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Does this spell the end of the oft-criticized California High Speed Rail project? Last week, a Sacramento judge nearly put the brakes on the project, but stopped short of a full shutdown, reports the Los Angeles Times. In a rare case of a court’s ruling reflecting common perception, the court ruled that the state has failed to live up to its promises to voters and would need to remedy a number of shortfalls, including finding funding, before the “train to nowhere” could proceed....

Choosing the right suit requires some surprisingly complex calculations. Do you go with something fancy and bespoke, letting your (supposed) success shine through in Italian tailoring? Or something more subdued and affordable, to show clients that you won’t gouge them for every last penny? Do you go with solids or pinstripes? Mad-Men-skinny or 80’s-Power-Suit-boxy? Blue or gray? (Never black!) And if the suit makes the man, picking a suit can be even more difficult when you’re a transgender lawyer....

Ranting and raving online is all the rage, but free speech can be costly for lawyers and law students. That’s why you may want to clean up your social media accounts before they affect the status of your career. The reasons are obvious: HR managers are increasingly looking at online profiles to make hiring decisions, while current and potential clients may pass judgment on your skills based on something you post to your networks....

A bad boss can make an already difficult job unbearable. An annoying or aggressive coworker can turn every day at the firm into a crucible. But sadly, we’re all going to run into terrible bosses and miserable coworkers at some point. Thankfully, there’s more you can do than just gritting your teeth and counting to ten. To help you out, here are our top tips on dealing with problem partners, insupportable support staff, and straight up jerks....

A Florida appeal court overturned a ruling of contempt over a woman whose cell phone rang loudly inside a courtroom. The court ruled that a judge went too far by stopping proceedings an ordering a cell phone to be tossed into the garbage after it rang in the court. The appeals court ruling concluded that McRoy’s actions did not meet the necessary legal standards for contempt. Although McRoy admitted that she hadn’t checked to see that it was turned off after her sister used it outside the courtroom, the appeal court judge said there was not sufficient legal grounds or evidence to hold her in contempt....

You guys, Area 51 exists! So conspiracy theorists can gloat – sort of. Alas, the recently declassified CIA report mentions UFOs, but it doesn’t make any mention of strange creatures being kept in the area northwest of Las Vegas. The area was a real-life government facility, but the “UFOs” were apparently planes from U-2 and OXCART aerial surveillance programs. So why were the documents only released now? The map and other documents were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted by Jeffrey T....

Donald Trump campaigned on border security. One of his first executive orders as president directed “the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border.” And he allowed the federal government to shut down for three weeks to secure funding for wall construction. Now, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump plans to declare a state of emergency at the southern border to finally get what he wants....

Yep. Yeah. Uh-huh. You can totally get fired if you decide it’s a good idea to turn up N.W.A.’s “F* Tha Police” as a few officers stroll into your restaurant to eat. It won’t help matters to dance, laugh, and sing along when a deputy comes over to ask you about it. And it certainly won’t help your case if that same deputy happens to be a regular customer and know the restaurant’s owner, while you are just a lowly dishwasher....

In typical appellate court fashion, while attempting to make a cute quip in the decision reversing the dismissal of the class complaint, Candelore v. Tinder, alleging age discrimination against the dating app Tinder, the court swiped the wrong way. Nevertheless, it’s still pretty funny that at the end of the introduction, the opinion actually states: “Accordingly, we swipe left, and reverse.” And while this cute language is notable on its own, the facts and issues in the case are also legally fascinating, particularly for California litigators familiar with one of the plaintiffs’ bar’s favorite causes of action in the state: Unruh....

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was arrested for allegedly assaulting his own mother. All forms of assault are bad, but how low do you have to go to reportedly assault your own mom? Bryant is accused of slapping his mom and grabbing her by her hair. Bryant stands at six feet two inches and weighs 220 pounds. His mother, Angela Bryant, called 911 herself, reports ESPN. Surprisingly, this is only Bryant’s first arrest....

