* Virginia is for lovers — gay and straight alike. Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen (E.D. Va.) just struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage (but stayed her ruling pending appeal). Happy Valentine’s Day! [Washington Post]
* The Ninth Circuit, in an opinion by Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain, issued a major Second Amendment ruling. Is it correct, and what will happen next? Professor Eugene Volokh shares his thoughts. [Volokh Conspiracy; Volokh Conspiracy]
* Which leading law firms are trying to make the Comcast/Time Warner Cable monstrosity into reality? [American Lawyer]
How LexisNexis State Net Uses Gen AI To Tame Gov’t Data
Its new features transform how you can track and analyze the more than 200,000 bills, regulations, and other measures set to be introduced this year.
* Did a Biglaw firm make a big-time mistake by blowing a deadline to appeal a $40 million verdict? [Law360 (sub. req.)]
* Speaking of screw-ups, making them in the e-discovery realm can be costly — a lesson that California is learning the hard way, to the tune of $32 million. [ACEDS]
* Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin thought he’d be acquitted; he thought wrong. [ABA Journal]
* George Washington wasn’t a member of the one of the 8 magic groups — but his story still illustrates the truth of The Triple Package (affiliate link), according to Washington biographer Logan Beirne. [Fox News]
7 Key Trends In Law Firm Rate Negotiations
And how to navigate them in 2026.
* Authorities have made an arrest for the package bombing that killed a retired Tennessee lawyer and his wife. [CNN]