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One of the most iconic pieces of facial hair from the last century was still in “its classic 10-past-10 position,” almost 30 years after its wearer was embalmed and buried. That’s how Lluis Penuelas, secretary general of the Dali Foundation, described Salvador Dali’s impeccably waxed mustache after the surrealist’s body was exhumed for DNA testing last week. His embalmer, Narcis Bardalet, was equally impressed, calling the discovery “a miracle,” adding, “Salvador Dali is forever....

Outlines? Nearly done. Practice questions? In progress. Thanksgiving plans? Cancelled. Christmas and New Year’s plans? Likely alcoholic. But first: finals. Bu wait: What about your 1L summer? Take it from me, kids: You need to be digging for a gig. And even if you do dig, there are pretty high odds that you’ll find nothing of note, thanks to, you know, the economy and all. But still, try. What’s that? Me?...

The Transportation Security Administration learns about a credible hijacking plot. It then pulls air marshals off of certain long-distance flights because of a budget shortfall. This was, in a word, stupid. Robert MacLean was one of those air marshals. After going to his supervisors and other proper channels, and after he was rebuked with warnings about his career, he anonymously tipped off the press. He was later fired. We’ve covered his case extensively, from the Federal Circuit’s opinion in his favor, holding that the Whistleblower Protection Act applied to his case, to that court’s denial of banc rehearing....

Midterm elections are heating up, absentee ballots are pouring in, and constitutional voting cases are on the docket. Is it the most wonderful time of the year or what?! Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, controversy stemming from a 2017 voting registration law recently came to a head. SB3, a Republican-backed law, requires new registrants to present, or promise to present within 30 days after the election, documents proving residency status. Though the rule has been in effect for over a year, Democrats waited until the eleventh hour to challenge its constitutionality, claiming it could disenfranchise voters, especially students, the poor, and those that would be turned away by long lines at the polls....

Accusing the hospital of failing to protect her medical records, former employee and pediatric nurse Kristen Haight has filed a $45 million ‘virgin’ lawsuit against NYU Langone Medical Center. The lawsuit claims that, after being diagnosed with and receiving treatment for endometriosis, doctors, nurses and administrative staff accessed Haight’s medical files, harassing her about her sex life and calling her a 41-year-old virgin in honor of the film. The media has yet to confirm the appropriateness of the nickname....

President Obama made a trio of nominations to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals: Patricia Millett, Nina Pillard and Robert Wilkins. The president preemptively warned Senate Republicans not to stand in their way. All three of the nominees are established lawyers with top ratings from the American Bar Association: Patricia Millett is a veteran appeals lawyer who worked in both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. Cornelia Pillard is a law professor at Georgetown University....

In a prosecution of defendant for possession of a firearm by a felon and drug related crimes, defendant’s appeal based on a claim that he was denied his right to bring a motion to withdraw his plea when his retained counsel announced he was unable to make the motion due to a conflict and the trial court refused to appoint new counsel for purposes of the motion is dismissed as defendant failed to obtain a certificate of probable cause as required by Penal Code section 1237....

In a prosecution for possession of methamphetamine and resisting arrest, trial court’s use of Judicial Counsel of California Criminal Jury Instructions CALCRIM No. 2550 when instructing the jury is upheld, as this standardized instruction does not improperly direct minority jurors to give way to majority jurors or improperly tell the jury that all criminal cases must be decided at some point. Read People v. Santiago, No. F056686 [HTML] Read People v....

Petition for Review of SEC Order In Riordan v. SEC, No. 10-1034, a petition for review of an order by the Securities and Exchange Commission, in which the SEC found petitioner liable for various violations of the securities laws and imposed heavy sanctions on him, the court denied the petition where the record overwhelmingly demonstrated that petitioner paid an official in return for state business; and 2) the SEC’s cease-and-desist order was not a “fine, penalty, or forfeiture” covered by the five-year statute of limitations in 28 U....

Scotland voters headed to the polls Thursday to decide whether their homeland should secede from the United Kingdom. But could American states vote to do the same? While there were definitely attempts at secession in the past (Civil War ring a bell?) there are questions about whether there’s even a legal right for U.S. states to do so. Vocativ reports that despite talks of U.S. states following Scotland’s example, states like Texas don’t have the legal authority to secede from the Union....

