Williams & Connolly

* “It’s an extreme position to go from hateful statements to this. What would cause him to change his mind?” President Trump is a fan of calling the Russia investigation a “witch hunt” in public, but word on the street is that he’s sent private messages to special counsel Robert Mueller to express his “appreciation” for what he’s been doing. Countdown until Mueller gets fired? [USA Today]

* “Judge Roy Moore is the real deal. He’s tough, tested, and has a spine of steel.” Chuck Norris is endorsing former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore to fill the Senate seat that was left vacant by Jeff Sessions after he became attorney general. Guys, it looks like Chuck Norris can’t divide by zero anymore, so maybe it’s time for everyone to buy a Total Gym so this man can retire. [CNN]

* Just how much do Williams & Connolly partners make? The firm typically keeps quiet about compensation, but Curtis J. Mahoney, who is up for the deputy U.S. trade representative post in the Trump administration, has had to make some financial disclosures and now we know he’s made $833,000 in partnership income thus far in 2017. [National Law Journal]

* Following the release of the results of a study of female attorneys’ speaking roles — or lack thereof — in New York courts, former Southern District Judge Shira Scheindlin, who is now of counsel at Stroock, said in a powerful op-ed that law firms “must stop paying lip service to diversity and take concrete steps to change.” Perhaps one day, something will actually change. [New York Times]

* Federal prosecutors have dropped their securities fraud case against Wall Street financier Benjamin Wey thanks to an extremely unfavorable evidence suppression order issued by Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District of New York. Wey’s legal team from Haynes and Boone is obviously quite pleased with the decision. We may have more on this later. [New York Law Journal]

* “Every single racial slur you can think of for Asian Americans is a trademark right now. And almost any kind of slur you could think of for any group is a registered trademark right now. The law’s not working.” Asian-American rock band The Slants will make their debut before the Supreme Court this week, and when all is said and done, trademark law’s prohibition on the registration of disparaging marks may be forever changed thanks to their First Amendment argument. [Washington Post]

* Zachary Warren, the low-level Dewey & LeBoeuf employee who wound up being criminally charged along with the failed firm’s head honchos, has been cleared of all charges. After completing 350 hours of community service in accordance with the requirements of a deferred prosecution agreement, Warren’s indictment has been sealed, and he’s now working as an associate at Williams & Connolly. [Big Law Business]

* For all of their talk about wanting to prevent women from leaving the practice of law, many Biglaw firms that once made big promises about onsite day-care facilities have allowed those plans to fall to the wayside after being hamstrung by significant costs and liability issues. Today, about 10 law firms have set up day-care programs for attorneys’ children, and for those that have, it’s a real “distinguisher in recruiting.” [Am Law Daily]

* According to the results of a new study performed by Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court in conjunction with students at Yale Law School, while Asian-Americans are plentiful within our country’s attorney workforce, very few of them have managed to ascend to the most prestigious leadership roles in the legal profession. What could be causing this to occur? Implicit bias may be playing a role. [Washington Post]

* “[I]t would be your word against mine and nobody will believe you.” A Republican politician in Connecticut who “love[s] this new world” because he “no longer [has] to be politically correct” currently stands accused of grabbing a town employee by the p*ssy pinching a town employee’s groin. He’s been charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, and he’s scheduled to appear in court at the end of the month. [Westport Daily Voice]

* The University of Washington at Tacoma is rethinking its plans to create a law school that’s separately accredited from the one at the University’s Seattle campus. Before moving forward, UWT wants to build up its undergraduate pre-law program to make sure the demand will be there in the future. Unlike some schools, “[t]he last thing [UWT] want[s] to do is to start a law school and it not to be successful early.” [News Tribune]

* What happens when a Biglaw associate at a prestigious firm is allegedly injured so badly in the D.C. subway that he’s prevented from working as an associate at that firm? He files a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Washington Metro Transit Authority, obviously. We’ll have more on this later. [Big Law Business]

* A federal judge has dismissed Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s bid for a recount in Pennsylvania as absurd, writing in a 31-page opinion that her theory of the hacking of the state’s electronic voting machines “borders on the irrational.” Ouch. [Reuters]

* Justice Stephen Breyer continued his assault against capital punishment this week, dissenting from his Supreme Court colleagues’ decision not to hear a death row inmate’s case. In that dissent, he didn’t discuss the evidence against the inmate, but rather, he discussed the evidence against the death penalty in America. [New York Times]

* Abortion-rights activists from the Center for Reproductive Rights have sought an injunction against the implementation of a controversial Texas regulation that would require the burial or cremation of fetal remains because it “imposes a funeral ritual on women who have … an abortion.” As if HB 2 wasn’t bad enough… [WSJ Law Blog]

* School-by-school results from the July 2016 administration of the California bar exam have finally been released (albeit not publicly, until now), and considering that the overall pass rate was the lowest it’s been in 32 years, law schools did not fare well. Which did the best, and which did the worst? We’ll have more on this later. [The Recorder]

* Williams & Connolly has been subpoenaed as a part of the ongoing Lance Armstrong fraud case brought by former teammate Floyd Landis. I’m just glad I don’t have to put together that privilege log [Legal Times]

* Two Biglaw partners, Hydee Feldstein a former partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul Hastings and Peter Gregora a partner emeritus at Irell & Manella, face off in divorce court over $20 million that’s gone “missing.” It’s probably under the couch, whenever stuff goes missing in my house it’s under the couch. [The Recorder]

* Legal research prevails: after “thorough” research Georgia prosecutors have dropped murder charges against Kenlissia Jones for taking the abortion pill. [Washington Post]

* Pope Francis is establishing a court to deal with the bishops who woefully mishandled clerical child sex abuse allegations. Just another reason why Pope Francis is making it okay to be a Catholic again. [Wall Street Journal]

* Leaders in Nepal finally reached an agreement for a new constitution. After years of infighting the terrible tragedy of the Nepalese earthquake motivated the parties to work together. [Jurist]

* Ever wonder what it takes to make a successful law blog? Wonder no more — and read tips from our own David Lat. [Law360]

* Following NBC’s announcement of his six-month suspension without pay, Brian Williams turned to Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly to save his career. The pair met when they were Supreme Court clerks — oopsie, we guess that’s another misrepresentation. [Am Law Daily]

* “We weren’t about to ask them to risk life and limb to get in.” As Boston braces for yet another snowstorm, Biglaw firms are trying to figure out how they can continue to operate. Punxsutawney Phil is keeping the wheels of justice from turning. [National Law Journal]

* The Supreme Court has granted Colorado an extension to respond to a lawsuit filed by Nebraska and Oklahoma which claims that its decision to legalize marijuana was unconstitutional. Puff, puff, pass this cert vote, SCOTUS. [Cannabist / Denver Post]

* Regulators! Mount up… and then run away to your new Biglaw firms. Preet Bharara’s S.D.N.Y. roster is constantly changing thanks to the golden handcuffs large law firms offer, but Bharara still “love[s] all [his] children equally.” [DealBook / New York Times]

* David Messerschmitt, the DLA Piper associate who was found dead in a Washington, D.C., hotel room last week, is remembered by his colleagues as “someone so talented and so nice.” There have been no new breaks in his murder investigation. [Legal Times]