Law School Professors

Law school faculties do not appear to be embracing the liberal message of wokeness.

* Remember Chris Sevier, the man who, in an effort to protest same-sex marriage, filed suit against Florida, Texas, and now Utah because he alleged he was denied the right to marry his computer? A federal judge has refused to dismiss his case because some of his wild claims ought to be heard in court — and not just for the judge’s entertainment. Surprisingly, this wasn’t an April Fools’ joke. [FOX 13 News]

* “It is plausible that Trump’s direction to ‘get ’em out of here’ advocated the use of force. It was an order, an instruction, a command.’ President Trump once again has his bold language to blame for his lawyers’ inability to get a lawsuit dismissed. Because free speech isn’t a viable defense, a federal judge has refused to toss out allegations that Trump incited violence against protesters at one of his campaign rallies. [NBC News]

* “[W]e do not intend to give any professional organizations special access to our nominees.” Breaking with tradition, the Trump administration has decided to forgo the American Bar Association’s pre-nomination assistance when it comes to evaluating and rubber-stamping candidates for the federal judiciary. We’ll have more on this later. [New York Times]

* Facebook is requiring that women and ethnic minorities account for at least 33 percent of law firm teams working on its matters. In addition, those firms must “actively identify and create clear and measurable leadership opportunities for women and minorities” who represent the social networking giant. Love. ❤ [DealBook / New York Times]

* The ABA may eliminate a requirement that full-time faculty teach at least half of all upper-level courses offered at their law schools. Hmm, if law professors worked half as much, then perhaps their salaries would decrease along with their work load and there would be less of an excuse to keep student tuition so absurdly high. [Inside Higher Ed]

* Does anyone have any idea what Merrick Garland should be doing right now? If so, give him a buzz — he needs your help. [The Onion]

* Interview with a restaurant lawyer. See, you can specialize in anything. [First We Feast]

* If law professors act like divas, should they get tenure? Does it matter how much the publish? [Tax Prof Blog]

* Advice for those interested in becoming a legal writing specialist. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

* Surprised by the Supreme Court punting on Zubik? You shouldn’t be, it was entirely predictable. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* Thanks to Arizona Law, undergrads who haven’t decided what to do can keep their options open with the GRE. [NPR]

* This is why legislators have to be careful about what they vote for — otherwise unscrupulous politicians will change the name of a bill to make it look like it provides support for a potential pandemic, when it does nothing about it. [The Slot]

There must be a reason why law schools aren't hiring labor and employment law professors, but what is it?

* Canadian comes to America, goes into $100,000 worth of law school debt, and has no job. Mwahahaha, Canada, let’s see your superior health care system find a cure for that! [Globe and Mail] * Wait, you’re not supposed to take your baby along when you go to see a prostitute? Okay. Got it. See, that’s the kind of tip that isn’t in any of the Dr. Spock books. [Wave3] * Ben Bernanke can time travel… [Dealbreaker] * … While John Mara, owner of the WORLD CHAMPION New York Giants, simply revises history. [Forbes] * Alan Dershowitz received a “D” on his first legal writing assignment. Apparently, his Yale Law School professor, the great Guido Calebresi, told him, “You write like you’re having a conversation with your friends in Brooklyn,” and then helped him work on his technique. Little did Calebresi or Dershowitz know that writing like you’re having a conversation with friends could lead to a successful life as a legal blogger. Boy, did they miss out! [Yale Alumni Magazine] * Kenny Heitz, an Irell & Manella partner and former UCLA basketball champion, passed away. [Daily News] Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe foresaw the Obamacare Tax Holding, and we’ve got video evidence to prove it…. How Appealing pointed us to the link below. This will make Tribe’s Con Law class even harder to get into this fall. Remember HLSers, competing classmates can’t register if both their hands are broken:

We know that tuition keeps going up at American law schools. And, for the most part, we know where the money goes. Law schools use tuition money and alumni donations to fund capital projects and law professor salaries. And, at some schools, the law school kicks back some money to the larger university. Law schools […]

As David Lat said earlier this week, “Here at Above the Law, we’re trying to help you.” Honestly, think of Above the Law as the MPRE, but for situations people in the legal community are actually likely to face. Don’t conduct sensitive firm business on a crowded train. Don’t offer hand-jobs in school-wide emails. And […]