You may think that using ALL CAPS in emails may get your point across better, but some courts around the world have told people to just STOP already. For example, in England, a judge told an “insensitive” father that he has to stop emailing his children in all capital letters because it looks like he’s yelling at them. Apparently, the all-caps emails were hurting his role in a custody dispute, according to UPI....

Cliff Lee has been nothing short of spectacular in the post season this year. The Texas Rangers traded for Lee in July. He is now 7-0 in eight starts with a 1.26 ERA, 67 strikeouts and three complete games. There is already talk about Lee being the hottest pitcher on the market this offseason. Of course, first, there is the small matter of the World Series against the San Francisco Giants left to play....

Working for a large firm has its perks. Aside from the salary, you get to set your own hours, take unlimited vacation, even go on parental leave when you have a new child. Good luck taking advantage of any of that, though. Billable hours tend to trump all else. Lawyers who are new or expecting parents often find that, in the firm’s eyes, the work-life balance should always tilt towards work....

Lawyers usually take inspiration from colleagues or former professors. Tonight is your chance to get inspired by a wholly different set of noble scholars: Stephen Curry and co. of the Golden State Warriors. As you watch the Warriors take on the Cavaliers, consider these 5 lessons you can apply to your legal practice: It’s true in sports and also in the legal profession: perseverance pays off. In the case of the Warriors, it took 40 years to get to the championship, but I’m sure they’d agree: once you’re there it feels good!...

Today we have a case waged by five orca whales — Tilikum, Katina, Corky, Kasatka and Ulises — through their Next Friends, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), against Sea World. Proving that Justice isn’t blind to plaintiffs of the water-based mammal variety, a federal court dismissed the claim this week with prejudice. PETA and the whales claimed that Sea World violated the Thirteenth Amendment’s prohibitions against slavery and involuntary servitude by capturing the plaintiffs, and forcing them to live in grotesquely unnatural conditions and perform tricks....

In petitions for review of the FCC’s decision to eliminate dominant-carrier pricing regulation with respect to AT&T’s special access lines, the petitions are denied, where the FCC reasonably concluded that dominant-carrier pricing regulation is unnecessary to ensure just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory rates. Read Ad Hoc Telecomms. Users Cmtee. v. FCC, No. 07-1426 Appellate Information Argued February 20, 2009 Decided July 17, 2009 Judges Opinion by Judge Kavanaugh Counsel For Petitioners:...

Southern Cal. Edison Co. v. FERC, No. 05-1327, involved a petition for review of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision that the same method used for calculating transmission charges for station power must be used to calculate retail charges. The court of appeals granted the petition, holding that FERC’s authority did not preempt the state’s authority to set the netting period for station power - i.e., the pricing mechanism - in the retail market or to allow utilities to impose consumption charges....

So many naive law students start law school thinking that they will change the world in a public interest career. They will fight the good fight. They will represent the little guy. They will MAKE. A. DIFFERENCE. And then they end up doing doc review in a windowless office because they need a job to pay off their loans and (ideally) pay for food and rent. But today, we have a story of attorneys – nay, heroes – who found a way to stand up for the one thing that law students and lawyers alike hold dear....

In 2003, the Supreme Court kicked government out of the bedroom in Lawrence v. Texas; now the California Court of Appeals has kicked itself off of the adult film set. The court ruled last week in AIDS Healthcare Foundation v. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health that it would not compel a Los Angeles Department of Health officer to require adult film industry performers to wear condoms in the production of hardcore pornography and to obtain hepatitis B vaccinations....

In a petition for review of an FCC order setting forth the basis of its authority to institute the rate cap system relating to dial-up internet connections, the petition is denied where: 1) given the overlap between the internet and local calling issues involved, 47 U.S.C. section 251(i)’s specific saving of the Commission’s authority under section 201 against any negative implications from section 251 rendered the Commission’s reading of the provisions at least reasonable; 2) given that ISP-bound traffic lay at the intersection of the section 201 and sections 251-252 regime, it had no significance for the FCC’s section 201 jurisdiction over interstate communications that these telecommunications might be deemed to “terminate” at a local exchange carrier for purposes of section 251(b)(5)....