Mitch McConnell

He can shut the hell up.

It is difficult to know what to make of this rare display of what at first glance appears to be integrity from a Republican senator not previously known for such things.

* Clarence Thomas brings on Elliot Berke to represent him in his ethical quagmire, marking the first sign Thomas is starting to take his scandals seriously. [Bloomberg Law News]

* Mitch McConnell froze again. Cornell Law professor Michael Dorf examines the constitutional gaps for dealing with the issue. [Dorf on Law]

* DOJ moves to stop upcoming Titanic expedition because… obviously. [CNN]

* Lawyer tried to sub in a fake client during an arraignment. Gotta admit, that’s a new one! [ABA Journal]

* Judge in Sam Bankman-Fried case wants all postponement requests filed immediately because he’s tired of vague claims about what might happen in the future based on nothing, which if you think about it is how this case got here in the first place. [Fortune]

* Not a great week for the Proud Boys. [Reuters]

At this point only the thinnest rhetorical veneer separates us from corporations simply being able to give money outright to their favorite politicians -- to be able to legally bribe them.

Wisdom comes from experience. But not automatically.

Amy Coney Barrett murders irony with Mitch McConnell looking on.

* A Texas electricity utility is being sued over alleged price gouging. Guess it’s not normal to get an electric bill for nearly $10,000… [Houston Chronicle]

* Immigration lawyers in Massachusetts are asking to be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. [Boston.com]

* Check out this article about the best options for term limits at the Supreme Court. [Bloomberg Law]

* Mitch McConnell is backing Merrick Garland’s nomination to be Attorney General. [CBS News]

* A Pennsylvania lawyer pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from his former wife and mother-in-law to purchase porn, strip club visits, and other items. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

* A series of lawsuits have been filed against manufacturers of baby food in recent months. And this litigation is not child’s play… [National Law Review]

* Donald Trump has reportedly dumped Rudy Giuliani as his personal lawyer. Wonder if he was told “you’re fired“… [CNN]

* Lawyers for an alleged Capitol rioter are reportedly trying to use Mitch McConnell’s words about President Trump’s actions to their advantage. [Law and Crime]

* A former Florida lawyer, whose pants literally caught on fire during a trial in 2017, has allegedly been charged with cocaine possession. [New York Post]

* A new lawsuit filed by a Democratic Congressman alleges that Donald Trump and others conspired to cause the January 6th Capitol riot. [Reuters]

* Dominion Voting Systems reportedly plans on filing a lawsuit against the CEO of MyPillow after he said “please sue me.” He’s probably still sleeping well at night… [Newsweek]

McConnell voluntarily chose to relentlessly dissent, and thus voluntarily chose to acquit Trump.

Not the answer to 'who's your favorite justice?' that most people give.

Making the legalization of cannabis a focus in national politics is so brilliant it's shocking the Democrats did it.

* Rapper Master P’s lawsuit against a marijuana investment firm has gone up in smoke. Guess the chances at success were just a pipe dream, and the arguments were half baked (I can go all day). [GeekWire]

* Although Mitch McConnell may be nervous about a large amount of COVID-19 personal injury lawsuits, only a small number of such cases have been filed to date. [Politico]

* Check out the list of Billboard’s top music lawyers for 2020. [Billboard]

* Attorney General Barr had some heated exchanges with House Democrats at hearings on the Hill yesterday. [USA Today]

* A criminal defendant may receive a new trial because a juror who is a lawyer did his or her own legal research on the case. This attorney should know better… [ABA Journal]

* Reese Witherspoon is facing a class action over statements that allegedly implied she’d give teachers an unlimited amount of free dresses. Elle Woods and Tracy Flick would have talked to counsel before making any offers… [Hollywood Reporter]

* Mitch McConnell is proposing sweeping immunity from claims relating to COVID-19 in exchange for additional government relief. [CNN]

* Check out this article on the challenges facing bar candidates this summer. [Forbes]

* Alex Jones has hired a new lawyer to represent him in Sandy Hook defamation litigation. [Connecticut Law Tribune]

* The feds have shut down the website of a Kentucky man who claimed to have a vaccine for COVID-19. Real life is looking more and more like the movie Contagion with every passing day. [Courier Journal]

Justin Walker's warp speed nomination process was always suspicious, but now it really feels weird.

Do it for the Gipper!

The "liability shield" could loom large in league plans.

These changes will last a lifetime.

Some Republicans even have problems with how it’s shaping up.

McConnell is just toying with these people now.

* It’s back to work for the justices of the Supreme Court as the October Term 2019 gets started today, with major cases on LGBTQ rights, immigration, abortion, guns, and religion scheduled to be heard over the course of this year. Here’s a good summary of five cases to watch. [New York Times]

* Are appellate advocates ready for a kinder, gentler experience before the Supreme Court? They’ll now receive two minutes of uninterrupted time at the beginning of oral arguments. This is a “dramatic change” of pace for the high court. [National Law Journal]

* According to Mark Zaid, the lawyer for whistleblower #1, there are now two whistleblowers on President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, and the second one reportedly has firsthand knowledge of some of the allegations detailed in the original complaint. [ABC News]

* “All of you know your Constitution. The way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority with me as majority leader.“ Sen. Mitch McConnell is promising to end the impeachment proceedings against Trump in his latest campaign ads. [Louisville Courier Journal]

* Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes hasn’t paid her lawyers in more than a year, and now they’ve asked a judge to let them off her case. “It is unfair and unreasonable to require Cooley to continue representing Ms. Holmes in this action,” her disgruntled attorneys wrote in their motion. [Mercury News]

* “[If] I cannot keep my oath of office, I’d rather die than live without honor.” A judge in Thailand shot himself in court in an apparent attempt to take his own life after acquitting men of murder charges whom he’d reportedly been pressured to convict. [The Guardian]