James Woods

* Several weeks after its release, Over My Dead Body, Wondery’s new podcast exploring the Dan Markel case, continues to top the podcast charts — and creators Matthew Shaer and Eric Benson have some thoughts on why the case has seized the public imagination. [Inside Edition]

* The Keith Tharpe case, far from representing an isolated injustice, reflects and embodies the racist roots of the death penalty in America, according to Stephen Cooper. [CounterPunch]

* The fight against racism in the justice system has been going on (and will continue) for many years — and as Texas lawyer John Browning has discovered, trailblazing African American attorneys were fighting to integrate the bar of the Lone Star State as early as the 1800s. [Texas Lawyer]

* I’ve previously argued against treating blue slips as senatorial vetoes of judicial nominees, based on their consequences for the federal judiciary — and as Thomas Jipping points out, history supports treating blue slips as a senatorial courtesy, nothing more. [Bench Memos / National Review]

* Don’t be fooled by the high level of unanimity in the Supreme Court’s first few decisions of the Term; greater disagreement lurks in the “shadow docket,” as Adam Feldman explains. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* The compromise appropriations bill that saved us from another government shutdown could also advance the Trump Administration’s “remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers from Central America — which Stewart Baker believes “may offer a better solution to the immigration crisis than the construction of a few miles of new wall.” [Lawfare via Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

* Actor James Woods is out of the woods in a defamation lawsuit arising out of an erroneous tweet of his, thanks to this interesting ruling by the Sixth Circuit. [How Appealing]

* Jean O’Grady is excited about Panoramic, the latest offering from Thomson Reuters, which transforms “the ambitious idea of merging workflow and billing into an actual product.” [Dewey B Strategic]

James Woods is continuing to sue a dead guy... and it's fantastic.

Twitter troll clears hurdle to suing other Twitter troll over trolling.

* Curious about what Ant-Man has to say about Civ Pro? And while you’re there vote for ATL fav Legal Geeks for best podcast in The Geekie Awards. [Legal Geeks]

* Speaking of podcasts, here’s a great one about the movement to abolish the death penalty, with a particular focus on the recent spate of botched executions. [Punishment Podcast]

* Update from the wide world of organized labor — yes, that’s still a thing — there is a major steelworkers lockout with employers advertising on Craigslist to get scabs to work 84 hours a week of hard labor. See this is EXACTLY why we need unions. [Lawyers Guns and Money]

* The latest in James Woods’s suit to reveal the anonymous Twitter user that called him names: Twitter sends the actor a harshly worded letter. [The Hollywood Reporter]

* Should the Supreme Court take up a case to have the remains of Jim Thorpe moved from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma? [The Hill]

* Was the latest decision on protesting in SCOTUS plaza motivated by personal factors? [Fix the Court]

* Today’s the 60th anniversary of the murder of Emmett Till, whose death was a catalyst in the civil rights movement. [Time]

James Woods has a legitimate complaint... which might ruin Twitter, but still.

* Donald Trump’s lawyer responds to the flap over his spousal rape comments. Sort of. Not really. [Funny or Die]

* Does the Supreme Court need an ethics code? And yes, yes it does. [The Faculty Lounge]

* James Woods is suing a Twitter troll for claiming the actor is a “cocaine addict.” They probably just misspelled “hypersensitive blowhard.” [Gawker]

* In baseball, does the “tie go to the runner”? Are you sure? [PrawfsBlawg]

* Tom Brady provides that rare opportunity for sports fans to care about forum selection clauses. But the best part of this story is the comment: “Out of habit, the NRA filed an amicus brief on behalf of the NFL when they heard ‘Clinton’ & ‘Brady’ in the same sentence.” It’s refreshing when commenters are funny. [Deadspin]

* Keeping up with Supreme Court is hard. Even the Fifth Circuit struggles with it (though they’ve since seen the error of their ways). [Huffington Post]

* If you think academia can be a cushy job, you should see what retiring from academia looks like? [TaxProf Blog]

* Can you quit your job without another one lined up? Leigh Abramson has thoughts. [CNN Money]

* A comprehensive snapshot of the business record of the Roberts Court. [Constitutional Accountability Center]

Which former Dewey & LeBoeuf partner is now suing ex-leaders of the firm? And what's the latest news in the firm's bankruptcy battle?