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A man arrested for attempting to bring more than 3 pounds of marijuana aboard a flight at San Francisco International Airport claimed the marijuana was for his personal use. But that’s not even the strange part, reports San Francisco’s KPIX-TV. Enrico Esguerra, 36, told police that he was a voracious consumer of marijuana by eating it, rather than smoking it. Esguerra, who had a California medical marijuana card with him when he was arrested, said that his doctor had recommended he have 15 pounds of marijuana with him to satiate his appetite....

President Trump lashed out on Twitter at the appointment of a special counsel to investigate ties between his campaign and Russian officials. “With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special councel [sic] appointed!” Trump raged. “This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!” So who is this special prosecutor, and why is the president so upset?...

J.D. Vance came from ‘hillbillies, rednecks, white trash, choose your epithet,’ wrote the New York Times reviewer. Reviewers say that Vance, who rose from Appalachian poverty to New York Times best-selling author, wrote the only book to make sense out of the election of President Donald Trump. Vance, a Yale Law School graduate, put it together in “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” “Mr. Vance has inadvertently provided a civilized reference guide for an uncivilized election,” the Times said....

Last week, we looked at how to deal with new general counsel from an in-house attorney’s perspective. But, realistically, in-house counsel aren’t the only ones who have to brace themselves for change when there’s a new GC in charge. After all, in many cases the GC has hired your firm – and she may easily decide to take her business elsewhere. Here are some tips for BigLaw associates on how to deal with a change in your client’s in-house law department....

The recently debuted series ‘American Vandal’ has definitely sparked some interest in the legal community, and not just for the jab it takes at ‘Making a Murderer.’ The Netflix original show is a satirical look at the true crime genre of docu-series, which, as pointed out by the ABA Journal, contains some rather poignant criticism of the criminal justice system and the media that surrounds it. However, the satire in the show is rather strong, particularly given the nature of the underlying crime that prompts the criminal investigation: Every car in the high school faculty parking lot was vandalized, apparently by one person who spray-painted crudely drawn penises on each car....

The District of Columbia federal district court just ruled that the AT&T merger with Time Warner can move forward. The deal had been on hold for nearly a year and a half, and the massive ruling explicitly stated that if the government sought to stay the ruling pending appeal, the court would deny that motion. While this merger has been a lightning rod for controversy since being announced in 2016, it seems that all the hoopla was for naught....

There are plenty of activities outside the firm door that most lawyers are great at – and they’re not just drinking and golf! Lawyers can use their analytical minds, competitive nature and creative thinking to thrive in all sorts of endeavors, from coaching little league to setting up a hobby winery. So, what new world of leisure time activities might be available to you? Here are three non-law activities that lawyers will be great at:...

It may not be as eye-popping as the ice bucket challenge for a coach at the end of a game, but then again you’re not going to get wet with the corporate counsel “value challenge” and it just might open your eyes to new opportunities. The Association of Corporate Counsel is continuing its challenge to help law departments reduce costs by re-imagining and better managing resources. Each year, the ACC acknowledges the winners by publishing their stories on its website....

On the eve of the one of the busiest travel periods of the year, two major airline carriers announced that they’ll soon become one. The Alaska Air Group said last week that it had finally wrapped up its acquisition of Virgin America, a deal that had been delayed for months, in part due to anti-trust review by the Department of Justice. The merger has a total value of $4 billion, according to a statement by Virgin America....

There’s nothing funny about recklessly shooting at people. It’s a tragedy that seems to happen far too often. So when attorney Erik Graeff was arrested for shooting into another lawyer’s office, he got what he deserved: 18 months in prison. But it started with a bad joke. Graeff, apparently tired of complaints from his colleague, sent him an email with a picture of a cat playing a violin. Playing a Violin According to reports, Graeff and attorney Terrance Hogan had an argument about a case they handled together....

Ketryn Cornell had a weight problem, and it became an issue at work. She liked her job, but when a “thin woman” started making more money than she did, things got nasty. A pay dispute quickly turned into a lawsuit. A trial judge dismissed Cornell’s discrimination case, but California’s Second District Court of Appeal reversed in part. At trial in Cornell v. Berkeley Tennis Club, it could go from bad to worse....

How long should a clergy abuse claim survive? In 2010, the Holy See’s Promoter of Justice at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, indicated to the Italian Bishops’ Conference newspaper, Avennire, that statutes of limitations should not apply to clergy sex abuse cases. If the California Supreme Court adopts that position, it could open the door for “a rash of new clergy abuse lawsuits by long-ago victims against the Catholic Church,” reports The Washington Post....

A panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $3.4 billion settlement in favor of a class of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans on Tuesday, reports The Associated Press. The settlement in question was between the United States government and the plaintiffs, involving the land trust royalties that were mismanaged by the Interior Department. The settlement stems from a 1996 lawsuit brought by Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet tribe, where Cobell sought to determine how much money had been mismanaged and lost by the Department of the Interior....

Ted Jacob Eng’g. Group, Inc. v. Ratcliff Architects, A122932, involved a subcontractor’s suit against defendant-architects for breach of contract and other causes of action, in connection with a city hospital renovation and expansion project. In affirming the judgment of the trial court, the court held that in the absence of a negotiated agreement upon price, and assuming no contrary contractual provision applies, a subcontractor may still pursue a claim seeking a judicial determination of additional fees when it performs work demanded of it by the general contractor constituting a material change in the scope of work defined under the contract....

Two former associate professors at the John Marshall Law School are suing the school for discrimination and breach of contract. Last week, the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia denied in part, and granted in part, the school’s motion for summary judgment. Here’s a breakdown of the claims against the school: Kamina Pinder, an African-American woman, and Scott Sigman, a white male, were on the tenured professor track at John Marshall Law School (“JMLS”)....

In order to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, many immigrants will have to prove their knowledge of U.S. history and government by answering anywhere between 10 and 100 questions on civics. Many natural-born Americans may believe this test is a breeze – though their grades in high school civics class may beg to differ. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 91 percent of applicants as of March 2014 actually do pass the naturalization test....

Welcome back to Legally Weird, where it’s always weird, but not always legal. Today’s strange tale involves our old friend Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who announced he would be burning a Qu’ran on September 11 this year. The proposed event became a media fire storm, with President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus all saying that the plan would endanger American troops. It turns out that one more person offered some persuasion as well–car dealer Brad Benson, who made a radio ad around the same time offering to give Terry Jones a new car if he agreed not to burn the Qu’ran: “If you don’t burn a Qu’ran, I’ll give you a new car....

EA Sports can’t use several ex-NCAA athletes’ likenesses in its video games without permission, a federal appeals court has ruled. In a 2-1 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Electronic Arts’ NCAA football and basketball series needed permission from the athletes portrayed in those video games. So is it game over for EA sports’ use of athletes in its sports games? Unfortunately for EA, the decision could invite additional legal action against the video game giant from other former college athletes who had their likenesses used in the games without compensation, according to NBC News....

An unpublished case about a $7,812 medical bill could change the way hospitals charge patients without insurance in California. It depends on two main questions: Will a decision stand that allows self-pay patients to challenge their bills? And will the California Supreme Court certify the decision for publication? In Solorio v. Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center, the answers could change everything. It’s not just about the $7,812 bill; it’s about how much hospitals can charge....

Recently in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Steven Pinker – a professor at Harvard and author of several books about psychology and language – explained why he thinks academics write so terribly. Poor academic writing comes down to a couple things, including: failure to explain, a desire to hedge, and an overuse of idioms. 1. Unnecessary Words. Much of Pinker’s article focuses on the problem of self-presentation; that is, experts in a field write according to how they want to be perceived....