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The Environmental Protection Agency apparently has a contamination problem of its own, as an internal e-mail sent to employees at the Denver regional office asks them to stop pooping in the hallways. In the email, EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Howard Cantor refers to “recent incidents” including clogged toilets and “an individual placing feces in the hallway,” The Huffington Post reported last month. Like the famous children’s book says, everyone poops. But depending on where you do it, you could face legal consequences for taking care of your business in the wrong place....

In honor of National Dictionary Day, we’re pleased to offer a sequel to last year’s post about words only federal judges use. These are words that you’d be hard pressed to find outside judicial opinions or the legal environment – because, for some reason, lawyers like using archaic and complex language. 1. Pellucid. Sounds like: Lucid, but with some pells before it (whatever those are). Made cool by: Fellow blogger William Peacock’s favorite judge, Bruce Selya of the First Circuit, describing how crystal-clear a trial court judge was when explaining to a defendant that he was waiving a right to appeal as part of his plea agreement....

We always focus on college-aged students and whether they should go to law school. But what about nontraditional law students? Should mid-career professionals go to law school? What about the middle-aged? Law school is apparently a sucker’s bet in this economy, and unemployed attorneys have no one to blame but themselves. Is ditching an established career for law school really worth the risk? Some say no. Many law schools embrace the nontraditional law student....

The Law School Admissions Counsel has forever treated disabled students, who requested testing accommodations on the Law School Admissions Test, in a manner that many would argue was unfair: they’d grant the requested accommodation (once sufficient proof was proffered), but the agency would also flag the score to notify schools that it was taken under non-standard conditions. In essence, it was a scarlet letter or an asterisk for disabled students – they could score well on the test, but the LSAC was screaming “special circumstances” to schools, almost making it seem like the student didn’t deserve the score that he or she earned....

Meeting your Continuing Legal Education requirements can sometimes feel like a chore – but MCLE doesn’t have to be pain. (Really, we promise!) A good MCLE program isn’t just informative and educational, it also gives you the chance to network with colleagues and rub elbows with some of the state’s leading lawyers and judges. Take, for example, Civil Litigation Challenges: Excelling in the “Big League,” presented by The Rutter Group and the California Judges Association....

A prominent Cleveland defense attorney was publicly admonished for his potty-mouth. Craig Weintraub, who is best known for representing Ariel Castro, the man who kidnapped and imprisoned three women for over a decade, was overheard calling Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan a series of unprintable names. That lead to a contempt proceeding, some schoolmarm scolding from federal district Judge John Adams, and Weintraub’s public wrist slap. Weintraub, of course, thought the whole thing was F-ing ridiculous and that everyone should stop being such little $@#!...

In an action challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of an anthrax vaccine and seeking to enjoin the Defense Department from administering it to military personnel, dismissal of the complaint is affirmed where: 1) the court deferred to the FDA’s judgment that the vaccine was effective regardless of the route of exposure; and 2) the FDA did not act arbitrarily or capriciously in resting a finding of effectiveness on the results of a challenged study....

The wide world of sports often exists free of the laws that govern our behavior normally. For instance, cops aren’t arresting hockey players for assault and battery after a fight. And teams can punish players for their off-field behavior, even if the authorities don’t. Every now and then, though, federal lawmakers dip their regulatory toes into the sporting water. The Washington Post recently took a look at when, why, and how Congress gets involved in sports, and it got us thinking about other famous (and infamous) times the legislative branch turned its eye to the playing field....

Look, his name makes for a clever title, but much like the Kansas gubernatorial candidate who once upon a time (allegedly) got a lap dance, I still have no idea why this is a controversy. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery looks at porn, as do 66 percent of all men. McCaffery emailed porn and crude jokes back-and-forth with his buddies – many times, in fact. More than 230 emails were sent or received between him and his buddies, many of whom were using their state government e-mail accounts....

It’s that time of the year again: Someone in your office will inevitably come up with the idea of a Secret Santa. Even though your office may have one every year, some fresh new lawyer will suggest with glee what a great idea it would be to anonymously buy each other $20 gifts. Lawyers have never been known to be the greatest gift-givers around. That’s why most will typically stick to things like gift cards and cash....

