Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Great advice!

* “He has always said he’s given to politicians his entire career and he thinks the system is broken. A review of Donald Trump’s political donations show that the Republican presidential candidate has made campaign contributions to several to state attorneys general while they weighed decisions affecting his business, particularly in New York. What’s that about a “rigged” system? [Wall Street Journal]

* Carl Ferrer, the chief executive officer of Backpage.com, was arrested last night on in Houston, Texas, on a California warrant for criminal charges including pimping. If you recall, Backpage.com was recently in the news thanks to a Senate investigation into allegations that the site was helping to facilitate child sex trafficking. [Reuters]

* Per a report publish by Altman Weil, law firm merger and acquisition activity was way down in the third quarter of 2016. Last year at this time, the merger market was 40 percent more active. Why are so dormant? “[F]irms are waiting on the sidelines seeing if it will all work: 6,000-lawyer law firms and that type of thing.” [Big Law Business]

* “Congratulations to the ‘Nino’ Scalia Law School for memorializing, for celebrating this most remarkable judge and teacher.” Justices Kagan, Kennedy, Thomas, Breyer, Alito, and Sotomayor — attended the dedication for the school named after Scalia, while Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Ginsburg attended a dinner in his honor. [USA Today]

* “If students are graduating and they can’t pass the bar, that’s a big problem.” Law schools are coming around to the fact that it’s now a buyer’s market for students, and some will even allow 0Ls to “vet” their schools to evaluate the teaching methods being used. You can even check out professors’ résumés. [U.S. News & World Report]

* Why has RBG been speaking up on political issues? And what does that mean for the future? [New Republic]

* Should you be using some of your new, higher salaries to invest in Manhattan property? [Law and More]

* A look at Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willet and his Twitter account. [Texas Lawyer]

* So you say you want to start your own law practice. Now what? [Reboot Your Law Practice]

* The bizarre trial of Ammon Bundy. [Huffington Post]

* Will Donald Trump inspire a nation of tax evaders? [Slate]

Is the Notorious RBG planning to give up her seat on the high court any time soon?

Justice Ginsburg regales the crowd.

What more can Biglaw firms do to please Justice Ginsburg -- and their associates?

In the eyes of her fans, she's still the queen.

Do you think she's right? Will Chief Judge Merrick Garland ever get a vote?

* “You’re going to make a federal case out of this – a dispute between two sorority sisters?” A fight between two sorority sisters recently landed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, but it turns out the suit was dropped quicker than a misbehaving pledge. We’ll have more on this later today. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

* “Generally, it is God who decides whether presidents get Supreme Court appointments.” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may be the oldest member of SCOTUS, but that doesn’t mean she’s preparing to step down, even if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency. She’s already hired clerks for the October 2017 term. [Washington Post]

* The Eastern District of Michigan has ruled that in cases of employment discrimination, religious rights trump transgender rights. The ACLU says this case has set a “dangerous precedent,” in that it has “exempted [a business that was “not a particularly religious operation”] from civil rights law with regard to transgender people.” [WSJ Law Blog]

* The ABA has closed a probe regarding allegations of religious discrimination (i.e., expulsion of students who left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and bans of sexual activity between students of the same sex) that were said to have occurred at BYU Law School. The school is said to have changed its honor code. [ABA Journal]

* Infamous Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has lucked out thanks to some actions taken by the Sixth Circuit. A new state law removed the names of clerks from marriage licenses, thus enabling the appeals court to refuse her claims, allowing a judge to toss a suit she was facing over her unwillingness to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. [WSAZ]

* You graduated from law school with a Biglaw offer in hand, and you’re as happy as can be. A few months later, you receive the worst news possible for a young lawyer. After all of your hard work, you failed the bar exam. What happens now? It really depends on the policies of the firm that you work for. We’ll have more on this later today. [Big Law Business]

* “[I]f there was a genre of women taking pictures of men’s crotches, and pornifying it, I think there’s be a law really quickly.” In many states, it’s still legal for unsavory characters to take photographs and videos up women’s skirts, but some are attempting to lawfully address the non-consensual pornography known as “upskirting.” [VICE]

* [I]t is unrealistic to think the background political views of justices (their political ideologies) have no impact on their opinions.” Like it or not, SCOTUS justices are “political animals,” and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s remarks about presidential nominee Donald Trump were likely a form of “high politics.” [Bloomberg BNA]

* The Justice Department wants to block mergers between Anthem and Cigna and Aetna and Humana, citing antitrust concerns. Each deal is worth billions, and they may still go forward despite this roadblock. While Cigna said its deal won’t close anytime soon, “if at all,” Aetna and Humana will challenge the DOJ. [DealBook / New York Times]

* The ABA Journal want to know if you liked law school, or if you wish you’d never set foot inside of a law school. Speaking for myself, I really enjoyed law school, but I sure don’t enjoy the insane amount of debt that I’m still drowning in, six years after graduation. What about you? Did you like law school? Please let us know. [ABA Journal]

Maybe this will make you laugh.

