Virginia

Many of the significant issues with the statute remain.

This is an important change that will eliminate a barrier to mental health treatment.

This racism is killing me inside.

* Out of the mouths of babes federal judges: “Those conclusions – that the president’s statements on national security are not always to be taken literally or to be trusted – are legal victories for his Justice Department….” Did you think you’d ever see a something like this written about the U.S. president? That’s our Trump! [USA Today]

* A good New Year’s resolution for the federal judiciary? Chief Justice John Roberts says that while progress has been made when it comes to protecting law clerks from sexual harassment, “[t]he job is not finished until we have done all that we can to ensure that all of our employees are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect.” [Washington Post]

* The American Federation of Government Employees, a labor union for federal employees, has filed suit against the government, claiming that requiring essential employees to work without pay during the shutdown — an “inhumane” practice for people who don’t know when their next paycheck is coming — violates the Fair Labor Standards Act. [CNN]

* Barbara Underwood really made a name for herself during her short tenure as New York’s first female attorney general. After she was thrust into the role, she quickly began her assault against President Donald Trump, eventually taking down his charitable foundation after alleging that he was using it as a front for his his private businesses and political campaign. [NBC News]

* Yet again, it’s time for women in Biglaw to celebrate fractional achievements for gender equality. According the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance, 39 percent of new partners named at Am Law firms were women, which was a “slight uptick,” but “the numbers really haven’t changed that much in the last five years.” Hooray. [Big Law Business]

* It’s a new year, so you know there are going to be a bunch of interesting new laws. Here are just a few: In California, domestic-violence convicts can lose their gun rights for life; in Hawaii, physician-assisted suicide is now legal; in Virginia, legislators and their staff members must undergo mandatory sexual-harassment training; and in New York City, non-binary people can now list their gender as “X” on birth certificates. [Wall Street Journal]

This is Perkins's claim, and here's the evidence in support of it.

* James Alex Fields Jr., the 20-year-old accused of ramming his car into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one and injuring numerous others, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene of an accident. [NPR]

* Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who was killed in Charlottesville this weekend, was a paralegal at a small law firm where she managed the bankruptcy department. She was described as woman willing to stand up against “any type of discrimination.” We’ll have more on this tragic news later today. [New York Times]

* After being urged by Senator Ted Cruz to “prosecute this grotesque act of domestic terrorism,” the Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the deadly white supremacy rally that occurred this past weekend in Charlottesville, as the events that unfolded there “strike at the heart of American law and justice.” [Independent Journal Review; The Hill]

* “Evidently that’s not going to happen.” Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is walking back comments that he made back in April about the likelihood of a Supreme Court justice (i.e., Justice Anthony Kennedy) retiring this summer. Maybe he’ll get his wish next summer. [Reuters]

* Classes are supposed to begin at Charlotte Law in three weeks, but according to a spokesman from the University of North Carolina system, the school’s temporary license to operate has expired. The dean of the troubled law school, on the other hand, says the license hasn’t expired. Hmm… [Charlotte Observer]

* When New York’s largest personal injury firm collapses, who gets access to (800) 888-8888? [New York Personal Injury Blog]

* This is what it’s like when the President Tweets you. [Bloomberg BNA]

* The Indy 500 — the latest way to delay a deposition. [The Washington Post]

* Cardozo Law gets in on current events. [Law and More]

* Well this is, allegedly, awful. [Jezebel]

* The Civil War lives on at Virginia courthouses. [Katz Justice]

* Hmmm, where is Jeff Sessions in the whole Comey mess? [Slate]

The first week of the new year brings us incredibly sad news out of the Virginia judiciary.

Sometimes the most satisfying justice comes outside of the courtroom.

* 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]

* Did you know Virginia allows people with only a bachelor’s degree to be magistrates? And they are the ones approving search warrants. [Katz on Justice]

* Domino’s Pizza is the latest target of Eric Schneiderman, and the pizza chain is accused of discounting the hours employees have worked. [Pacific Standard Magazine]

* One way to avoid law firm layoffs is to totally restructure the way law firms operate. [Bloomberg BNA]

* What does one do when they retire from the Supreme Court? [SCOTUSblog]

* How much do Supreme Court justices interrupt each other? An interesting analysis. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* The Baston rule and the integrity of the criminal justice system. [Slate]

* The repeal of Connecticut’s death penalty will now apply to the men currently on death row. [Huffington Post]

* Democrats held a press conference demanding that Republicans do their job when it comes to filling Justice Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court. My guess is a petition isn’t going to change anyone in the GOP’s mind on this one. [National Law Journal]

* District Judge John Gleeson is stepping down from his position next month. He’ll be returning to private practice at… Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. [Wall Street Journal]

* Virginia is considering legislation that would actually hid the names of all police officers. Less transparency for law enforcement? That is pretty much the exact opposite of what is needed. [Washington Post]

* You know how the NFL has been in the news a bunch for a variety of legal issues? The newly for-profit organization is releasing their tax filings, and their legal expenses are detailed. Ouch. [American Lawyer]

