Roy Moore

* You’ve probably heard by now — Democrat Doug Jones is the newly elected Senator from Alabama. Donald Trump has accepted his party’s defeat in the Republican stronghold, but Roy Moore has yet to concede. [CNN]

* Rod Rosenstein will testify in front of the the House Judiciary Committee today. He’s expected to face questions about special counsel, Robert Mueller,  and potential conflicts of interest. [Los Angeles Times]

* Former House speaker Dennis Hastert is not to be left alone with children. That’s one of several new conditions federal district judge Thomas Durkin placed on Hastert, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to violating federal banking laws in connection with a scheme to cover-up his sexual abuse of teenage boys. [Washington Post]

* Senator Chuck Schumer does not play. He called the police after a forged document began circulating falsely accusing the senator of sexual harassment. [Axios]

* The Ninth Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the Federal Arbitration Act. The plaintiffs claimed AT&T falsely advertised their “unlimited” service plans; the novel legal issue asked the court to hold AT&T be considered as acting for the state. [Law.com]

* Mecklenburg County, N.C. went public with their decision not to pay after being hit with a ransomware attack. Their data was backed up, the best defense against this kind of cyber attack. [Big Law Business]

* This weekend was full of huge news in Trumpland. Following Michael Flynn’s guilty plea, President Trump tweeted that he fired Flynn because he lied to the FBI. If you recall, Trump originally said that he’d fired Flynn because his former NSA adviser had lied to Vice President Pence. [New York Times]

* Here’s why Trump’s shift is pretty important, according to Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller: “Oh my god, he just admitted to obstruction of justice. If Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI when he asked Comey to let it go, then there is your case.” [The Hill]

* Slow your roll, prosecutors. President Trump is now saying that he never asked former FBI director James Comey to stop investigating Flynn, even though Comey testified to that version of events before Congress. Per Trump, it’s “[j]ust more Fake News covering another Comey lie!” [CBS News]

* But wait, there’s even more! It seems that President Trump wasn’t the author of that tweet. Apparently it was written by one of his lawyers, John Dowd, who now says it was “[his] mistake” as he’s “out of the tweeting business” and “did not mean to break news.” [Washington Post; Axios]

* Finally, in case you missed it, the Senate passed its version of the tax bill in the dead of night as it was still being written, with a 20 percent tax rate for corporations. Now, President Trump — the client who will never be satisfied — says that rate might go up to 22 percent. [CNBC]

* Last, but not least, President Trump has endorsed accused child-toucher Roy Moore via tweet (obviously) for the Republican Senate seat that was left open by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. This has reached a whole new level of ridiculousness. [CNN]

* In other news, CVS is planning to buy Aetna for $69 billion. We’ve not yet seen which law firms are representing the companies on the deal, but this is a move that could seriously change the way our health care system looks. (And as an aside, it could seriously change the way your EOBs look, since CVS is a fan of those absurdly long receipts.) [DealBook / New York Times]

* Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer who served just three months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, is now appealing, claiming that his trial was “fundamentally unfair.” Most would counter that raping an unconscious woman in the street is what’s really “fundamentally unfair,” but that’s neither here nor there. [NBC News]

* After about two weeks of silence, President Trump has finally spoken out about the sexual misconduct allegations that Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore is facing. Seeming to indicate support for the accused child molester, the president said, “Roy Moore denies it. That’s all I can say,” before he ripped into Moore’s opponent. [AL.com]

* “Practically every law school in the country is offering more tuition discounts or scholarships than they did pre-2010.” Now is apparently a great time to apply to law school, if only because it’ll wind up being cheaper than it’s been in years. [U.S. News]

* Biglaw is getting in on the green rush in Canada ahead of its nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana. Dentons, Cassels Brock, and Stikeman Elliott each have roles as counsel in a huge cannabis deal in the Great White North. [Am Law]

* Another federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from banning transgender people from serving in the military, ruling that the ban “cannot possibly constitute a legitimate governmental interest.” We can’t wait to see the president’s angry tweets about this. [Reuters]

* When it comes to parental leave at Biglaw firms, staff members are really getting the short end of the stick. In fact, at some firms, hourly staff members aren’t even considered for parental leave benefits. [Big Law Business]

* Judge William M. Hoeveler, legendary jurist (S.D. Fla.), RIP. [Miami Herald]

* Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thinks that the people of Alabama should choose Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a write-in candidate to replace alleged pederast Roy Moore on the ballot for his former seat, but the AG has no desire to return to the Senate. [NPR]

* The Ninth Circuit has temporarily allowed part of Travel Ban 3.0 to proceed. While that means issuances of visas to citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen will be restricted, there’s a catch. Applicants with concrete ties to the country will be exempt. [POLITICO]

* Wisconsin is so desperate to get lawyers to help indigent criminal defendants in rural areas that lawmakers have introduced new legislation that calls for the state to fund law school loan payments of up to $20,000 a year in exchange for the representation of these clients in need. [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

* Newsflash: In-house legal departments are planning to spend more on outside counsel in 2018. This is the first time this will have happened in more than a decade. Hopefully Biglaw’s fee hikes don’t come back to bite them. [Corporate Counsel]

* After a two-month national postal survey, Australians have voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of same-sex marriage. Now it’s up to the country’s government to work out the details of the bill that will bring marriage equality down under. Congrats! [CNN]

* Per recently filed FEC paperwork, the Republican Party’s campaign arm has severed financial ties with would-be Alabama senator Roy Moore thanks to his allegedly pervy predilections. If there’s no grass on the field, the GOP won’t play ball, but this man will probably still be elected. [The Daily Beast]