Possible Hillary slogan: "It's the Supreme Court, stupid!"

* Justice Ginsburg gets the job done, and in as few words as possible. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* Will robots do away with the billable hour? And, perhaps, your job? [Law360]

* Bill Cosby’s ex-lawyer, Marty Singer, is reportedly being profiled by Vanity Fair. [Jezebel]

* The Facebook Effect is changing how you do business. [Law and More]

* Ha, this poor law student — on the same flight as her tax prof the day after the final, as well as on the same return flight. [TaxProf Blog]

* Virginia scheme that harshly punishes the poor for being unable to pay fines is now the subject of litigation. [Slate]

* Ultimately, voters will decide how big a deal Hillary’s emails really are. [Huffington Post]

* If you still have your panties in a bunch over Justice Ginsburg’s comments about Donald Trump, maybe you aren’t paying enough attention to history. [Washington Post]

* Guess what? Your paralegals hate you. [The Lawyer]

* Ironman, err, Robert Downey Jr., is serving as an alternate on a jury. [Law and More]

* When in time are judicial opinions, as a matter of grammar? [LawProse]

* The RNC just ended #NeverTrump. [Slate]

* A look at Janelle Eveland Belling, the managing director of ediscovery services and strategy at Perkins Coie. [CodeX]

* “No one I know likes law school. It was a bad experience. I wouldn’t wish it on a dog I didn’t like.” Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s likely vice-presidential running mate, is an attorney whose law license is listed as “inactive in good standing,” and though he had a B average, he apparently hated law school — just like the vast majority of law students. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Faiza Saeed, who on January 1, 2017, will not only become Cravath Swaine & Moore’s first female presiding partner, but the first female to manage any Wall Street firm, will be joining a “sorority” of about 25 women who lead or serve as co-heads of some of the nation’s largest law firms. Congratulations on this historic appointment! [Law.com]

* Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have issued a “mea culpa” with regard to her remarks about presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, but legal scholars say her non-apology “does not unring the bell.” At the very least, she may be forced to recuse if Election 2016 turns into a Bush v. Gore situation. [WSJ Law Blog]

* The American Civil Liberties Union has pledged to file constitutional challenges to many of Donald Trump’s would-be political policies should be be elected president and try to enact them. Specifically, the ACLU finds Trump’s stances on immigration, American Muslims, torture, and freedom of speech to be problematic. [ABA Journal]

* The University of Houston Law Center and the Houston College of Law (formerly the South Texas College of Law) will face off in court today to resolve an emergency motion. The original Houston Law seeks to ban the new Houston Law from using its name or logo on merchandise, brochures, and promotional materials. [Houston Chronicle]

What on earth was he trying to say here?

* “[S]he didn’t earn the nickname ‘The Notorious RBG’ for nothing.” During a press briefing yesterday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that he was not surprised that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had decided to weigh in about presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his qualifications. [POLITICO]

* In a recent Twitter poll, Law.com asked whether Justice Ginsburg’s comments related to Trump were “out of bounds” for a Supreme Court justice. After thousands upon thousands of user votes poured in, the results were split, with 51 percent responding “no,” and 49 percent responding “yes.” What do you think? Email us. [Law.com]

* Cravath Swaine & Moore partners have elected a new presiding partner to succeed C. Allen Parker. Faiza Saeed is currently the co-head of Cravath’s mergers-and-acquisitions practice, and will soon serve as the first-ever female presiding partner of the firm. Congratulations! We’ll have more on this exciting news later today. [Am Law Daily]

* Like his balls, Tom Brady must be a little down since it looks the challenge to his four-game “Deflategate” suspension has officially been sacked. The Second Circuit has flat-out refused to rehear the case or rehear it en banc, and now the New England Patriots quarterback’s hopes rest on a Hail Mary to the Supreme Court. [Big Law Business]

* It’s well-known that music icon Prince died of an accidental drug overdose without a will, but according to a recent order from the judge presiding over the probate of his estate, a Minnesota law firm that previously represented the singer “might possess confidential information potentially relevant” to who his true heirs are. [USA Today]

* “Elle [Woods] embodies fighting for what is right, staying true to yourself, and defeating the odds.” It’s been fifteen years since the film first hit theaters, but Legally Blonde is still inspiring people to go to law school, despite the bleak employment scene that awaits graduates. Unfortunately, the bend-and-snap won’t win you a job. [People]

Uh-oh! Has the Notorious RBG landed herself in hot water?

She would have given the same answer if they had asked her to contemplate what America would look like if Bobo the Clown became president, or Hitler.

Who will be declared the winner in the war of words between Trump and Ginsburg?