Justice Alito is more coherent than Kennedy, more conventional than Thomas, more consistently conservative than Roberts, and a lot further from retirement or death than Scalia.
Reports of the Affordable Care Act's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
This tweak to your financial management seems like a no-brainer.
It sounds like the band must have consulted the nearest hippie when writing this song.
Last night, I invented a hashtag and Twitter took off and ran with it. Here are some of the best.
Justice Scalia is so mad about Obamacare and gay marriage that he's slowly devolved into Dr. Seuss.
* Some people are very, very happy with today's Obamacare ruling. [Constitutional Accountability Center] * And some people aren't. Ah, Sesame Street conservatism: single words must be sounded out in complete isolation. Forget all those sentences and what not. [Breitbart] * But this is the best quip at Justice Scalia's newly dubbed "SCOTUSCare." [The Faculty Lounge] * Law student cleared of hit man murder of ex-boyfriend. [Legal Cheek] * What the hell is going on in Massachusetts? Bar exam passage rates are in from February: 56.6 percent overall, and only 66.7 percent for first-time takers. That's pretty bad when you consider that last year, those numbers were 80 percent and 87 percent, respectively. [Massachusetts Court System] * It's been a while since we checked in on the weird and wild "Judge Bill Pryor and Gay Porn" kerfuffle. Now there's speculation on the man who brought the pictures to the fore. [Legal Schnauzer] * It's hot out there, man. [What About Clients?]
Please share your thoughts in this brief and anonymous survey.
* The North Carolina legislature's war on UNC Law School continues. The Senate just proposed a $3 million budget cut. Tarheels adjust by ending Civ Pro right before International Shoe. [The Herald Sun] * U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer enjoys living dangerously. When the D.C. Circuit tells her the CIA needs to disclose more about drone policy, she... tells the CIA to keep its mouth shut. AC/DC has a song about that behavior. [Politico] * Most attention is, justifiably, fixed on marriage equality and health care, but there are some huge pending decisions we're overlooking. [Slate] * Will Chief Justice Roberts save Obamacare again? [Mother Jones] * Speaking of SCOTUS, Professor Ilya Somin and Constitutional Accountability Center chief counsel Elizabeth Wydra talk Supreme Court in this podcast. [The Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * Career hiccups begin with you. So, you know, stop doing that to yourself. [Corporette] * Why have car insurance in this case? A fair question. [Legal Juice] * If you didn't make it to see David speak with a panel of distinguished guests at the Fix the Court/Politico Supreme Court event this week, here's the video! [Politico]
* There's a lot of constitutional law about booze. [PrawfsBlawg] * Republicans try to play some word games on the Affordable Care Act and get straight-up lawyered. Or as The New Republic described the exchange: a "succinct, pithy demolition." [MSNBC] * Oscar Pistorius could be headed home on parole in the next couple of months. Time to get back in that dating pool. [CNN] * Don't bring your mom to court. [Lowering the Bar] * Here's an interesting company at the juncture of law and technology -- 3D printing demonstrative exhibits for trial. [3D Printed Evidence] * Randy Spencer interviews American Pharoah [Coverage Opinions] * An interesting question from a lawyer doing his part to help the homeless: if a person can't get online, how do they even look for a job anyway? [What About Clients?] * A new novella from Jessica Pishko called A Trial for Grace (affiliate link) about a fallen, high-flying NYC attorney working a death penalty trial in North Carolina. [Amazon] * Consent explained with tea. [Vimeo] https://vimeo.com/126553913
* Authorities have cleared the robot built specifically to buy illegal stuff off the dark web. In related news, officer, all that panda meat was bought by my robot... for an art project. [Hopes and Fears] * The Biglaw pup who posted an anti-West, pro-Islamist rant on YouTube continues to be a headache for Clifford Chance. [Legal Cheek] * Laurence Tribe's arguments are getting closer and closer to Homer Simpson's. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * In case you weren't counting, there've been 95 Senate roll call votes while Loretta Lynch has been waiting... [People For The American Way] * Lawyer suspended for handing out ecstasy to drug women into sex. I don't disagree with the outcome, but there's one pretty troubling aspect of the opinion: "The OLR noted... that his victim was much younger." She was 22! At a certain point can we just admit women are adults? Focus on the drugging predatory behavior instead of constructing her as an addled-brained ingenue. [Legal Profession Blog] * Daredevil's courtroom antics evaluated by New York Judge Matthew Sciarrino. [The Legal Geeks] * If you're interested in the legal landscape of marijuana, here's a cool infographic summing up where we are and how we got here. [Diego Criminal Defense] * If you're interested in February bar exam results from across the country, Bar Exam Stats is keeping a running tally complete with a nice map. [Bar Exam Stats] * Former Facebook GC Ted Ullyot has joined VC firm Andreessen Horowitz to lead a new policy and regulatory affairs group in the firm. [Dealbreaker; TechCrunch]
* Mitt Romney is going to fight Evander Holyfield. Man, Romney has been beaten by a black guy like that since 2012. Oooh, also, Floyd Mayweather just found his next opponent. [CNN] * Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore's son was arrested and charged with drug possession yesterday and then blamed the media... somehow. I blame the moral vacuum created when they took down the Ten Commandments. [Al.com] * The long-awaited Justice Scalia play is out. It's like Tony and Tina's Wedding with more gun control and abortion. [WTOP] * Professor Baude has a cute theory how the Obama administration could ignore a negative verdict in King v. Burwell. [New York Times] * Not everyone thinks Professor Baude's hypothetical is a serious option. [Concurring Opinions] * Israel has blocked polling in advance of the election to prevent bandwagon voting. Professor Somin evaluates the efficacy of the plan. It probably won't affect the outcome, but if you thought Republicans threw a hissy-fit over the polls in 2008 and 2012, wait until a candidate they really care about loses. [The Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * A nice little maxim (get it?) for the trial lawyer looking to hone their craft. Of course, if you show them a glint of broken glass in the first act, it better be the murder weapon in the second act. [What About Clients?] * Speaking of second acts, this profile of former Skadden partner Harriet Posner discusses life after Biglaw. [A Lawyer's Life]
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* When the judge starts quoting Monty Python, it means he hates you. [Lowering the Bar] * When a tax official died at the office, it took his co-workers two days to notice. To paraphrase Roger Sterling, "he died as he lived: surrounded by people who didn't pay attention to him." [TaxProf Blog] * What makes a client want to hire a particular lawyer? Is it Throwback Thursday pics of the lawyers as kids? No? These lawyers think it is. [Legal Cheek] * The "stop hitting yourself theory of statutory interpretation" is my new favorite canon. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * Radio Shack is going under, which is the perfect time to ask: what if it was a HYDRA front all along? [The Legal Geeks] * If America wants to incarcerate fewer people, it needs to take a hard look at what it plans to do with violent offenders, because they're a bigger part of the prison system than most realize. [PrawfsBlawg] * Today would be Jack Kerouac's 93rd birthday. In case you wanted to imagine a life unchained from your desk, you should read some of his stuff. [What About Clients?]
