GOP

Kettle used Mirror Force!

* Johnny Depp’s lawyer has been reportedly thrown off a defamation case for revealing information covered by a protective order. Maybe the information was “pirated” or the judge should make the attorney “walk the plank”… [Courthouse News Service]

* A lawyer for the Lincoln Project told Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to “peddle their scare tactics elsewhere” after the couple threatened to sue the anti-Trump group over billboards in New York City. [Wrap]

* An Ohio lawyer has been arrested on human trafficking, racketeering, and related charges. [Cincinnati Enquirer]

* The Trump Campaign and the Nevada GOP have filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking election officials from counting early votes. [Business Insider]

* A photographer has filed a lawsuit after being hit with the horns of a steer after the 2019 Sugar Bowl. Sounds like a law school hypothetical… [AOL]

Where the GOP once turned against Nixon for comparatively minor crimes, it now mostly cheers Trump or looks the other way as he leads the party and the country down the path of autocracy.

The GOP really wants another Supreme Court seat to fill this year.

* A former lawyer for Apple, who was responsible for enforcing Apple’s insider trading policy, is ironically making far-fetched arguments to dismiss his own insider trading indictment. [Bloomberg Law]

* Nursing homes are seeking immunity from lawsuits relating to the care they provide during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [NBC News]

* Mother Teresa’s lawyer has asked a GOP politician to stop using her image in campaign media. Hope that attorney is working pro bono… [Newsweek]

* A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed claiming that a man died of salmonella after eating a tainted chicken enchilada. [Insurance Journal]

* A new class action alleges that some Costco, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s stores hiked up egg prices amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Sounds like they have “eggcellent” grounds for relief (this is my second egg pun in the past several days). [Business Insider]

* A top NRA lawyer was successfully able to have a sanctions order overturned on appeal. Bet he’s happy he stuck to his guns… [Washington Post]

* A GOP lawyer brought files to an impeachment hearing yesterday in grocery bags. Pretty sure the bags weren’t from Whole Foods… [New York Post]

* A lawyer is saying that booze led him to swindle elderly clients out of millions. Sounds like this attorney is taking his defense from Jamie Foxx. [Albany Times Union]

* The Supreme Court has declined to review a Kentucky law that requires doctors to play the sound of a fetal heartbeat to individuals seeking abortions. [Slate]

* Attorney General Barr has rescheduled a Justice Department holiday party that was to occur at the Trump International Hotel. I guess my invitation got lost in the mail… [Washington Post]

* An appellate court seemed skeptical Monday about an Emoluments Clause lawsuit filed against President Trump. [NPR]

* A mistrial has been declared in a murder case after the defense lawyer was struck by a car. Hopefully, this does not give criminal defendants any ideas. [Boston Globe]

* Ed Meese in defense of Trump SCOTUS shortlister William Pryor. [The Daily Signal] * What the Chief Justice's writings tell us about the constitutionality of the global gag rule. [Slate] * What does the cert success rate look like this Term? [Empirical SCOTUS] * The potential legal actions over Trump's copycat cake. [Dorf on Law] * Could you do semi-retirement? [Law and More] * Are the GOP getting spooked over Obamacare repeal? [Washington Post]

Ed. Note: We will not be publishing on Monday, January 16th in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Hope everyone enjoys their long weekend.

* A primer for how the Democrats can play hardball with Trump’s SCOTUS pick. [Slate]

* You too can learn to say NO! And here are some tips to do it. [Andie and Al]

* A working phone number can have a tremendous impact on your law practice. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

* The Trump conflicts are piling up. [American Constitution Society]

* Why federal inmates deserve a second chance. [The Hill]

* Does when you file a cert petition impact whether it’s granted? [Empirical SCOTUS]

* Is the GOP writing a check its ass can’t cash? (In regard to the Supreme Court.) [Talking Points Memo]

* What time will a new president be determined? Everything you think you know about election predictions is about to change. [Politico]

* The 75-mile problem with Donald Trump’s wall. [Huffington Post]

* A deep dive into the D.C. bar exam stats. [Bar Exam Stats]

* A look at the Supreme Court’s grant, vacate, remand (“GVR”) dispositions this Term. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* The best of Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell’s recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act speech. [FCPA Professor]

Chris Christie doing Fireball shots is not to be missed.

Ed. note: In observance of the Fourth of July, Above the Law will not be publishing on Monday. Have a great weekend!

* The little known religious history behind America’s seal. Separation of church and state be damned. [Wall Street Journal]

* Fireworks are super pretty to look at, but dangerous. So be careful out there. [Southeast Missourian]

* 5 prosecutors are responsible for 440 death sentences. That is incredibly disturbing. [The Guardian]

* U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves blocked a Mississippi law that would allow those with religious objections to deny wedding services to gay couples. Good to see the concept of precedent in action. [Reuters]

* Republican delegates can do… pretty much whatever they want to. It is a political issue, not a legal one. [Huffington Post]

* It is shockingly easy for the government to spy on journalists. [The Intercept]

* Lawyer that sued Led Zeppelin is suspended. [MSN]

* Donald Trump is definitely coming to Pennsylvania Avenue (he’s building a hotel there). [Denver Channel]

* 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]

JEB!’s dead , baby… JEB!s dead.

