Relativity

Ed. note: We will not be publishing on Monday, September 3, in observance of Labor Day.

* Law librarian Jean O’Grady rounds up the many books written by or about the late Senator John McCain — and extends her “condolences to his families and friends on the passing of a remarkable man.” [Dewey B Strategic]

* Getting Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court will become easier if Senator McCain’s successor is appointed before the confirmation vote — but as Adam Feldman explains, Judge Kavanaugh’s path to SCOTUS already looks quite clear. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* And here’s more good news for Judge Kavanaugh: the American Bar Association just unanimously rated him “Well Qualified” for the Supreme Court, as Ed Whelan reports. [Bench Memos / National Review]

* Would a Justice Kavanaugh come out in favor of the new Law Clerk Hiring Plan? As Will Baude notes, there does some to be an ideological aspect to this, with liberals more pro-Plan than conservatives. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

* Law prof Ann Althouse calls out the Washington Post for going after the Trump Administration regarding a policy that was in place under Presidents Obama and Bush as well. [Althouse]
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2018/08/wapo-is-so-full-of-anti-trump-headlines.html

* If you’ll be spending Labor Day at the beach, is it okay to take your top off? Here’s some guidance. [Seinfeld Law]

* Joel Cohen acknowledges that Michael Cohen (no relation) has some incentive to tell prosecutors what they want to hear, but cautions that “we shouldn’t take this all too far.” [Law & Crime]

* Shawn Gaines of Relativity outlines the ediscovery company’s ambitious plan to create a “legal tech app store.” [Artificial Lawyer]

* Jeff Sessions assures people that the Justice Department won’t be intimidated by the administration. Trump responds with intimidation effort, blasting Justice for not doing enough about the “other side” and then just lists a bunch of Republicans he doesn’t like. [CNN]

* The White House is crowing over an unsealed Starr investigation report that “fully exonerates” Brett Kavanaugh… as a media leak. The collective delusion over there that being a leak is the worst possible sin, and not, you know sexual harassment issues, continues to astound. [National Law Journal]

* The Trump administration continues its efforts to raise taxes on Americans who didn’t vote for him. [Law360]

* After Debevoise offered a comically cozy report to help Ohio State keep winning football games, it’s worth remembering the school still has another internal investigation going on into sexual abuse claims against the wrestling staff. [Corporate Counsel]

* The Texas lateral market is making a whole lot of money. [Texas Lawyer]

* K&L Gates gets the go ahead on Singapore merger. [International]

* Ady Barkan, an ALS patient who has become an activist for patients, announced a campaign to raise money for Susan Collins’s next opponent if she supports the Kavanaugh nomination. Over the course of 3 days, he’s raised over $130K. [Crowdpac]

* RelativityOne announces Allen & Overy to its list of clients. [PR Newswire]

* Which lawyers and law firms scored the most SCOTUS arguments this Term? Adam Feldman has the tally. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* And speaking of the Supreme Court, what can lawyers learn from linguists about Heller and the Second Amendment? [LAWnLinguistics]

* Adam Kolber discusses the phenomenon of “judicial bulls**t” — and wonders whether the justices would fail Philosophy 101. [Daily Journal via PrawfsBlawg]

* Are Justice Neil Gorsuch’s long-winded concurrences contributing to the Supreme Court slowdown this Term? Andrew Hamm crunches some numbers. [SCOTUSblog]

* Many of the major precedents in the school free-speech context feature liberal students — but conservative kids can play this game too. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

* Lex Machina’s latest foray into litigation analytics covers the world of trade secrets. [Dewey B Strategic]

* Relativity: not just for ediscovery anymore. [Artificial Lawyer]

* Congratulations to Erwin Chemerinsky, the next dean of Berkeley Law! [How Appealing]

* Speaking of deans, this Yale dean — note, not a dean at the law school — “loves diversity, except for ‘white trash.’” [Instapundit]

* The latest entrant into the FBI director sweepstakes: former senator Joe Lieberman, now senior counsel at one of Donald Trump’s “go-to” law firms, Kasowitz Benson. [Newsweek]

* “Americans like piece of paper? I have piece of paper!” [Althouse]

* In case you were wondering, “Did Rosie O’Donnell ever study constitutional law?” [NewsBusters]

* Legal nerds, let’s get ready to rumble! Professor Gerard Magliocca asks: “Is Justice Story overrated?” [Concurring Opinions]

* Shearman & Sterling partner (and podcaster) Richard Hsu is joining the Major leagues — legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, that is. [LinkedIn]

* Randy Maniloff interviews celebrated lawyer/author Scott Turow, whose new book, Testimony (affiliate link), just came out. [Coverage Opinions]

* An argument in favor of protecting your cellphone with your thumbprint and a password. [Katz Justice]

* “If you had to choose a law partner from the characters in Better Call Saul, who would you choose?” [Guile is Good]

* If you’re a law student interested in ediscovery, check out this contest, sponsored by kCura. [kCura via PR Newswire]