* Looks like attorneys formerly of Dickstein Shapiro are making themselves right at home at Blank Rome if their latest win for client Oshkosh Defense LLC is any indication. [Litigation Daily]

* Take a look at the details of the sexual assault lawsuit from the 90s against Donald Trump. [Law Newz]

* According to the Law Firm Group of Citi Private Bank’s year-end predictions for the legal profession, profit growth for this year and next is once again going to be anemic. This is the “new reality for the foreseeable future.” [WSJ Law Blog]

* “[T]hese guerilla marketers believe they are above the law.” Uh-oh! What has The Biebs done now? Pop star Justin Bieber has pissed off the San Francisco, California, legal community with sidewalk graffiti ads promoting his new album. [San Francisco Chronicle]

* If you thought that the highest ranked law school in Virginia would’ve fared the best on the state’s July 2015 administration of the bar exam, you’d be wrong. With a 93 percent passage rate, congratulations to Jerry Falwell’s finest at Liberty Law! [One News Now]

* Ay dios mio! Escándalo! In a recently filed lawsuit, a former faculty member at Amherst College claims that teaching assistants in her department were encouraged to “prostitute themselves” to increase enrollment in Spanish classes. [Washington Post]

* “Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur…” The ear worm lullaby featured on The Big Bang Theory is now at the center of a copyright dispute, and it seems like this kitty could actually win. Showrunners probably wish they left this one in the litter box. [USA Today]

* If you need a reminder as to why it is essential to fight for access to abortions and reproductive freedom generally, read this. [Slate]

* Is Madonna using the “fair use” doctrine to avoid paying artists whose work she uses? [DIY Photography]

* Bigger isn’t always better: how Cooley Law School is hurting legal educational standards. [Lawyers, Guns and Money]

* Want a surefire way to NOT get out of educational debt anytime soon? Go to law school. [Wall Street Journal]

* You need to know your rights vis-a-vis airlines. Because the government isn’t going to fine them much anymore. [Huffington Post]

* Virginia is going to stop recognizing conceal carry permits from 25 states. [Washington Post]

It seems that one of the biggest problems facing the Virginia justice system is not its gross prosecution and over-incarceration of minorities, but women lawyers in skirts.

Suit tossed out of court over a mere $2. Does this seem fair to you?

* When we first reported on this former law school dean’s arrest for prostitution, we weren’t sure if he was the alleged john. Now we know: SMU Law’s John Attanasio allegedly offered to pay an undercover officer $100 for “specific sexual acts.” [Dallas Morning News]

* It seems that a lawyer in Nebraska lost his “special pen” at the courthouse, and he’d really like it to be returned to him. It’s not just any pen — it’s a $500 Montblanc Meisterstück. Help this man get his prestigious pen back. [Omaha World-Herald]

* The early numbers on Cadwalader’s ranking in the Am Law 100 seems to indicate that would-be chair James Woolery got the hell out while the getting was still good. The firm’s profits per partner dropped by 15.3 percent in 2014. Ouch. [Am Law Daily]

* “Being in the law school business looked like a good idea. Those days are over.” Enrollment continues to decline at law schools across the country, and in Virginia, class sizes are about 20 percent smaller than they were in 2011. [Roanoke Times]

* When it comes to the recent murder-suicide of two Tulane Law students, “[p]eople are really surprised and baffled about what happened” because they say there were no warning signs. If you’re depressed, please seek help. [New Orleans Advocate]

* Given the fact that children’s vaccinations have become a topic presidential candidates are debating, you should know that almost half the states allow anti-vaxxer parents to opt-out. Thanks for the measles, everyone! [WSJ Law Blog]

* Next time on Nancy Grace: A recent graduate of Michigan State Law allegedly got a master’s degree student from the school pregnant twice before he left the country. The woman allegedly murdered one of the babies, and the other is now missing. [Detroit Free Press]

* I’ll just leave this right here so I won’t get fined. It looks like a partner from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton helped Marshawn Lynch trademark his nickname “Beast Mode” — a trademark that may lead to Lynch getting a $100,000 fine from the NFL. [Am Law Daily]

* In other trademark news, Taylor Swift got approval for catchphrases from her album. “Nice to Meet You, Where You Been?” Her IP lawyers “Could Show You Incredible Things,” but you could’ve been getting down to “This Sick Beat.” [WSJ Law Blog]

* Gibson Dunn earned $459,000 for successfully challenging Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage, which was apparently a “sharp cut” in the fees the firm initially requested for star litigator Ted Olson’s time. Poor Teddy. [National Law Journal]

* According to Am Law’s latest Lateral Partners Survey, there was a 7 percent increase in lateral moves — 2,736, to be precise — between Oct. 1, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2014. Guaranteed pay packages, though, seem to be a thing of the past. [American Lawyer]

* The K&L Gates Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project, a clinic that’s perhaps better known as the firm’s revenge porn project, is assisting a California law student whose nude pictures and videos were allegedly put online by an ex. [DealBook / New York Times]

Alecia Schmuhl, the alleged brains behind the attack, apparently has a history of making threats against law firm bosses.

What could allegedly have driven this couple to these extremes?