“Lock the Door. It’s Domino’s.” Two Domino’s Pizza employees in their formative early-30’s have been fired and now face criminal charges after they filmed some gross goings-on in the restaurant kitchen, and then posted the video on a little mom-and-pop operation known as “YouTube.com.” The video shows one of the workers, Michael Setzer, putting cheese up his nose and waving salami slices near his rear end while making a sandwich at a Domino’s in Conover, N....

Among fast food burger joints, few have so carefully refined their brand and image as In-N-Out Burger. The limited (and secret) menu, the California vibe, and the customer service make it everyone’s first stop when they hit the West Coast. But as anyone who’s stopped at an In-N-Out knows, those lines can get pretty long, and many of us have dreamt about having a Double-Double delivered instead. In steps food delivery service DoorDash....

Are you a fan of Manhattan’s South Korean “massage parlors?” Did you perhaps call one, looking not for a message, but instead for a “girlfriend experience?” Were you silly enough to use your real phone to make that call? Well, congratulations! Federal authorities now have your phone number, and possibly some identifying information, like hair color or whether or not you were a jerk when you visited. Do you not know what a burner phone is?...

Attorney and gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar is an all-around American hero. Not only did she win three gold medals and one silver in the 1984 Summer Olympics in swimming, she was instrumental in raising awareness and fighting to end sexual and other abuses against student and young athletes. But she didn’t start out on the path to lawyer/hero until after her Olympic success. After the ‘84 Olympics, she returned to school, finished her undergraduate degree, then began working for the Women’s Sports Foundation....

Lee v. Fid. Nat’l Title Ins. Co., A124730, concerned a challenge to the trial court’s grant of defendant-insurer’s motion for summary judgment in plaintiffs’ suit against their insurer for refusing coverage under a title policy. In reversing the judgment, the court held that defendant was not entitled to summary judgment on the causes of action for breach of contract, bad faith, or declaratory relief based on the evidence that APN 22 is located outside the land as legally described in the title policy....

The big story this week is that Manafort, the president’s former campaign manager, has been indicted through Mueller’s investigation. The money-laundering allegations against Manafort have also entangled his daughter, Jessica Manafort, and the family’s Airbnb businesses. Only in Washington. And Russia. And now New York. How does Airbnb have anything to do with this? New York Property According to the indictment, Paul Manafort spent about $18 million in laundered money on a lavish lifestyle....

In proceedings arising from a termination of parental rights, a court of appeals’ dismissal of parent’s appeal is affirmed where: 1) in circumstances where appointed counsel for an appealing parent files a brief raising no issues, a court of appeal has the discretion to permit the parent to personally file a brief but must do so only upon a showing of good cause that an arguable issue does, in fact, exist; and 2) here, the court of appeal properly declined to permit the parent to personally file a brief because the parent failed to make such a showing....

Before handing the Jerry Sandusky case off to the jury, Judge John Cleland reminded the jury that while they may believe that the former Penn State coach exercised poor judgment in showering with children, that in itself does not equal a crime. Instead, prosecutors have the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Sandusky sexually assaulted the alleged victims. With the jury deliberating Sandusky’s fate, now may be a good time to review the makeup of Jerry Sandusky’s jury....

A New York City hot dog vendor who thought he was being slick by hiking the prices up on tourists is now out of a job and facing criminal charges. Ahmed Mohammed was supposed to be charging $3.99 price for two hot dogs and a soda, according to his boss Abdelalim Abdelbaky. But a New Jersey resident accused Mohammed of charging him $30 for a hot dog and drink, and WNBC caught him on video charging a buyer with a French accent $15 for a hot dog and pretzel....

MMA Fighter Joe Torrez was the clear victor when he allegedly defended himself and his family during a home invasion. Torrez claims that four known gang members threatened him and broke into his home. In the melee, one intruder was killed, another sent to the hospital, while the others fled the scene, according to the New York Daily News. Torrez’s attorney claims that the MMA fighter was only defending his family....