* You don’t hear this much, but The Daily News nails it with a biting criticism of the GOP presidential candidates’ response to the tragic San Bernardino shooting: “Prayers aren’t working.” [The Daily News]

* Looks like Dickstein Shapiro is looking to get hitched before the end of the year — they are reportedly talking to multiple potential merger partners. [Law.com]

* Cozen O’Connor partner Wayne Rohde is accused of lying about his attorney disciplinary record. [National Law Journal]

* Rahm Emmanuel is resisting calls for his resignation amid the scandal surrounding the shooting death by Chicago cops of Laquan McDonald. [CNN]

* Browne George Ross LLP was hit with a $6 million malpractice suit. [Law360]

* Law firms are getting in the holiday spirit, over 100 firms are working together on a clothing drive for the homeless. [Legal Times]

* Chattels, bailment, and your car: What everyone needs to know. [Adequate Man]

* What would the tax code look like if Donald Trump were president? A lot like Donald Trump actually. [Dealbreaker]

* If it looks like a duck bribe, swims like a duck bribe, and quacks like a duck bribe, then it probably is protected speech??? [Slate]

* We know bar exam results are getting worse, but does that impact Biglaw? [Bloomberg BNA]

* What is really behind Edward Snowden’s new Twitter account? [Law and More]

* Fordham Law professor does a deep dive into the psyche of a Republican voter. Scary. [Huffington Post]

* In which reason and passion are equal partners in the law. [Guile is Good]

* Consumers seeking litigation financing are smarter than you think. [Mighty]

* That Anheuser-Busch/SABMiller deal is going to make a lot of people a lot of money in fees. [Dealbreaker]

* Thank you, John Oliver! Publicity from Last Week Tonight helped the Orleans Parish Public Defenders Office meet their fundraising goals. Though why a public defenders officer has to resort to crowdfunding in the first instance just boggles the mind. [New Orleans Advocate (last story)]

* More states release the bar passage rate for the July exam — which means more bad news. [Bar Exam Stats]

* The battle over whether Kim Dotcom should be extradited to the United States to face racketeering and copyright infringement charges begins, with legal heavyweights taking sides. [Computer World]

* GOP candidates are throwing Justice Roberts under the bus faster than a contestant on Big Brother. [Jost on Justice]

* This is how to handle typos Biglaw style. [Daily Lawyer Tips]

* If you’re in the Boston area, check out Lat’s latest event for his book Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link) on Thursday. [Supreme Ambitions]

* Another GOP debate is over (did you get drunk?), and you know what was conspicuously absent? Talk about Wall Street. [Dealbreaker]

* Is it even possible to balance motherhood and a career in the law? Anyway you slice it, seems like a raw deal to me. [The Atlantic]

* There isn’t much quality bestiality coverage anymore. Good thing there is this case of a farmer and his pig from 1642 we can talk about to fill that gap. [Slate]

* Can you believe “The Roberts Court” has been a thing for 10 years? Here’s a retrospective. [Constitutional Accountability Center]

* The dislike button is coming to Facebook… and might put lawyers out of business. [Law and More]

* Elie went to a fashion show, and it was everything. [Fashionista]

* Carey Gabay, a lawyer in the Cuomo administration, passed away yesterday from a gun shot wound suffered before the West Indian American Day Parade last week. [New York Times]

* The GOP field is getting a heads up on what to expect at their next debate, but the real question is: how will this change JoePa’s drinking game… [Politico]

* Let Judge Matthew Sciarrino take you through the minutiae of how exactly Batman would testify in court. [Legal Geeks]

* Good news: Missouri failed at gerrymandering. Better news: it’s gotten the Taiwanese animation treatment. [Lowering the Bar]

* Men’s rights activists are using the legal system to derail women’s networking events. [Yahoo]

* Navigating employment contracts outside of the U.S. [JD Supra]

* In the beginning of a startup, everyone is friends…. but it doesn’t always end that way. [Concurring Opinions]

* Former governor Jan Brewer threatens a lawsuit over the use of her picture. [Jezebel]

Even GOP candidates at the "kids' table" debate came out swinging.

* Patton Boggs partner Benjamin Ginsberg serves as the Mitt Romney campaign’s top lawyer, and he’s taking flak for GOP rules revisions that have been likened to “killing a fly with a sledgehammer.” [Am Law Daily]

* “I am still shocked that I did everything right and find myself on the brink of destitution,.” This just in from the Things Everyone Already Knew Desk: even law firms have been hit hard by the recession. [Washington Times]

* The lead lawyer in the inquisition against Madam Justice Lori Douglas turned in a resignation letter. Perhaps he grew tired of being part of judicial farce that’s spread wider than Her Honor’s legs. [Canadian Press]

* Penn State Dickinson School of Law might not be losing its accreditation, but it will be reducing enrollment and consolidating all first-year classes at its University Park campus. [Central Penn Business Journal]

* A would-be law student wants to know if he has a good chance of getting into a top 20 school with a low 150s LSAT and an average GPA. You’ll get in everywhere you apply! [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

* Roger Fisher, Harvard Law School professor and co-author of “Getting to Yes,” RIP. [WSJ Law Blog]