Federal Reserve

When viewed in a historical context, with the knowledge that the U.S. economy does not turn on a dime, the Fed has accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time.

There are also a lot of signs that an ESG focus doesn’t necessarily mean an investor will sacrifice anything.

But let's not get carried away....

* Should a robot run the Federal Reserve? Passive monetary policy has its virtues, according to law professor Max Raskin. [Wall Street Journal]

* Which methods of statutory interpretation are most popular the Supreme Court these days? Adam Feldman breaks it down. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* Recalling judges just because we don’t like their decisions? Joel Cohen has some serious concerns. [The Hill]

* New at business development and seeking to grow your business? Deborah Farone, former chief marketing officer at Cravath and Debevoise, offers these insights. [The Current]

* “What Happens When the Government Lies About You in Court? Spoiler alert: Absolutely nothing.” [Weekly Standard]

* Prosecutorial perk: a free gym membership? Maybe if you work for South Carolina prosecutor Dan Johnson. [The State]

* Quite possibly the largest list of DWI facts on the planet. [Versus Texas]

* Saira Rao, former Cleary Gottlieb associate and author of the clerkship novel Chambermaid (affiliate link), is running for Congress — and coming to New York this month, for an event with actress Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out. [Saira for Congress]

You'd love seeing Jerome Powell deciding monetary policy, wouldn't you? WOULDN'T YOU?!

Why do Federal Reserve employees who make economic forecasts own a company selling private economic forecasts?

Good news! John Cryan can stop wondering when the next massive fine is coming down the pike.

In fairness, a fine at the end of a U.S. criminal inquiry may actually be the best news the Germans have heard in months.

Some of us still look forward to meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee with a sense of innocent wonder.

Perhaps Yellen and her colleagues should consider a long vacation?

* Jeff Sessions has a new job. [CNN]

* Beyoncé sued by YouTube star’s estate. She’d better hire Becky with the good law degree. [NBC News]

* David Boies is taking on human trafficking. Hopefully this fight doesn’t require any travel today. [Litigation Daily]

* Groups are suing to block Trump’s proposal to eliminate two regulations for every one enacted. If you want safe drinking water, hope you like spoiled eggs and no airbags, motherf**kers! [Law360]

* Speaking of political shenanigans with the law, the courts have put the kibosh on North Carolina’s hilarious lame duck effort to limit the powers of the governor once they realized they lost it. [ABC News]

* When lawyers go wrong. [Am Law Daily]

* Scott Alvarez, the Fed’s top attorney, is retiring. Or “leaving his current job.” Let’s not pretend there won’t be a Biglaw of GC seat waiting for him if he wants it. [MarketWatch]

* Is it legal for the president to delete Tweets? Probably not. [Forbes]

* Putin signs a law decriminalizing a huge chunk of domestic violence claims. In case you were wondering what’s on tap for after midterms. [Fox News]

Wells Fargo is failing tests like a hungover freshman who can’t even read.

Try and keep up.

Marco Rubio would like to dispel with this fiction that the Federal Reserve is run by Jedis.

It's a bad scene at the Goldman Sachs alumni club.

‎On December 2, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) released the revised Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) Examination Manual.

Ed. note: We are having an Above the Law retreat this afternoon, so we may be less prolific than usual today. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

* “I think I am now the hardest-working justice. I wasn’t until David Souter left us.” Justice Ginsburg celebrates her twentieth year on the high bench in true diva style. [USA Today]

* Sorry, EA, the Ninth Circuit thought your First Amendment free expression defense to allegedly stealing college sports players’ likenesses was a load of hooey. [Wall Street Journal]

* “It’s a decision that clearly favors the merchants.” A federal judge gave the Fed a spanking in a ruling on its cap for debit card fees earned by banks after consumer swipes. [DealBook / New York Times]

* “What makes this discriminatory? I don’t think there’s anything in Title 7 that says an employer has to be consistent.” Ropes & Gray’s “token black associate” had his day in court. [National Law Journal]

* The firm that outed J.K. Rowling as author of “The Cuckoo’s Calling” will make a charitable donation as an apology — getting the book to the bestseller’s list wasn’t charitable enough. [New York Times]

* As the bar exam draws to a close today, here’s something to consider: 12,250 people signed up to take the test in New York alone. Are there jobs out there for them? Best of luck! [New York Law Journal]

* The feds want to make a better return on their investment on law student loans. Perhaps it’s time for those good old gainful employment regulations. [Student Loan Ranger / U.S. News & World Report]

* Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro is expected to speak at his sentencing hearing today, where a judge will decide if a term of life in prison plus 1,000 years is appropriate punishment for him. [CBS News]

* Daniel Chong, the student that the DEA locked in a cell and forgot about for a few days, has settled his lawsuit against the government for $4.1 million. No snark here, congratulations. [CNN] * Meanwhile, O.J. Simpson is getting parole (but not quite getting released yet). Here comes Naked Gun 4! [ABC News] * A Kenyan lawyer is challenging the trial of Jesus Christ at the International Court of Justice. [Legal Cheek] * Professor Paul Campos notes that from 2004-2013, it’s gotten much easier to get into law school. This year 80 percent of students applying to law school will get in somewhere. At least the profession is upholding its high standards. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * DMX declared bankruptcy because bankruptcy actually makes it easier to get a passport. How is DMX broke? Are the residuals from Exit Wounds not paying the bills? [Grantland] * King & Wood Mallesons and SJ Berwin LLP are merging to create one of the largest law firms in the world. Dewey think a merger is a good idea? [WSJ Law Blog] * A follow-up on a previous item, checking in on the status of the petition to save the federal defenders one week in. [PrawfsBlawg] * A profile of the “eighth governor” of the Federal Reserve and Georgetown Law grad, General Counsel Scott G. Alvarez. I would say this is a fascinating look at a prominent regulatory staff member, but the article makes it clear that “regulation” is not exactly the Alvarez agenda. [DealBook] * Watch the dean of a law school defend a 0 percent bar passage rate. [ABC 33/40] * Another new resource out there — LawTrades. Basically, it’s ZocDoc for lawyers where lawyers can register and prospective clients can search for an attorney who meets their needs. [LawTrades] * What are the greatest legal novels of all time? The ABA Journal assembled a panel including our own David Lat and provided a list. You can disagree, but I see one of Archer’s favorites made the list (clip after the jump)…