Judge Frederic Block

When it comes to the credibility of this defendant, His Honor is not impressed.

This type of claim almost never sees trial, but it resulted in a $6.7 million verdict, all because one of the parties was a jerk.

* This great profile of Chuck Cooper, by Tierney Sneed of TPM, includes more details on why he withdrew from the solicitor general sweepstakes. [Talking Points Memo]

* A team from Quinn Emanuel, led by high-profile hire Alex Spiro, is repping Jay-Z in a trademark fight. Can Biglaw + Beyonce be far behind? [Hollywood Reporter]

* Steven Brill, the godfather of modern legal journalism, launches his latest venture: NewsGuard, which “uses journalism to fight fake news.” [Dewey B Strategic]

* Speaking of “fake news,” leading media lawyer Charles Glasser puts President Trump’s “war on the press” in a broader, global context. [Daily Caller]

* Still on the subject of POTUS v. Press, is the media being played in the Stormy Daniels drama? Joel Cohen and Dale Degenshein think so. [Law & Crime]

* Strange bedfellows at One First Street: Adam Feldman looks at Supreme Court cases featuring unusual ideological alliances. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* Protip for litigators and litigants: don’t tick off Judge Frederic Block (or any other judge presiding over your case, for that matter). [artnet]

* If our five Biglaw business development tips weren’t enough for you, Jane Genova adds two more for your consideration. [Law And More]

* How can technology be harnessed to bridge the justice gap? Neota Logic has some ideas. [Artificial Lawyer]

An important and controversial decision, holding a developer liable for painting over graffiti on his own buildings.

The book is sincere and his characters are integrated with the wit and wisdom gathered from decades on the bench.

Judge Block's new novel is a great read -- and very much rooted in reality.

Plus his advice for law students and for lawyers interested in starting their own firms.

* If you want to know why Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s summer was “really not fun,” it’s because she spent it reading a book about Justice Antonin Scalia and a book written by Justice John Paul Stevens. [Washington Whispers / U.S. News & World Report]

* “There is less money to pay everybody.” Corporations are shifting more and more of their legal work to their in-house lawyers, and some law firms — especially smaller ones — are feeling the financial squeeze. [WSJ Law Blog]

* If you’ve wanted to know what federal judges discuss during their bathroom breaks, stop wondering, because it’s not that exciting. All they talk about is their “stupid little trials,” and get overheard by jurors and forced into disclosures. [New York Daily News]

* Dewey know why the former leaders of this failed firm want their criminal indictment dismissed? It’s because the case is allegedly based on a “flagrant misunderstanding of the law.” [New York Law Journal]

* If you want to own a “piece of history,” Jodi Arias is auctioning off the glasses she wore during the first phase of her murder trial. She intends to donate the proceeds of the sale to (her own?) charity. [Daily Mail]

Above the Law speaks with Judge Frederic Block (E.D.N.Y.) about his new memoir and about his life and career in the law.

Ed. note: Due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, we will be on a reduced publication schedule today. We will be back in full swing tomorrow. We hope that you will enjoy your day off, but please feel free to lament your lack thereof in the comments.

* “[T]hey don’t want to hear nothing.” Vedel Browne, the man accused of robbing Stephen Breyer at machete-point while the justice was vacationing in his home in the Caribbean, now claims that he’s innocent, mon. [St. Kitts-Nevis Observer]

* You know what, the farmer in the Super Bowl commercial probably didn’t have to deal with bullsh*t like Monsanto’s seed patents, but today’s farmers do, and they’ll argue their case before the Supreme Court this week. [New York Times]

* “I’m a betting man. And I would bet and give odds that Sullivan & Cromwell has never said that publicly.” Who dares question S&C’s stance in the hot mess that is Herbalife? None other than Carl Icahn. [Am Law Daily]

* Here’s an important Biglaw math lesson that’s been provided to us via California-based firms like Irell & Manella, Munger Tolles, and Orrick: a little revenue minus a lot of partners equals profitability. [Recorder]

* Amid a flurry of filings on Valentine’s Day, love must’ve been a battlefield for the embattled Dewey & LeBoeuf refugees who were in desperate search of their once promised 2011 bonuses. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]

* From the department of things that suck: having to defend your office’s alleged “underhanded tactics” in a $150 million wrongful conviction case while you’re trying to get re-elected as district attorney. [New York Times]

* We got bitches in the office lawyerin’ on, and they ain’t leavin’ till six in the mornin’ — unless they want to be fired. An ex-Travers Smith trainee claims she was canned for leaving the firm “early”… at 6:30 a.m. [Telegraph]

* If it weren’t for Cosmo, this woman wouldn’t have known her landlord was an alleged creeper. A Maryland lawyer now faces criminal charges for allegedly filming his female tenants in the nude. [Washington Post]

* “We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious!” The ABA officially put Florida A&M on notice that its law school accreditation may be in jeopardy if they don’t shape up in terms of bar passage. [Orlando Sentinel]

* What do you do the second you step off a cruise ship that’s been described as “a floating toilet, a floating petri dish, a floating hell”? You grab the very first lawyers you see, and sue! [Nation Now / Los Angeles Times]

* Covington & Burling’s Eric Holder is now definite as Obama’s choice for Attorney General. Look out for the official announcement after Thanksgiving. [Politico] * Former Hunton & Williams partner Emerson Briggs gets 70 months in federal prison for doing very bad things with his firm laptop. [Legal Times] * California AG Jerry Brown is […]

This must be the most profanity-laced piece of transcript since Aaron Wider’s deposition. It’s the transcript of the sentencing hearing before Judge Frederic Block (E.D.N.Y.) at which Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Pokorny was attacked by the defendant, before the court reporter and defense counsel tackled the assailant. The transcript was prepared by Ron Tolkin, the […]

The Empire State is sending all sorts of craziness our way lately. From the New York — no, not the Washington — Post: A female federal prosecutor was viciously attacked by a hulking, razor-wielding drug dealer in a Brooklyn courtroom yesterday – and was saved when the thug’s 72-year-old lawyer and others tackled him. “He […]