Jon Stewart

* Overrated: Government surveillance is out of control. Underrated: Government spending massive amounts of money making the Army’s Intelligence and Security Command look like the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation is out of control. [Lowering the Bar] * Helen Wan explains “The 5 Rules Every New Associate Must Know.” Not included: learning all the technical details required to convincingly say your smartphone failed to get that 1 a.m. message. [The Careerist] * Another post in the fascinating series about creating visual maps of Supreme Court doctrine. It’s like a nerdier version of the The Atlas of Middle-Earth(affiliate link). [PrawfsBlawg] * Ilya Somin reviews the Supreme Court’s most recent Takings Clause jurisprudence. It’s a lot harder for the government to take your property away. But don’t worry, it’s still really easy to lose all your property to unregulated markets. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * The Office of the Solicitor General may have inadvertently helped out Frederick Oberlander and Richard Lerner, the two lawyers charged with criminal contempt for talking about a cooperator’s sentence (if you can call a $25,000 fine for admitting to a $40 million fraud a “sentence”) that the feds claim was sealed. [Wise Law NY] * A somewhat sad art show based on requests from prisoners in solitary. Some beautiful stuff here. Though I’d have expected more “Rita Hayworth” photo requests. [Gawker] * The Daily Show takes on biotech patents. Video after the jump…

Judge Judy Sheindlin retains her place as the highest-paid TV star. But how much more is she making than everyone else?

* Our Law School Dean hotties contest is now underway. Vote on the women here, the men here, and the alternate male candidates here. * Do you know anyone who is currently clerking for Justice Alito? If so, we’d like to hear from you. * If you’re in law for the money, we recommend Korean […]

Yesterday afternoon, we attended a delightful event at the New Yorker Festival: an interview of The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, conducted by David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker. Stewart was in fine form, and he “stopped the show” several times, reducing the audience to laughter so loud they had to pause before continuing. Several […]