Sen. Rockefeller Urges NFL to Open Books

From Sports Illustrated:

The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee is urging NFL owners to open their financial books to the players union, arguing that will help resolve a labor dispute that is threatening next season's games.

"Reluctantly, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to sort out this stalemate is for the owners and the league to answer the biggest sticking point: money," Sen. Jay Rockefeller wrote in a Washington Post opinion column on Friday. "What I'd like to see from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners is a simple display of good faith: Show the union your books. Don't keep secrets. If there are financial pressures that keep you from agreeing to the revenue-sharing plan proposed by the players, let's see the proof."

Rockefeller, D-W.Va., suggested that a neutral third party review the financial data, remove anything sensitive and prepare an assessment of the league's finances.

The NFL declined to comment on Rockefeller's suggestion, citing a request by federal mediator George Cohen that the two sides not discuss negotiations while they're in mediation. Those negotiations are scheduled to resume next week.

Fans can only hope that this helps put an end to the seemingly endless fight over billions of dollars. I can't help but think that most blue collar union employees would want "revenue sharing plans" with their respective employers similar to the one that the players union is so desperately fighting for. Of course, when the median NFL salary is almost 800k per year, it's not hard to understand the fans' growing impatience with the inability of the parties to reach some type of deal before the CBA deadline in a few weeks.

D.O.M.A = Unconstitutional

-- President Obama.

Kung Fu Panda Lawsuit

Boston illustrator sues DreamWorks for stealing his idea.

Cal. Supreme Court to Answer Certified Question on Prop 8

From Law.com:

The California Supreme Court today said it would answer the standing question in the Proposition 8 same-sex marriage appeal at the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

The justices unanimously agreed to say whether California law allows for ballot initiative proponents to defend the constitutionality of a measure when state officeholders refuse to do so.

The three-judge Ninth Circuit panel — Stephen Reinhardt, Michael Daly Hawkins and N. Randy Smith — sent the certified question to the Supreme Court in January after Reinhardt raised the idea during oral arguments Dec. 6.

The justices agreed to expedite the matter. In a short order, the Supreme Court set a briefing schedule that will allow for oral arguments "as early as" September. The first briefs are due March 14. Responses are due April 4.

Link.

Harvard and Milbank

The push for higher-quality.

Judge Tacha is New Dean at Pepperdine

. . . and the 10th Circuit now has two vacancies.

Congress Grills Zuckerberg

. . . on privacy.

"Cold War" Stalling Judicial Nominations

The landscape's getting worse.

Arenas Gets Served

From Yahoo Sports:

Orlando guard Gilbert Arenas was served with child support and custody papers as he left the court during halftime of the Magic’s loss to Miami on Thursday night. The court documents, obtained by The Associated Press, were a California petition filed by Laura Mendoza Govan. She identified herself as his ex-girlfriend in the documents.

The petition seeks custody and child support for three children that Govan says Arenas fathered and has since “financially cut off.” She is also seeking support for another unborn child, as well as monthly support for the other children. In the petition, she is seeking $109,000 in monthly support payments from Arenas and $1.3 million annually.

At least he still posted good numbers that night.

The Economics of Book Covers

Want to sell more books?

Blackbook Weekend Links

1. Anaheim Ducks hit with anti-semitism lawsuit.

2. Donald Verrilli tapped as new Solictor General.

3. Where's all that BCS money going? Only to a very select few places.

4. Taco Bell products contain only 35% beef? "No," company officials say, it's more like 88%. I don't know whether to feel better or worse about all those late night meals during college.

5. "Glass-gate" -- Apple's new headache.

6. Rahm can run.

Law School in America v. Canada, Eh?

From the McGill Tribune:

The situation in Canada is drastically different, and certainly more promising for prospective students. Much of what ails the American market has been preempted in Canada by an entirely distinct system in which there are both fewer schools and less divergence in terms of academic quality.

"The situation's a lot better in Canada because we have far fewer law schools," says Leeann Beggs, director of career services in the Faculty of Law at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. "The likelihood that you're going to get into your profession is very good."

While there are almost 200 American law schools, there are only 20 in Canada, all of which are highly competitive and prestigious. Because they are essentially "all tier one schools," Beggs says, it is very difficult to be admitted, but students can also be assured they will receive a high-quality legal education once they are there. Before passing the bar, law students are expected to article, or work and learn at a law firm in some sort of legal apprenticeship. Furthermore, there seems to be no sort of legal outsourcing being practised in Canada.

"It's pretty tightly controlled who gets access to legal work here," Beggs says.

This is in direct contrast to the hundreds of American law schools, not all of which are accredited—some of which are online—that graduate thousands of new lawyers each year who must then fight for a diminishing number of entry-level jobs. As a result of the Canadian system, recent graduates in this country have a much better chance of gaining the employment they desire. They have already been singled out as the best and the brightest and are competing against a much smaller pool. Some expectations may have to be lowered in terms of starting salaries, says Beggs, but new lawyers should have no problem getting a foot in the door.

Some things are just better in Canada, I guess.

SCOTUS: No Post-Trial Appeal of Summary Judgment Denial

Per Justice Ginsburg today in Ortiz v. Jordan. Logical enough...but will this encourage courts to deny summary judgment in order to avoid appellate review?

iPads for Teachers (and Students)

Monterey College of Law gives iPads to all faculty and students. And all I got for my 160K was a piece of paper with my name on it.

The Irony of Law School

From an international perspective.

5th Cir. Upholds UT Admissions Policy

Abandoning its pre-Grutter v. Bollinger precedent.

Stealing Law School Chairs = Literary Success

Only if they're from Yale.

MLK Day

10 Memorable Quotes From Dr. King.

Blackbook Weekend Links

1. More talk on the constitutionality of the Health Care bill. The House will vote this week on whether to repeal it. [WSJ]

2. Natural alternative to no jobs: clerking. [Youngstown News]

3. Bending it. Beckham sues prostitute who claims that he paid her for her services. [MTV UK]

4. More jobs. Just not legal jobs. [Market Watch]

5. Harvard, Dartmouth, Penn, Chicago post record number of applications. [Bloomberg]

6. Arent Fox representing Boise State and the Mountain West Conference in helping the DOJ along in its BCS antitrust inquiry. We've been down this road before. [ABA Journal]

7. No Jeb Bush on the Republican ticket for 2012. [Yahoo]

8. Penn Law professor reuses exam questions. The heat falls on the professor, but wasn't it the students who actively sought the questions out? [Above the Law]

More on True Grit

I recently wrote about the move True Grit and some themes the movie touched on about the rule of law. Other legal commentators have been doing the same. Here's a round-up:

• Jeremy Telman on contract issues;
• Colin Miller on evidence issues;
  
• Isabel Archer on federalism and other issues; and
• Ilya Somin on law and economics issues.

If there are any others out there, let me know and I'll add them here.