One of the key roles of the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals is to hear reviews from the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB). This year, the court has issued a number of decisions affecting the rights of federal employees post-termination. Below, we’ve included a run-down of three of the more interesting employment law decisions handed down this year. 1. Fee Shifting and the Prevailing Party Rule After getting into an argument with a supervisor, USPS worker Thomas O....

It’s unusual to find a case that combines both haunted houses and a trademark lawsuit. Whether frightful or delightful, we stumbled across such a case today. In 1862, Sarah “Belle of New Haven” Pardee married William Wirt Winchester, of the famous Winchester repeating rifle family. The couple was the toast of New England society. In 1866, their infant daughter died, and Sarah fell into a deep depression. After William died in 1881, Sarah supposedly spoke with a medium who claimed that the Winchester family was being haunted by the victims of Winchester rifles....

In a case involving plaintiffs’ patent applications involving inventions that treat Alzheimer’s disease, district court’s ruling that plaintiffs were entitled to extended patent term adjustments under 35 U.S.C. section 154(b) due to the Patent and Trademark Office’s (PTO) delay in prosecuting their patent applications is affirmed as section 154(b) expressly permits this legal relief as the statutory language is clear, unambiguous, and intolerant of the PTO’s suggested interpretation. Read Wyeth & Elan Pharma Int’l Ltd....

It’s the moment law students have been waiting for (and dreading): grades. All that work, all that studying, all those tests are long-since past and your all-important grades lie before you on the screen – teasing, taunting, rewarding, and punishing you for the past few months. Your grades are here. Now what? Sometimes, the result is predictable. My Mass Media final felt like a bad night in prison and, sure enough, it was my worst grade in law school....

When it comes to high profile cases, right now, there may not be a higher profile celebrity case than the Bill Cosby criminal retrial. Although the retrial won’t be until next year, reports that Cosby has retained new attorneys have surfaced. Cosby selected attorney Tom Mesereau to lead his new team. Mesereau is most notably known for successfully defending Michael Jackson in the 2005 child molestation trial, as well as representing other celebrities including Mike Tyson and Suge Knight....

California’s Supreme Court recently announced an amendment to the California Rules of Court. Beginning July 1, 2016, published Court of Appeal decisions will no longer automatically “depublish” when the California Supreme Court grants review. The main impetus behind the move was to respect the opinions and wishes of jurists and lawyers throughout the state who generally felt that the opinions still had use beyond modification by the state high court. But the change is a trial run; the state will revisit the issue again after three years....

When companies reach a certain size, being hip, trendy, or popular often can seem out of reach. Corporate governance and cool just cannot mutually exist, as a GC or in house, you know it’s your job to be the bad guy and say “no.” Despite generating revenue and profits hand over fist, major companies often seek to buyout small companies that are hip or trending in order to absorb the company’s consumer base and growing brand....

The Deputy Director of the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Leandra English, has not given up her legal fight to become the Acting Director of the CFPB after former Director Richard Cordray stepped down at the end of last year. Prior to stepping down, Cordray promoted English from Chief of Staff to Deputy Director, presumably for the express purpose of ensuring his immediate successor was qualified. After the district court dismissed her claim to usurp Trump’s appointed Acting Director, English filed an emergency appeal up to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia....

If you weren’t already aware, gay slurs are inappropriate fodder for attorneys, and using them can lead to disciplinary sanctions. Chicago-based traffic attorney Thomas Guadagno, 66, knows this first hand. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has slapped him with a month-long suspension and two years of probation. He’s been accused of describing his colleagues as “gay scum” for at least the last six years. According to the disciplinary complaint, Thomas Guadagno spent his days in Cook County Traffic Court....

Congress’s Democratic leaders want the D.C. Circuit to know they are anything but neutral when it comes to net neutrality. More than two dozen congressional senators and representatives have signed on to an amicus brief supporting the FCC’s right to regulate Internet service providers as “common carriers.” The amicus brief puts the Congress members, lead by Senator Edward Markey and Representative Anna Eshoo, against the telecom industry, which has sued to prevent the FCC’s new net neutrality rules....