Ninth Circuit

It better be the job of a lifetime for him to leave a lifetime appointment.

Is this the bottom for Alex Kozinski? Or can he sink lower?

Forget the myths the media's created about the White House. The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and it got out of hand.

Okay, Boomer.

Of course this is happening.

The Senator should be embarrassed right about now.

With the Supreme Court highlighting the helpfulness of using state court certification procedures, the number of certified state law issues is only likely to increase.

This is painful to watch.

A look at the relationship between the party of the appointing president and dissenting opinions.

It is hard to understate the scientific value of the find.

Some also say they experienced or witnessed inappropriate behavior too.

Behind closed doors, Judge Reinhardt was allegedly far from the ideal liberal.

FOH with that nonsense about a 1A right to exclude other people's kids from public education!

Our favorite federal judge is at it again.

* Remember how AG Bill Barr announced that lawyers would be getting swapped out on the census citizenship case? This federal judge has rejected the change because the DOJ “provide[d] no reasons, let alone ‘satisfactory reasons,’ for the substitution of counsel.” [New York Law Journal]

* After two hours of oral argument, judges on the Fifth Circuit seemed unsure of whether the Affordable Care Act would live to see another day. This case is likely headed to the Supreme Court no matter what, as health insurance for 20 million people protections for pre-existing conditions are in the crossfire. [POLITICO]

* Daniel Bress of Kirkland & Ellis was confirmed to the Ninth Circuit (or the “9th Circus,” as President Trump once referred to the appellate court) in a party-line vote. He’ll replace the disgraced Alex Kozinski, who resigned in 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. [Washington Post]

* Chief Justice Leo Strine of the Delaware Supreme Court will be retiring at the end of October, leaving time for Governor John Carney to select a replacement for the man who shaped the law on takeovers. [Reuters]

* Jeffrey McIntyre, a partner at Husch Blackwell, left the firm after he was reprimanded by the Wisconsin Supreme Court for punching a bar manager in the face and driving while intoxicated, both of which he was charged for and submitted guilty pleas. [Wisconsin State Journal; ABA Journal]

Apparently being naked and serving coffee is frowned upon in this establishment.

Ninth Circuit upholds injunction against wall building.

* Okay, fine, whatever, the Trump administration is apparently going to look for a way to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. We’re governing by tweet these days, and this is the latest information on this debacle. [Washington Post]

* And it looks like the way President Trump is thinking of adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census is through an executive order. The Justice Department has until this afternoon to straighten this out. [ABC News]

* Nope, you still can’t use money that was supposed to go to the Defense Department to build a border wall. The Ninth Circuit upheld an injunction on the use of these military funds just before the holiday. [Los Angeles Times]

* Which Biglaw firms have received the most money from presidential candidates’ 2020 election campaigns? As you might have guessed, lawyers from Jones Day have gotten a lot to Republicans, and lawyers from Perkins Coie have gotten a lot to the Democrats. [National Law Journal]

* Prosecutors have dropped the manslaughter charge filed against an Alabama woman who was five months pregnant and lost her unborn child after being shot in the stomach. Congratulations, Alabama! Way to be normal! [CBS News]

* If you’re interested in going to law school, you should know that the average debt for the class of 2018 was pretty hefty at $115,481 — that’s $130,900 for private school graduates and $89,962 for public school graduates. Good luck paying it off! [Nerdwallet]

* Matthew Benedict, a student at Buffalo Law, RIP. [New York Law Journal]

* Hope Hicks, Donald Trump‘s former communications director, will testify today before the House Judiciary Committee, which is leading an investigation into the president’s possible obstruction of justice. The closed-door hearing could last all day. Let’s see how this one goes… [Reuters]

* Thanks to some intervention by the DOJ, it looks like Paul Manafort won’t be going to Rikers after all. He’ll remain in federal custody during his state proceedings. [ABC News]

* In the wake of the Kozinski sexual harassment scandal, the Ninth Circuit has hired a workplace relations director and adopted some meaningful changes to its dispute resolution policy and its confidentiality policy. Plus, communications skills training will be mandatory all employees, including judges. [Big Law Business]

* In case you missed it, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg won the Best Real-Life Hero at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. She was also nominated in the Best Fight category for her fight against inequality, but lost to Captain Marvel’s fight against Minn-Erva. [The Hill]

* A student from Florida A&M Law has filed suit against the school, claiming that FAMU didn’t respond appropriately after an admissions counselor allegedly sexually assaulted and harassed her. We’ll have more on this later. [Daily Business Review]

* Law firm diversity score cards are here, and…. African-American lawyers are still not being represented. Yikes. [Law.com]

* Judge Kozinski may be gone from the Ninth Circuit, but it is still hard work to change the culture there. [Big Law Business]

* Oakland is the second city looking to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms. Plan your vacations accordingly. [The Hill]

* In a continuing embarrassment to NYC, Rudy Giuliani wants a new role in the 2020 Trump campaign. [Politico]

* 5 firms have been cut out of the NFL concussion case. [Law360]

* Ted Wells for the defense, in New Jersey tax incentives case. [National Law Journal]

* Will New York strengthen sexual harassment laws? Well, maybe. But at least they’re having hearing on the issue. [New York Law Journal]