Steven Avery

* An MLB umpire was awarded $500,000 after filing a defamation lawsuit against a former pro baseball player. Guess his lawyers hit the case out of the park and that can buy a lot of peanuts and Cracker Jacks… [USA Today]

* Fox News has hired a new general counsel as it battles a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. [Reuters]

* Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer claimed his client is going blind and is missing teeth in a bid to block extradition to California. [Fox News]

* A New York attorney recently appeared on Jeopardy! [Bronx Times]

* A lawyer for Marking a Murderer‘s Steven Avery claims a new witness’s statements may exonerate her client. Maybe there’ll be another season of the series after all… [Newsweek]

* A receiver may be appointed to oversee the dissolution of Cellino & Barnes. That receiver would have tough decisions about what to do with the jingle. [New York Post]

* The former police officer accused of killing George Floyd is being represented by a new lawyer. [Reuters]

* An attorney who is also a police officer has been prohibited from working on traffic matters in courts located in the county where he is a cop. [Bloomberg Law]

* President Trump is already being challenged over an executive order he signed targeting social media. [Washington Post]

* Steven Avery, a subject of the Netflix series Making a Murderer, has been diagnosed with COVID-19 according to his lawyer. [Daily Beast]

* The Washington State Attorney General is suing tuna companies for allegedly fixing the price of their product. Hope the defendants don’t use “canned” arguments when defending the case. [Spokesman Review]

* “The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced that Congress will launch a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. [Washington Post]

* Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have promised to quickly do away with any articles of impeachment that are passed by the House, especially if they’re based on the Mueller report, says Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham. This Ukraine incident, on the other hand… [The Hill]

* That having been said, Senate Republicans actually participated in and unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution calling on the White House to disclose the Ukraine whistleblower complaint. [Vox]

* And in the interim, the White House seems to be working on a deal to allow the whistleblower who filed a complaint against Trump to speak with congressional investigators, and the director of national intelligence is likely to release a redacted version of the complaint. [New York Times]

* Former Vice President Joe Biden supports the impeachment effort against Trump, saying that “[d]enying Congress information to which it is constitutionally entitled and obstructing its efforts to investigate actions is not the conduct of an American president.” [New York Times]

* According to Working Mother’s ranking of the Top 100 Companies, only five Biglaw firms made the cut for 2019. Not only that, but those firms are getting beaten by the Big Four when it comes to women’s success and family-friendly policies. [American Lawyer]

* In case you missed it, a “notable convicted murderer” in Wisconsin has reportedly confessed to the murder of Teresa Halbach — the murder for which Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey of Making a Murderer fame have spent years behind bars, all the while proclaiming their innocence. [Newsweek]

* You know who no one talked about at that convention? Merrick Garland. Here’s a theory as to why… [Lawyers, Guns & Money]

* Steven Avery is not pleased with Dean Strang and Jerry Buting and he’s got a handwritten screed about it. [USA Today]

* Law professor has bats in her belfry. [Tax Prof Blog]

* Jury nullification in the murder of Bruce Banner. [The Legal Geeks]

* Professor Orly Lobel on the prisoner’s dilemma of reporting sexual harassment. [Fortune]

* This is how easily a Supreme Court vacancy is handled in a civilized country. [Legal Cheek]

* French court says Lockout was plagiarized from Escape From New York. I thought it was a little suspicious that Lockout followed the adventures of Lizard Flissken. [io9]

* What is the proper choice of law for space crimes? Um, pretty sure it’s Judge Dredd, but you write up your little piece anyway. [Seeker]

* Becoming addicted to Biglaw power. [Law and More]

* According to the latest report from the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at the Georgetown University Law Center, in a battle of the fittest, Biglaw firms may be heading the way of the dodo bird thanks to their refusal to evolve. [DealBook / New York Times]

* The members of the most prestigious sorority around — the women leaders of America’s Biglaw firms — dine together every few months to discuss the challenges associated with being in charge in a profession that’s essentially still a boys’ club. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

* The makeup of the Supreme Court and its justices’ past, present, and future rulings continue to be a big issue on the Election 2016 campaign trail, but what really makes this a true shame is that many U.S. citizens couldn’t name a single justice if they tried. [CNN]

* Why do Supreme Court justices love quoting Shakespeare so much? A study conducted by Scott and Ami Dodson found that Justice Antonin Scalia quoted The Bard most often in opinions, and perhaps it’s because some believe he was a lawyer himself. [Economist]

* Steven Avery, the defendant profiled in Making a Murderer, has a new lawyer who hopes to prove his innocence. Kathleen Zellner joins the Midwest Innocence Project to fight for his second exoneration after an allegedly wrongful conviction. [NBC Chicago]

* Former Wisconsin District Attorney Ken “I Am The Prize” Kratz — perhaps better known as the lead prosecutor in Netflix series “Making a Murderer” — outlines nine reasons why Steven Avery is actually guilty, despite the convict’s claims to the contrary. [The Wrap]

* Two law schools can expect to receive greater federal scrutiny when it comes to their student-aid dollars. Charleston Law and Thomas Jefferson Law join a host of for-profit beauty schools that will receive heightened cash monitoring. At least beauty school drop-outs have better job prospects. [Wall Street Journal via ABA Journal]

* More than 100 women lawyers, including former judges, law professors, and Biglaw partners, have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, each detailing their own abortion stories in order to “humanize the issue.” [National Law Journal; USA Today]

* DEY TERK ERR JERBS! A new presidential campaign ad for candidate Ted Cruz which discusses immigration features an “invasion” of foreign lawyers, bankers, and journalists entering the country illegally and taking American jobs. NOOOOO!!! [American Mirror]

* States that have legalized marijuana or are considering doing so are constantly making headlines, but it’s time to highlight the states where the possibility of marijuana reform seems laughable. These are the 11 states likely to be the last to legalize it. [USA Today]

* If you haven’t been watching Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer, then you’re missing Dean Strang’s turn on the catwalk. The compassionate defense attorney has turned into an “unlikely sex symbol.” Are you part of the #StrangGang? [The Guardian]

* Sometime later today, President Barack Obama will announce a sweeping package of executive actions related to gun restrictions. Stay tuned, grab your popcorn, and get ready for some hardcore constitutional litigation. [Washington Post]

* Happy New Year! We’re not even a full week into 2016, and the first Biglaw merger has already been announced. Lewis Roca Rothgerber has picked up Christie Parker & Hale, a 40-lawyer Southern California IP boutique. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

* Hipsters, thou shall be avenged sevenfold: The Justice Department has filed suit against Volkswagen in the wake of the automaker’s massive emissions scandal. The DOJ is seeking billions in damages over VW’s air-pollution violations. [New York Times]

* According to Ethan Couch’s lawyer, it may be weeks or months before the affluenza teen returns to the United States. A judge issued a temporary stay in his case after Couch argued that being deported from Mexico would somehow violate his civil rights. [CNN]

* Robert Wonsch, an Oklahoma process server, was arrested after allegedly coercing his female clients into performing sex acts in exchange for lowering his fees. He’s now facing several criminal counts. Good Lord, talk about ineffective service of process… [Reuters]

* Dale Bumpers, President Clinton’s impeachment defense lawyer, RIP. [New York Times]