* Pretty significant typo... [Legal Cheek] * King v. Burwell plaintiffs' attorney Michael Carvin of Jones Day has some interesting things to say about Obamacare. Like being sure to characterize the law as the product "by living white women and minorities," which in some circles constitutes throwing shade. Racist circles. [Talking Points Memo] * South Carolina makes its potential magistrate judges take the same Wonderlic test given to potential NFL draft picks. The justice system is even based on football down there. I assume occasionally they'll let a defendant think they'll get off and then give him the chair and the jury yells, "CLEMSON!" [Lowering the Bar] * We take a break from our regularly scheduled NS segment, "Louisiana Seems Crazy," to bring you a great idea out of Louisiana. Effective May 1, lawyers can earn their CLE hours by doing pro bono work. Brilliant. More substantive legal work to fill a huge need and less garbled streaming video. [New Orleans City Business] * OK now back to regularly scheduled programming: arrest warrant issued for New Orleans lawyer accused of intentionally triggering a mistrial by refusing to participate in jury selection. I think Perry Mason did that once. It was one of the more obscure episodes. [Nola] * Leave it to the people who wield the awesome punitive power of the state to be the first to give themselves a get out of jail free card. [USA Today] * Richard Hsu scores an interview with Jon Lindsey of legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa. Apparently, the busy founding partner Lindsey really knows how to juggle things. Literally. [Hsu Untied] * History buffs out there may recall that Emperor Augustus instituted a bunch of moral reforms during his reign that really only succeeded in revealing that his daughter was a total whore. But what if the Emperor's prude rules actually helped solidify his broader goals? [Law & Humanities Blog]
Just because the plaintiffs’ standing to sue in King v. Burwell shouldn’t be an issue doesn’t mean it won’t be an issue, as Tamara Tabo explains.
* According to the latest data from NALP, summer associate hiring is up for the fifth year in a row. Hooray! But wait, don't go licking each other's popsicles just yet -- some law firms (35 percent of them, in fact) actually reduced the number of offers they made. [National Law Journal] * In response to outcry over bar exam reforms, this Dechert partner took time out of his day to wonder: "Is it too much to expect that future lawyers know the difference between a tort and a tenancy in common, or do we expect clients to pay them $400 an hour to learn it?" [Wall Street Journal] * Now that oral arguments in King v. Burwell have concluded, it's probably time you found out what's at stake for you if you haven't done so already, procrastinators. This is what will happen if SCOTUS strikes down Obamacare subsidies. [WSJ Law Blog] * Edward Snowden is reportedly ready to return to the United States, provided, of course, that he'll receive a "legal and impartial trial." Attorney General Eric Holder has already promised Snowden that he won't face the death penalty, so that's a start. [CNN] * An ADA in Texas apparently referred to defense counsel as a "motherf*cker" in front of jurors during a trial. We think now would be a great time to add this to the list of things that will get you kicked off a case. [Austin American-Statesmen via ABA Journal]
* A Tampa law firm replaced its regular desks to make happier and healthier lawyers. I'd never heard of a tread desk, but I want one. [Bay News 9] * Prosecutors eviscerated after court finds out that they straight falsified the transcript of a confession. That's bold. [Observer] * How can schools keep top faculty? Giving them less to do of course! [TaxProf Blog] * Eliminating a**hole from your vocabulary. That sounds like a terrible idea. [Katz Justice] * A handy tool displays bar passage rates by law school. [Bar Exam Stats] * Berkeley's Federalist Society chapter is talking about proper policing by inviting a cop who was suspended for striking protesters and ordering a false arrest during an AIDS demonstration. Seems like he's a good choice. [Berkeley Law] * If you were wondering how the King plaintiffs would answer for how their reading runs contrary to hundreds of pages of text, the answer is... they couldn't really. Not that the oral argument really matters to how anyone's going to vote. [Constitutional Accountability Center] * Conservative Courts just get no respect. [Politico]
