Obstruction of justice

* 5th Circuit literally okays cops kicking a man when he’s down and Sotomayor isn’t having it. [Law & Crime]

* For the international law folks: Biden wants to boycott the 2022 Olympics because of the whole genocide thing. [USA Today]

* The Justice Department is suing Texas, claiming its redistricting is discriminatory toward Latinos. Could you do something nice for once, Texas? Like, pretty please with extra oil on top? [WaPo]

* Trump basically just admitted to obstruction of justice. I’m sure his lawyers are happy about this. [The Hill]

* “I’ll make my own fake news! With Freedom!” says Trump, with a congressman resigning to join the mission. [CNBC]

* Hope Hicks, Donald Trump‘s former communications director, will testify today before the House Judiciary Committee, which is leading an investigation into the president’s possible obstruction of justice. The closed-door hearing could last all day. Let’s see how this one goes… [Reuters]

* Thanks to some intervention by the DOJ, it looks like Paul Manafort won’t be going to Rikers after all. He’ll remain in federal custody during his state proceedings. [ABC News]

* In the wake of the Kozinski sexual harassment scandal, the Ninth Circuit has hired a workplace relations director and adopted some meaningful changes to its dispute resolution policy and its confidentiality policy. Plus, communications skills training will be mandatory all employees, including judges. [Big Law Business]

* In case you missed it, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg won the Best Real-Life Hero at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. She was also nominated in the Best Fight category for her fight against inequality, but lost to Captain Marvel’s fight against Minn-Erva. [The Hill]

* A student from Florida A&M Law has filed suit against the school, claiming that FAMU didn’t respond appropriately after an admissions counselor allegedly sexually assaulted and harassed her. We’ll have more on this later. [Daily Business Review]

* “President Trump views the Roberts Court as his potential, perhaps literal, ‘get out of jail free’ card.” While Trump thinks he’s got allies on the high court, Chief Justice Roberts has attempted to put the president in his place numerous times — to no apparent avail. [Washington Post]

* AG Bill Barr says he may not show up at this week’s Mueller report hearing before the House Judiciary Committee unless Chairman Jerry Nadler changes the proposed questioning format. Au contraire, says Nadler: “The witness is not going to tell the committee how to conduct its hearing, period.” [CNN]

* Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who was fired after refusing to defend the Muslim travel ban, says that the Trump would “likely be indicted on obstruction” if he weren’t president. [The Hill]

* In case you missed it, Anna Delvey-Sorokin, the “socialite” who skipped out on more than $250K in fees due to three Biglaw firms, was recently convicted on grand larceny charges. [American Lawyer]

* A former Baker & McKenzie paralegal who alleged she was sexually harassed, sued the firm for $200 million, and later withdrew her suit is now on the hook for $35,445 in attorneys’ fees after disobeying court orders to substantiate her claims. [Big Law Business]

What could be lurking within the Mueller report that 'does not exonerate' the president?

* Was Michael Cohen involved in any talk about potential pardons? Lawmakers are now very interested in exploring this topic to find out if anyone was allegedly obstructing justice. [Washington Post]

* As we’ve been hearing for a while now, special counsel Robert Mueller will submit his final report soon, and it’s going to turn into a political firestorm. [Bloomberg]

* Meanwhile, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, says it’s “very clear” that President Trump obstructed justice in Mueller’s probe, and he’s sending out document requests for his own investigation. [Chicago Tribune]

* Thomas Reid is out as the managing partner of Davis Polk after accepting the role of general counsel at Comcast. Congratulations and best of luck! [Corporate Counsel]

* No one could have possibly seen this one coming: After his stint as White House counsel, Don McGahn will be returning to Jones Day. [National Law Journal]

* Michael Cohen was disbarred just days ago, but it’s possible he could practice law again the future. It won’t be easy, of course, but it could happen. [Big Law Business]

* Yay, more law schools… Concordia Law and Lincoln Memorial Law were granted full accreditation by the American Bar Association this weekend. [KTVB 7; WATE 6]

* According to President Trump’s lawyers in a confidential memo sent to special counsel Robert Mueller, the President can’t obstruct justice because the Constitution allows him to “if he wished, terminate the inquiry, or even exercise his power to pardon.” Tell that to Bill Clinton. [New York Times]

* President Trump was complaining via tweet about the costs of the special counsel’s “Russian Hoax Investigation” this weekend, but as it turns out, the costs of the President’s trips to Mar-a-Lago dwarf the costs of Mueller’s legal bills, so there’s that. [The Hill]

* Speaking of the Russia investigation, despite numerous past denials, Trump’s lawyers also admitted in that confidential memo that the President “dictated” his Donald Trump Jr.’s statement on his 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians where he reportedly hoped to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. [Slate]

* Rudy Giuliani says that he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for President Trump to testify before Mueller because “our recollection keeps changing.” That’s an eloquent way of saying that they’re having trouble keeping their fibs in line. [CNN]

* The latest U.S. jobs report was just peachy, but the story for lawyers was a little less rosy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal profession lost about 200 jobs last month, and about 1,000 jobs since last May. [American Lawyer]

The evidence of Trump's obstruction is like gravity; you know it's there because stuff keeps falling out of the damn sky.

