Seth Williams

* Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams pleads guilty to accepting a bribe, ending his ongoing federal corruption trial and his tenure as DA — and sending him straight to jail, since Judge Paul Diamond denied bail. [ABA Journal]

* The Trump administration moves forward on implementing the travel ban (and has reversed its earlier determination that being engaged to marry an American doesn’t count as “a bona fide” connection to this country). [New York Times]

* Colorado baker Jack Phillips, petitioner in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case that the Supreme Court will hear next Term, explains his refusal to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. [How Appealing]

* DLA Piper, hit by a major ransomware attack earlier this week, endures its third consecutive day without email. [Law360]

* And DLA isn’t the only Biglaw firm with big weaknesses in cybersecurity, as Ian Lopez reports. [Law.com]

* Lawyer turned television host Greta Van Susteren has been let go by MSNBC (after just six months). [Vanity Fair]

* The tragic case of Charlie Gard comes to an end: the European Court of Human Rights declines to review prior court rulings refusing to let the terminally ill 10-month-old boy travel to the U.S. for experimental treatment. [Washington Post]

* Drs. John Eastman and Sohan Dasgupta break down the Trinity Lutheran case. [Claremont Institute]

* “When anyone criticizes the honesty, integrity, the motives of a federal judge, I find that disheartening. I find that demoralizing, because I know the truth.” During the tail end of the second day of his marathon confirmation hearing, Judge Neil Gorsuch let it be known for the first time publicly that he wasn’t pleased with President Trump’s attacks on his judicial colleagues. [CNN]

* While the legal world was preoccupied with Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing yesterday, SCOTUS was still on the job, with the justices busy putting the kibosh on some presidential appointment powers. In the future, a person will be unable to serve as the acting head of a federal agency once the president nominates him to permanently serve in the role if it is a position that requires Senate confirmation. [Reuters]

* After four years, Dean Jay Conison of the beleaguered Charlotte School of Law has stepped down. The for-profit school had seen some of its worst days under his leadership, including its graduates’ plummeting bar exam passage rates and its students’ loss of access to the federal loan program this past December. While loans seem to have been restored for students this semester, the school may yet close. [Charlotte Observer]

* This could explain the firm’s humungous national bonuses: Vinson & Elkins had its best year ever in 2016, posting record gross revenue, net income, revenue per lawyer and profits per partner. Now that the firm is playing with the big boys, it’s paying like the big boys. As noted previously, V&E has officially committed to paying the new, Cravath-inspired $180K starting salary in every market where it has an office. [Texas Lawyer]

* “It truly is an embarrassment.” Philadelphia DA Seth Williams has been indicted on corruption and bribery-related charges. He stands accused of accepting a trip to Punta Cana, a Jaguar convertible, a custom sofa, and other gifts in exchange for fixing cases for friends. The City Law Department was paying an attorney from Morgan Lewis to represent Williams, but now refuses to continue to do so. [Philadelphia Inquirer]