Jussie Smollett

* Whose house? IN-HOUSE!!! Check out the report! [Above the Law]

* Wanna know something constitutional? Not the Texas abortion ban’s enforcement mechanism according to one judge’s reading of the state constitution. [WaPo]

* I know you’ve been following the Jussie Smollett trial — here’s what happened. [NY Post]

* Ever wondered how the other side of the pond legislates abortion? Here’s a primer. [WaPo]

* Risk? In this economy?! In-house teams are taking a new approach. [Financial Times]

* Actor Jussie Smollet is about to go to trial for attempting to manipulate racial tensions to propel his career. He should have done it the right way, like Kyle Rittenhouse. [BBC]

* Law school applications are down again. Maybe you didn’t go to law school to become an accountant… [Reuters]

* Folks are still salty about social media platforms and censorship. I think the free speech people haven’t realized the whole corporate personhood thing means Twitter has 1st Amendment rights too. [The Bulwark]

* Before it’s made history, here’s a quick historical review of how the right to abort in the U.S. came to be. [NPR]

* Good news: You’ll be hearing a lot about this thing called Omicron, which is a cool ass name. Bad news: it’s a new COVID variant that will likely impact office returns and lead to more mask boo-hooing. [CNN]

* Map drawing that weakens Latino vote in Texas faces Voting Rights Act scrutiny. I hope that whatever is left of it gets the job done. [The Dallas Morning News]

* Looks like Michigan is about to be a UBE state! Woop woop! [Law.com]

* Groups “Black Men Build” and “The Smile Trust, Inc.” continue to feed and clothe unsheltered folks in Miami despite ordinances. Sounds like some good governance to me. [Miami Herald]

* Jussie Smollett still headed to trial after judge dismisses his plea. No way 50 Cent is gonna let this go without some Grade A petty. [Yahoo!]

* SCOTUS upholds strong qualified immunity standard for police. [New York Times]

* A lawsuit has been filed in Alaska claiming that 21 poultry companies ran an illicit cartel. Maybe the chickens are coming home to roost… [Insurance Journal]

* Twitter has sued the Texas Attorney General, claiming the AG started investigating Twitter after the platform banned Donald Trump. [NBC News]

* An Ohio lawyer has been disbarred for stealing millions from clients and using the money on cosmetic surgeries, gambling, and other expenses. [Journal-News]

* Prosecutors allege that an attorney in the Jussie Smollett criminal case has a conflict of interest. [Chicago Tribune]

* A lawyer, who was arrested over allegedly breaching the Capitol on January 6th, seemingly asked the judge during a bail hearing whether he could have a drink with his friends after his release. Alcohol should be the least of his issues. [Law & Crime]

* A special prosecutor appointed in the Jussie Smollett case found that the prosecutor’s office abused its discretion in overseeing the matter. [Wall Street Journal]

* A Texas lawyer is being sued for allegedly leading clients to a failed real estate investment with which the attorney had an undisclosed interest. [Texas Lawyer]

* The Boston Bar Association is urging Attorney General Barr not to pursue the death penalty for the Boston Marathon bomber. [Boston Globe]

* Apparently it’s not libelous to tell a lawyer that he “needs to go back to law school.” Maybe this is because lawyers learn very little about how to be practicing attorneys in law school… [Volokh Conspiracy]

* TikTok is allegedly preparing to sue the Trump Administration over an order that may force the company to leave United States markets. If given permission, TikTok can likely serve process in some really creative ways… [Verge]

* A lawyer behind a lawsuit aimed at overturning California’s school closure order says that closing schools impacts fundamental rights and violates equal protection. [Fox News]

* The Attorney General of Texas welcomed the National Rifle Association to the Lone Star State after the New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit to dissolve the group. [New York Post]

* A Fort Worth, Texas, attorney is walking to the governor’s mansion in Austin in order to bring attention to police reform. [Fox News]

