Washington Post]

* If you want to build a professional brand, you probably should keep your trap shut. [Law and More]

* Yeah he told a client he’d waive his legal fees “in exchange for a sexual encounter with Client and her daughters” (emphasis added), but you know, he was “just teasing.” [Legal Profession Blog]

* Hipster lawyers. Seriously. That’s how they market themselves. Their office is even a repurposed factory. They’re in LA now, but you know they’re just dying to move to Portland. [LA Weekly]

* Are you following these Biglaw managing partners on Twitter? Because LOL totally RT worthy. [Bloomberg BNA / Big Law Business]

* Three Wisconsin Supreme Court justices skipped out on Marquette’s swearing in ceremony. One more development in the ongoing bats**t insane happenings on that court that previously included “[conservative Justice] Prosser put his hands on the neck of [liberal Justicee] Bradley in front of four of the other justices as they argued about a case.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

* I get called out for being clickbaity. But I’m really just indirectly teaching lawyers lessons in marketing they really should learn. [Law and More]

* What would an interview with Tom Brady about Deflategate look like? [Coverage Opinions]

* Bloomberg BNA introduced a new corporate law product that’s “set to dramatically change the workflow for transactional lawyers.” [Dewey B. Strategic]

* President Obama’s immigration executive action should have kicked in today. It didn’t because the Fifth Circuit are a bunch of layabouts. [Constitutional Accountability Center]

* The Irish same-sex marriage referendum hit a snag when someone realized the Irish language version would probably render heterosexual marriages unconstitutional. If you can’t write a neutral version of the law without encountering this problem… kind of proves a point, doesn’t it? [The Irish Times]

* R.I.P. Bob Foster, former dean of University of South Carolina School of Law . [The State]