* Sitting en banc, the Seventh Circuit reinstated the conviction of Making a Murderer’s Brendan Dassey in a split decision. If you recall, Dassey’s conviction was overturned by a federal magistrate in June 2016, and that ruling was later affirmed by a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit this June. [ABA Journal]

* Dean Blake Morant says GW Law enrolled a smaller incoming class this fall in order to stop its downward slide in the U.S. News rankings. Because of the smaller class, some programs are being cut and there’s a freeze on staff hiring. Yikes. [GW Hatchet]

* What is special counsel Robert Mueller’s legal endgame in this Russia probe? Some think that this could turn into an obstruction of justice case, while others think this could turn into a conspiracy case. What’ll it be? This investigation has no end in sight, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out. [NPR]

* Kevin McIntyre, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s new chairman, has given us a little $1.8 million peek into the Jones Day black box in his financial disclosure. [National Law Journal]

* The legal profession had something to be thankful for this November: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal sector grew by 600 jobs. [American Lawyer]

Is Rachel Brand going to be William Ruckelshaus, or Robert Bork?

The left has been proffering a series of baseless accusations against the Trump White House since day one.

We have recent precedent on what Republicans think 'obstruction of justice' means.

It's apparently really important to protect AUSAs from having to do the same basic work that the rest of the legal community does routinely.

The Ninth Circuit did not have much sympathy for federal prosecutors.

* As “one of the most respected appellate judges of her generation,” Patricia Wald, the first woman appointed to the D.C. Circuit, was awarded the Medal of Freedom. Congrats! [Blog of Legal Times]

* Biglaw firms saw “anemic” growth in the first half of 2013, and according to the latest Wells Fargo survey, some “minor cuts” are expected in headcount. Well, that’s just great. [Am Law Daily]

* “It is a period of significant change for the firm. That requires some hard decisions.” Patton Boggs has already conducted layoffs, so what could possibly be next for the firm? [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]

* Sorry guys, but it looks like Reema Bajaj’s bajayjay will be out of session for the foreseeable future. The attorney accused of exchanging sex for office supplies has agreed to a three-year suspension of her law license. [Chicago Tribune]

* Rather than be bought out by InfiLaw (it could “diminish the value of their degrees”), Charleston School of Law alumni are trying to organize a merger with a public school. Good luck with that. [Greenville News]

* Nebraska will offer a doctorate in space law, which makes sense because… f**kin’ magnets, how do they work? But really, we’re willing to bet it’s because of all of the crop circles in the state. [Miami Herald]

* No joke necessary: This law school claims its rights are being infringed upon because it has to disclose how many of its graduates — 7 percent at last count — have passed the bar. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]

* Two of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s friends were indicted on obstruction of justice charges. If convicted, the pair will face up to 20 years in prison, and they don’t even have a Facebook fan page to show for it. [Bloomberg]

There are a couple legal reasons for keeping Steubenville's football coach. They're bad reasons.

* “I don’t think I should have to pay anything back, because I wasn’t part of the management that drove the firm into the ground.” Dewey know when it’s time to stop complaining, pay up, shut up, and move on? [DealBook / New York Times]

* Good news, everyone! According to the Citi Midyear Report, based on the first half of 2012, Biglaw firms may have trouble matching last year’s single-digit profit growth. You thought the worst was over? How embarrassing for you. [Am Law Daily]

* Apparently Andrew Shirvell didn’t do a very good job questioning himself on the stand, because the former Michigan AAG now has to shell out $4.5M in damages for defaming Chris Armstrong. [Detroit Free Press]

* Six of one, half a dozen of the other: Barry Bonds’s lawyers filed a reply brief in their appeal of his obstruction conviction, arguing that his statements were truthful but nonresponsive, as opposed to being misleading. [AP]

* “We’re crazy about sex in the United States. I call it ‘sexophrenia.’” The Millionaire Madam’s attorney had a nutty yesterday after a judge refused to dismiss a prostitution charge against his client. [New York Daily News]

* The opposite of a fluffer? Los Angeles officials seeking to enforce the city’s new adult film condom law are beginning a search for medical professionals to inspect porn shoots for compliance. [Los Angeles Times]

* Arizona’s immigration law is heading to the Supreme Court today. Meanwhile, former Senator Dennis DeConcini lobbed the worst insult ever against his state. How embarrassing for you, Arizona. [New York Times]

* Will Wal-Mart regret not disclosing its bribery investigation sooner? Not when the delay saved millions in criminal fines. What Wal-Mart will regret is being forced into disclosure by the NYT narcs. [Corporate Counsel]

* Delete all the oil from ocean, and then maybe we’ll care about this. A former BP employee was charged with obstruction of justice for deleting texts having to do with the Deepwater Horizon disaster. [Bloomberg]

* The Tennessee Board of Law Examiners has granted Duncan Law an extension on its bid for ABA accreditation. Woohoo, five more years of allowing students to “negligently enroll.” [Knoxville News Sentinel]

* “Once you cross the six-figure mark, you think, what’s a few thousand dollars more?” You’re doing it wrong: you’re supposed to be bragging about a six-figure salary, not a six-figure debt obligation. [Baltimore Sun]

* New Jersey residents don’t always have the great pleasure of nearly being killed by two high-speed Lamborghinis, but when they do, they prefer that police officers be suspended and sue over it. [ABC News]

After four days of deliberating over whether or not former baseball great Barry Bonds lied about his use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, the jury could not reach agreement on a number of charges the government made against Bonds. But the feds nailed him on the obstruction of justice count. From ESPN: The guilty […]