* Lawyers for Jussie Smollett claim that a recording proves that key witnesses in the case were coached by prosecutors into conveying a narrative to avoid prosecution. [Chicago Tribune]

* A New York landowner is suing a landscaper for $355,000 for allegedly destroying a tree. Maybe money grew on it? [Advance Media]

* The prosecutor who resigned over a sentencing memo in the Roger Stone case has joined the DC Attorney General’s Office. Seems like he landed on his feet. [Hill]

* A New Jersey lawyer cannot be readmitted to practice unless he shows that his wife has no access to his accounts, checkbooks, and other financial records. There must be a good story behind this… [ABA Journal]

* A federal judge has dismissed a malicious prosecution claim filed by Jussie Smollett stemming from the attack he allegedly staged to increase his profile. [USA Today]

* A Kentucky lawyer has been charged with making terroristic threats after allegedly threatening Kentucky’s governor. This attorney should brush up on his constitutional law. [Hill]

* Dozens of in-house lawyers are agreeing to pay cuts in order to help their companies deal with issues created by COVID-19. [Bloomberg Law]

* A knife-wielding lawyer allegedly forced a journalist to delete footage of this attorney at a shelter-at-home protest. Guess this lawyer took the law into his own hands… [New York Post]

* Creditors of Toys ‘R Us claim that employees bilked the company of assets during the bankruptcy process. That must’ve been where all the video games went… [Law 360] * A lawyer involved in the Trump impeachment process has tested positive for coronavirus. [CNN]

* Prosecutors assigned to the Roger Stone criminal case have resigned amid concerns that the White House “stonewalled” DOJ officials about sentencing recommendations. [The Hill]

* Jussie Smollett is facing new charges over his claims of being assaulted on the streets of Chicago, and his lawyers are crying foul. [Deadline]

* Alan Dershowitz filed claims against David Boies for defamation and other causes of action. [Wall Street Journal]

* Netflix has lost its bid to dismiss a lawsuit about using the “Choose Your Own Adventure”® phrase when promoting a popular movie. See, made sure to use the trademark sign there… [Hollywood Report]

* President Trump has won the dismissal of a lawsuit aimed at forcing the White House to archive communications with Vladimir Putin and other officials. [Washington Post]

* A New York attorney tried to escape a grand larceny investigation by buying a boat in cash and sailing to the Caribbean. She made it as far as New Jersey. [New York Law Journal]

* “I like sex. Sex is fun and I can get paid for it. You can make a job out of this? That’s fantastic.” Sears said. “Why would I not do this?” Of course we’ve heard about the lawyer who’s also working as a prostitute. We’ll have more on this incredibly interesting story later today. [KCCI Des Moines]

* Will 2019 be a year without a blockbuster Biglaw merger? With the A&O/O’Melveny combo off the table, it could be. “There were so many mergers the last couple of years that we are seeing a slowdown.” [American Lawyer]

* Lawyers for Paul Manafort are trying to get a mortgage fraud case against him in New York dismissed, citing double jeopardy law. He doesn’t want to have to do more jail time, even if Trump pardons him. [Reuters]

* Lawyer staffing company Axiom will no longer be pursuing an IPO thanks to an infusion of cash from private equity firm Permira Funds. It would have been one of the first publicly traded legal businesses in the country. [Big Law Business]

* Remember the Jussie Smollett controversy where the actor claimed he was involved in a racist and homophobic attack? His lawyers say he shouldn’t have to pay Chicago six figures for the investigation into the hoax because how was he supposed to know so much time would be spent on it. [ABC 7 Chicago]

* Impending constitutional crisis alert: President Trump is opposed to his White House aides — especially former White House Counsel, “real lawyer” Don McGahn — testifying before Congress because they already cooperated with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. [Washington Post]

* Meanwhile, fake lawyer Michael Cohen, who served as legal counsel to Trump for about decade, will soon report to his Federal Correctional Institution – Otisville, which has been referred to as a “castle behind bars.” At least he’ll get to hang out with The Situation. [Daily Beast]

