ISIS

The things the algorithm puts in your recommended videos can be baffling.

Firm's representation of Ericsson during period of misconduct raises questions.

* Is SCOTUS walking back its landmark commitment to equal rights for the LGBTQ community? Considering what could happen in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case and the high court’s refusal to grant cert in Pidgeon, it seems like it. It’s not as if this hasn’t happened before. ::coughBrownvBoardcough:: [New Republic]

* A federal judge ruled that an American ISIS suspect who’s been detained as a “enemy combatant” in Iraq for the last three months is, in fact, entitled to a lawyer, and called the Trump administration’s quest to deny counsel in this case “both remarkable and troubling.” [New York Times]

* Everything really is bigger in Texas: According to the ABA, there are just 0.8 percent more first-year law students this year than last year, but entering classes at law schools in the Lone Star State were 4 percent larger than they were last year. Hopefully all these students will be able to lasso themselves jobs. [Texas Lawyer]

* Lawsuits have been rolling out ever since Apple admitted that it was slowing down iPhones with older batteries, and one of them was filed by two students who currently attend USC Law and hope to get the suit certified as a class-action. This is an absolutely awesome use of winter break. [RT]

* Which states are likely to legalize marijuana in the new year? Vermont, New Jersey, and Michigan may soon end their prohibitions on cannabis, either through legislative means or by puff-puff-passing a voter referendum. [Forbes]

* If you’re a journalist with three years of experience and cover the legal profession in your reporting, consider applying to be a fellow at Loyola Law School’s annual Journalist Law School. There is no cost to attend. The application deadline is February 9, 2018. [Journalist Law School]

* Judge Thomas Griesa, the Southern District of New York jurist who oversaw the Argentine debt battle in federal court, RIP. [New York Law Journal]

* Human rights attorney Amal Clooney is handling a dangerous new legal matter. She intends to put ISIS commanders on trial for their war crimes, and she sat down with Cynthia McFadden of NBC News to discuss her campaign. The full interview is set to air later on the Today Show. [NBC News] * Per […]

There were 230 problems with this suit.

* What, exactly, did it take for Donald Trump to evade avoid the draft? [PrawfsBlawg]

* The Supreme Court just temporarily blocked a court order allowing a transgender teen to use the bathroom according to their identity. [CNN]

* Just in time for your $180K scale… Eric Schneiderman loses a talking point, and New Yorkers can all go back to making a killing at DraftKings. [Associated Press]

* FBI arrests DC law enforcement officer for helping ISIS. If he was as good a terrorist as DC is at policing, then maybe we should have left him out there. [ABC News]

* The battle over tougher bar passage standards rages on. [WSJ Law Blog]

* And the Tim Kaine love letter about law school. [ABA Journal]

* A good website really is key to a thriving, modern law practice. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

* The ten-year anniversary of the tragic murder of Robert Wone. [Who Killed Robert Wone?]

Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.

* If you’re searching for a city where women lawyers elbow out men when it comes to leadership positions, then Chicago may be the place for you. Eight women serve as office managing partners there, more than any other city. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

* Conservative advocacy group Citizens United is back in the news, but this time it’s in search of correspondence between Chelsea Clinton and State Department officials during her mother Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Sometimes all it takes is a Tweet: After being referred to as a “slave” by a law firm partner, this African-American woman took to Twitter to vent about needing to start her own law firm, and she ended up meeting her new law firm partners as a result. [ELLE]

* A widow of an American who was killed during a terror attack in Jordan is suing Twitter because she claims the social networking site has given ISIS “unfettered” means to spread its hateful messages in violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Retweet? [Reuters]

* “18 year olds have nearly every burden and privilege of adults… except the right to drink alcohol.” That’s why three states — New Hampshire, California, and Minnesota — may soon lower their legal drinking ages, through legislation or ballot initiatives. [MTV]

* Are lawyers for Officer William Porter, on trial for charges in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, using a “color blind” term that is actually a dog whistle for racist tendencies to get their client off? [Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle]

* Yesterday’s SCOTUS decisions in haiku! [Supreme Court Haiku Blog]

* Hey, you guys, Jeb! is apparently seething with anger towards Trump. Maybe this will spice up tonight’s debate. [Politico]

* Greeeaaaat, it might get even harder to sue airlines. [American Bar Litigation News]

* Can a single photo ruin your life (assuming it isn’t a nudie)? The answer is yes if ISIS is involved. [Houston Chronicle]

* Unless you’re a gigolo, you don’t get paid for passion. Something worth remembering if you’re considering a post-legal career. [Daily Lawyer Tips]

His firm describes the 26-year-old victim as "a talented lawyer, extremely well liked, and a wonderful personality in the office."

Confined terrorist suspect was just trying to get some fly women out of their religious coverings...

* Some marriage equality enthusiasts applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to stay out of the way and let the circuits do their thing. But the history of miscegenation in America suggests the Supreme Court had a moral obligation to interject. [USA Today] * On this subject, Professor Dorf presents a fascinating hypothetical: is it in the strategic interest of an anti-gay marriage conservative lower court judge to strike down same-sex marriage bans in light of the Supreme Court’s cert denials? [Dorf on Law] * One more story while we’re at it, after the Ninth Circuit struck down bans on same-sex marriages, District Judge Robert C. Jones of Nevada, who upheld the ban in the first place, recused himself rather that be forced to issue an opinion in accordance with Ninth Circuit precedent. [BuzzFeed] * If you’ve ever wondered how Islamic State manages to recruit Western youth to the cause, the answer is a “Disney-like” social media campaign. It’s like a Biglaw summer program, but for murder. [Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy] * “Better Hold Off Sexting With High School Students” in Indiana. The Indiana Supreme Court finally weighed in last week after the lower court had okayed a teacher texting a 16-year-old to sneak out of the house for sex. Wait, this required the Supreme Court to weigh in? What is wrong with you Indiana? [Valpo Law Blog] * Looking professional with a pixie cut. [Corporette] * Enter for a chance to win a Chief Judge Randall Rader bobblehead! Yes, these exist. [Santa Clara Law] * The Zephyr Teachout book tour for Corruption in America (affiliate link) begins. Is your town on the list? [Teachout-Wu] * New Orleans taxpayers spent around $75K traveling judges to conferences and resorts last year. Quoth the tipster: “I could make a joke about New Orleans judges going to the third world to learn how to run their courtrooms, but I think I already did.” [The Times-Picayune]

* The United States is launching air strikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, but some have been compelled to wonder whether it’s legal under international law. Of course it’s legal, under the Rule of ‘MERICA, F*CK YEAH! [BBC]

* Dewey know whether this failed firm’s former COO can get out of paying $9.3M to its bankruptcy trustee? Dewey know whether we’ll ever be able to stop using this pun? Sadly, the answer to both questions is no. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Marc Dreier of the defunct Dreier LLP has been ordered to testify in person in his firm’s bankruptcy case in Manhattan, but he’d rather stay in the comforts of his prison home in Minnesota. Aww. [Bloomberg]

* Dinesh D’Souza won’t have to do hard prison time for his campaign-finance violations. Instead, he’ll be spending eight months in a “community confinement center,” which sounds just peachy. [New York Times]

* Northwestern Law is launching a campaign to fundraise $150M to be spent on an endless supply of Chick-fil-A sandwiches financial aid for students and curriculum improvements. [National Law Journal]

To argue that the CIA's prolific use of torture and waterboarding has had no impact on how groups treat captured Americans seems like a stretch.