* Starting today, members of the public will be able to access briefs and relevant case documents from the Supreme Court’s website for the first time in history. This will be pretty cool for a day or two, and then people will go back SCOTUSblog, to the OG of high court documentation. [Washington Post]

* After seeing a five-year nose-dive, the number of LSAT-takers has ticked upwards ever so slightly over the course of the past two years. Law schools are probably thrilled given the dearth of quality applicants, but this is likely little comfort for the LSAC given the unexpected rise of the GRE. [Law.com]

* Late last week, a judge ruled favorably for Kerrie Campbell in a discovery dispute in her gender bias case against the now-defunct Chadbourne & Parke. Campbell will be able to review the personal email accounts of the firm’s former leaders for any documents relevant to the case. [American Lawyer]

* A 12-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating seizures and was forced to move from Texas to Colorado for treatment is suing Attorney General Jeff Sessions in an effort to legalize medical marijuana nationwide. The government has already lost its first motion to dismiss her case. [The Hill]

* Federal judges with lifetime appointments: They’re just like recent law school graduates! The Senate Judiciary Committee just confirmed Brett J. Talley to the Middle District of Alabama, despite the fact that he’s got less than years of experience, has never argued a motion, and was declared “not qualified” by the ABA. Awesome. [The Hill]

* Calling all defenders of Roy Moore: “If You Refuse to Condemn Predators because of Politics, You’re Disgusting.” [National Review]

* Thanks to all of the recent sexual assault accusations that have been lodged against men in the entertainment industry, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has set up a task force to deal with these star-studded Hollywood cases. [Jezebel]

* News that the law school cartel in the United States is in crisis has finally made its way across the pond. Should solicitors and barristers care? [Legal Cheek]

* Dozens of DACA recipients have had their renewal applications rejected due to mail delays, and they have no right to appeal. This is awful. [New York Times]

* One of Roy Moore’s former law school classmates says he isn’t surprised that the former judge was accused of having a “sexual encounter” with an underage girl. He warns Alabama to “beware of false prophets,” because he’s seen “Bible-thumping, God-fearing hypocrites” all his life — and Moore is one of them. [Washington Examiner]

* Much to President Trump’s the DOJ’s chagrin, AT&T has no plans to sell CNN in order to push through its deal with Time Warner. [DealBook / New York Times]

* Earlier this week, the Supreme Court released its first opinion of the October 2017 Term, less than a month after hearing oral arguments in the case. Justice “Rapid Ruth” Ginsburg wrote the Court’s unanimous opinion in record time. [Associated Press]

* Who is Kate O’Scannlain? You’re not the only one who has no idea, but she’s the Trump administration’s pick for solicitor of labor. You may be familiar with her dad, though. He’s a senior judge on the Ninth Circuit. [Big Law Business]

* According to a new report by the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance, although 2017 was a record year, women are still lagging behind men when it comes to making partner in law firms. This is apparently news to some people? [American Lawyer]

* A juror who was dismissed from Senator Bob Menendez’s bribery trial says she thinks this is going to end in a hung jury. She says if she would’ve stuck around, “he would have been ‘not guilty’ on every charge.” [New York Post]

* The jury will be kept away from the press for the FIFA corruption case over concerns of a media frenzy. Americans respond, “what’s a FIFA?” [Law360]

* Some people think we’re cranky lawyers, but this woman seems way crankier. [Law.com]

* Roy Moore says kneeling during the national anthem is illegal showing the sort of crack legal acumen that got him kicked off the courts twice. [Washington Post]

* Everyone’s giving money to Cy Vance. You know, just in case they need to have a meeting with him. [New York Law Journal]

* In case someone out there hasn’t gotten the memo, law firms are the weak link in cybersecurity. [Business Insider]

* Harvard Law student kicked off American Airlines flight with her baby. [The Root]

* A student guide to judicial clerkships. [Prawfs Blawg]

* Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore has won the Republican primary runoff election for the Senate seat that was once occupied by AG Jeff Sessions. Perhaps we can look forward to history repeating itself and Moore being twice suspended if he wins the special election. [New York Times]

* Senate Republicans don’t have the votes for the Graham-Cassidy effort to repeal Obamacare to pass, but not to worry, because they’ll be back at it again soon via the 2019 budget reconciliation process, and next time, they’re going to be transparent, hold committee hearings, and even consult Democrats. [CNN]

* The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security has refused to waive Jones Act shipping restrictions that are preventing Puerto Rico from getting the gasoline and supplies that are so desperately needed for the island’s recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria. Senator John McCain is pissed, and says it’s time to repeal the “archaic and burdensome” Act. [Reuters]

* Freedom hangs in the balance for Making a Murderer’s Brendan Dassey, whose case was heard before the full Seventh Circuit yesterday. According to court watchers, the judges seemed split, and we can’t help but to wonder what Judge Richard Posner would have thought. [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

* Irell & Manella’s Andrei Iancu, President Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is awaiting confirmation. There’s no better way to bide our time while we wait than to discuss the fact that he’d been pulling down a $4 million paycheck at the firm. We’ll have more on this later. [Am Law Daily]

* “How can you expect companies to do the right thing when you[r] agency has not?” U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton is taking heat over the fact that his agency was hacked in 2016, but nothing was mentioned about it until last week. He’s set a great example. [Big Law Business]

* According to a recent study, no matter what women do, in most cases, they’ll continue to earn less than men. The ban on asking employees about their salary history is doing nothing for women; in fact, they’re being penalized for refusing to disclose their salaries, while men are being rewarded. [The Careerist]