* Bill Cosby is suing Quinn Emanuel over its “unconscionable fees,” claiming that the firm overstaffed his case to the tune of $8.55 million over the course of nine months. Maybe stop checking you emails so much? [American Lawyer]

* George and Amal Clooney will be on campus at Columbia Law tomorrow for the official launch of TrialWatch, an initiative that will monitor trials acros the globe to protect human rights and eventually create a global justice index. [Law.com]

* Another happy ending for Robert Kraft (for the time being): Prosecutors have been blocked from releasing footage that allegedly shows the New England Patriots owner receiving sexual favors in a massage parlor. [Reuters]

* On the next episode of “Empire,” Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, the brothers who helped stage a racist and homophobic attack against Jussie Smollett, will file a defamation lawsuit against the actor’s attorneys. [Big Law Business]

* Cooley Law has a new president and dean following the departure of Don LeDuc. James McGrath will join the school from Texas A&M Law, where he serves as associate dean of academic support and bar services. Good luck! [WMU Cooley Law]

* President Trump claims that the FBI and the DOJ will be investigating the Jussie Smollett case because it’s an “absolute embarrassment to our country.” Meanwhile, in more realistic news, Chicago wants the Empire actor to pay $130,000 to cover the costs of the officers who worked on the case. [Wall Street Journal]

* According to Diane Feinstein, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, “the blue slip is essentially dead.” May the century-old tradition rest in peace. [Big Law Business]

* Jessie Liu, Trump’s pick for third-in-command at the Justice Department upon the recommendation of Attorney General William Barr, has withdrawn from consideration after facing conservative opposition for her association with the National Association of Women Lawyers, an organization she once led. [Reuters]

* C. Allen Parker, the former Cravath presiding partner who brought Biglaw the $180K salary scale and left the firm to become general counsel at Wells Fargo, will now serve as interim CEO and president at the troubled bank. Best of luck… [Corporate Counsel]

* In case you missed it, the NRA is planning to oppose renewal of the Violence Against Women Act due to provisions that would prevent people who have committed domestic abuse from obtaining firearms. That’s just swell. [The Hill]

* Roberta Kaplan, the founding partner at Kaplan Hecker & Fink who represented Edith Windsor in the landmark Supreme Court case that obliterated the Defense of Marriage Act and co-founded the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, will be speaking at Harvard Law’s 2019 Class Day Ceremony. Congratulations! [Harvard Law Today]

* You wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of Jussie Smollett right now — nor the shoes of his lawyers, according to Joel Cohen and Dale Degenshein. [Law and Crime]

* And in other celebrity legal news, the new documentary about Drake has triggered a slew of copyright claims and takedown notices. [All Rights Reserved]

* If you’ve been listening to the compelling new podcast from Wondery about the Dan Markel case, check out this interesting interview with host Matt Shaer. [Uproxx]

* Speaking of podcasts, I recently appeared on Miranda Warnings, the popular podcast by former New York State Bar Association president David Miranda, to talk about Biglaw, legal education, and more. [Miranda Warnings]

* And if you’ll be in Nashville tomorrow or Tuesday, please feel free to stop by either or both of the talks I’ll be giving at Vanderbilt — one on judicial celebrity, and one on the state of legal education. [Vanderbilt Federalist Society / Vanderbilt Law School Library]

* If you’re a libertarian or otherwise concerned about excessive exercises of government power, you should be concerned about President Donald Trump’s invocation of emergency powers, as Ilya Somin explains. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

* Will the Supreme Court ride to Trump’s rescue if and when his national emergency declaration winds up before SCOTUS? Brianne Gorod has her doubts. [Take Care]

* More excellent advice from expert courtroom lawyer David Berg — think of this as “The Trial Lawyer: What It Takes To Lose.” [YouTube]