Tony Mauro

* Thanks to the not-so-orphaned Kennedy clerks, this Term could see a record number of clerks at the Supreme Court, as Tony Mauro reports. [National Law Journal]

* Speaking of clerks, I talk quite a bit about them and their role in this interview with Kaley Pillinger about my writing career (from Underneath Their Robes to Above the Law to Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link)). [The Politic]

* Speaking of SCOTUS, and more specifically of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the high court, Ed Whelan responds to the arguments of Senate Democrats against — yes, against — the prompt provision of records from Kavanaugh’s years as White House counsel. [Bench Memos / National Review]

* If Judge Kavanaugh becomes Justice Kavanaugh, how will that affect the Court’s business jurisprudence? Adam Feldman has this analysis. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* The failure of Ryan Bounds’s Ninth Circuit nomination could be a “teachable moment” for Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), according to Will Folks. [FITSNews]

* Speaking of disappointing failures to confirm, Paul Mirengoff shares my frustration over the inexcusable delays in Department of Justice confirmations. [Power Line]

* It’s unfair to dismiss Seinfeld as “a show about nothing”; episodes offer insight into numerous legal issues — for example, the law of conspiracy. [Seinfeld Law]

* Kal Raustiala and Christopher Jon Sprigman offer interesting reflections on how data-driven authorship might affect the way we think about creativity and copyright. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

* If you’re interested in litigation finance, there’s a conference coming up next month here in New York that you might want to check out. [LF Dealmakers Forum]

The results are dismal.

Gorsuch's clerk seems to hate working people as much as his boss.

Who's the oldest person ever to serve as a Supreme Court clerk?

A game of musical chairs -- lots of movement into and out of the office.

* The Russia investigation now turns to President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — proud holder of a law degree from NYU (and a really great set of abs). [Washington Post]

* Former Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), currently senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson, has withdrawn from consideration as FBI Director (as my colleague Staci Zaretsky predicted, after Marc Kasowitz got hired by President Trump to represent him in the Russia probe). [New York Times]

* Congratulations to Judge Amul Thapar, President Trump’s first lower-court nominee, on his confirmation to the Sixth Circuit — although it’s disappointing that no Democrats voted in favor of this eminently qualified (and diverse) candidate. [How Appealing]

* Despite allegedly roughing up a reporter (for which he’s apologized), Republican Greg Gianforte won the race for Montana’s sole seat in the House of Representatives (as my colleague Joe Patrice predicted he would). [New York Times]

* How did Michelle Obama react when Barack Obama declined to pursue a coveted Supreme Court clerkship? Tony Mauro tells the tale. [Law.com]

* The ABA continues to fight the good (or not so good?) fight in defense of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. [ABA Journal]

* It seems that some folks on Capitol Hill like my proposed solution to the use of “blue slips” in the judicial confirmation process. [Washington Post via How Appealing]

* The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office concludes that a slew of murder convictions based on dubious evidence from embattled detective Louis Scarcella must be thrown out — and yet Scarcella engaged in no wrongdoing. [New York Times]

* Biglaw firms are suffering from an oversupply of lawyers, and a quarter of respondents to a recent survey said their associates don’t have enough work — which might explain why at least one firm has turned to laying off first-year associates. Yikes. [ABA Journal]

Let's learn more about this formidable foursome.

Handicapping the field of legal superstars in line for a coveted post.

* Tony Mauro hangs out with Meg Ryan — no, not the actress, but the SCOTUS clerk and JAG lawyer turned judge and possible Supreme Court nominee. [National Law Journal via How Appealing]

* Speaking of SCOTUS, ain’t no mountain high enough for the Notorious RBG. [The Onion]

* New partner watch: congrats to the three new partners at an elite boutique (that just announced nice bonuses): Blair Kaminsky, Neil Lieberman, and Daniel Sullivan. [Holwell Shuster & Goldberg]

* During this holiday season, help two lawyers help the homeless. [What About Clients?]

* If you have to ask whether something is allowed under HIPAA, the answer is probably no. [MedCity News]

* Orin Kerr on the latest skirmish in the “Magistrate’s Revolt” — an opinion by Magistrate Judge James Orenstein that Kerr believes is “clearly wrong.” [Volokh Conspiracy]

* Did the media misread Donald Trump during the campaign, taking him literally but not seriously (when it should’ve been the other way around)? [Althouse]

Ed. note: As mentioned on Wednesday, we will be publishing today, but at a reduced level. We’ll be back in full force on Monday. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

* President-elect Donald Trump will likely pick a lawyer as his nominee for Secretary of State: Rudy Giuliani (NYU Law ’68) or Mitt Romney (Harvard Law ’75). [New York Times]

* Where do broken hearts go? Some precedents for Chief Judge Merrick Garland to follow from unsuccessful Supreme Court nominees. [Associated Press via How Appealing]

* A pre-Thanksgiving ruling from the Florida Supreme Court that gave one prisoner something to be grateful for could signal more upheaval to come in the nation’s second largest death row. [BuzzFeed]

* Three more judges participated in Pennsylvania’s “Porngate” email exchanges — but it seems that Bruce Beemer, the state’s new attorney general, won’t be naming names. [ABA Journal]

* What does the future hold for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and its chief, Chicago Law grad and former SCOTUS clerk Richard Cordray? [New York Times]

* It’s not just a plot line from Suits: Reginald Taylor, accused of posing as a lawyer by stealing an attorney’s bar number, apparently delivered decent results for his clients. [The Daily Beast]

* Don’t mess with (federal judges from) Texas, Mr. President; Judge Amos Mazzant, who blocked President Obama’s proposed extension of overtime pay, isn’t the first Lone Star jurist to cause problems for the Obama Administration. [New York Times via How Appealing]

* Thinking of hitting the movies over the long weekend? Tony Mauro shares our own Harry Graff’s enthusiasm for Loving. [National Law Journal]

Which law schools and feeder judges produced the most SCOTUS clerks for the upcoming Term?

Justice Scalia had a way with words -- including insults.

You can probably guess the firm, but can you guess the number of SCOTUS clerks it picked up?

Judge Kopf, retired from blogging himself, would like other jurists to take up the mantle.

Appearing before the high court involves high billing rates -- but that doesn't make those rates unreasonable.

Philip Alito, son of Justice Alito, recently left Gibson Dunn for a new job; where is he now?

* I guess 15 minutes of fame can really mess with you. The “cute mugshot girl” who took the Internet by storm a while back managed to get arrested again. Negative attention is still attention. [Gawker]

* The DOJ is about to file corruption charges against Senator Robert Menendez. Corruption in New Jersey? [CNN]

* With the assistance of the pro bono legal teams at WilmerHale and Polsinelli, 303 conservatives filed a historic amicus brief in support of marriage equality. [WilmerHale]

* A nice review of “A Conversation on Clerking” moderated by U.S. Supreme Court reporter Anthony Mauro of the National Law Journal, with panelists including our own David Lat; Judge Patricia Millett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; and Lucas Townsend, an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and former clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. [American Bar Association]

* Looking for an extra $1,000 this year? Enter this legal fiction writing contest. Maybe you’ll write the next Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). [The Expert Institute]

What is the new market rate for Supreme Court clerkship bonuses? It's pretty darn high -- you could buy a house with this number....

Justice Scalia and legal writing guru Bryan Garner have written a new book. What's it all about?

We spent a fair amount of time last week in lovely Charlottesville, Virginia, where we spoke at the University of Virginia Law School (coverage of our talk appears here and here). We spent lots of quality time with UVA Law students — at dinner, at a karaoke bar, and walking around the beautiful grounds. One […]