Victims of a 2022 school shooting in DC convinced a federal appeals court to reinstate their deceptive advertising claims alleging the makers of the shooter’s rifle intentionally marketed their products to adolescents who were attracted to violence.

From me: "What Universities Are For." jaeyeonkim.substack.com/p/what-unive...

Litigation firm Beasley Allen must stop representing plaintiffs suing Johnson & Johnson over exposure to talc products, a New Jersey state court ruled Friday in a landmark ethics decision.

JUST IN: Uber ordered to pay $8.5 million in key trial over driver sex assault claims reut.rs/3MeQKt4

Time for an old-school #legalwriting thread crowdsourcing all of the lawyers on here. I'm interested in what you think about law student use of generative AI in writing samples. If you are hiring students, do you think about this? Do you care? 1/2

Are female economists treated differently than males in academic seminars? These authors wanted to know whether gender shapes how scholars are treated when presenting research. So they built a massive dataset of 2,000+ economics seminars, job talks, and conference presentations from 2019–2023...

Short 🧵: Trump is suing the IRS for $10 billion for poor supervision of its employees, leading to the unlawful release of his tax data--when Trump was president and had the power to fire the IRS Commissioner. On @justiaverdict.bsky.social I discuss the many ways in which the lawsuit is obscene. 1/

Very interesting and important thread here. So easy to conflate the way things are with (1) how they've always been and (2) how they ought to be. A good corrective here. (I'm not sure how helpful transparency is in deliberations, inclined to think not very good, but reasonable minds could differ)

Judge Menendez denied Minnesota's motion for a preliminary injunction because she doubted the merits. On the blog, Prof Jacob Hamburger critiques her reasoning and more broadly assails the Trump administration's disregard for federalism principles. 👇

No Vehicles in the Park hypo right here for you leg reg types:

It's now standard that every time a judge is assigned a case the identity of the appointing president is put next to their name in parens.

A few notes on this proposal by Goldman & Swalwell, based on the bill text: 1. Codifies Bivens cause of action for suits against federal officers. 2. Abolishes QI only in the limited circumstance in which ICE/CBP agents (not other feds) are sued for excessive force (not other wrongs). (1/2)

Amazing study of difference between online juries and in person from @jurygirl.bsky.social This is really important for access to justice and making jury service accessible www.apa.org/news/press/r...

I mean, there *are* a few other things going on. But this should be a good show on February 17: www.shakespearetheatre.org/events/mock-...

@dorfonlaw.bsky.social I found your next blog post topic

2d Amendment zealots who blame Alex Pretti for having a gun are hypocrites but that doesn't warrant reciprocal hypocrisy by gun control proponents. Although Pretti was blameless, there are two broader questions: Is there a right to armed assembly? Should there be one? On the blog, I say no to both.👇

Returning w thoughts abt LTribe's review of Jill Lepore's _We the People_. First, I really love a strong review; at its best NYRB is one of the places that can let reviewers serve the reader. 1/readerhttps://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/02/12/is-the-constitution-dead-dead-dead-we-the-people-lepore/

I'm enjoying the olive oil discourse because it's nice to see how if one work place / interviewer doesn't get your vibe, another one will.

In today's @nytimes.com, @barryfriedman1.bsky.social and I argue that, with no *other* means of pursuing accountability for lawlessness by ICE, local/state prosecutions become not just legally viable, but necessary—both to punish past abuses and to deter future ones: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...

Fantastic piece from @stevevladeck.bsky.social & @barryfriedman1.bsky.social on how to hold federal law enforcement accountable. As they note, an even better solution would be for Congress to codify Bivens.

I'd never read King's Good Neighbor speech before but a friend just sent it to me and it feels right for the moment: homewoodfriends.org/wp-content/u...

For "One First," I wrote about DOJ's unprecedented attempt to secretly strong-arm a widely respected district judge in the Cities Church protest case—and why everyone, especially other federal judges, should read Chief Judge Schiltz's two letters in response: www.stevevladeck.com/p/205-chief-...

Does anyone have an article or other publication with the text of a bill to create liability for federal law enforcement officers? Not just what's wrong with the current situation but a proposed bill?

"Just like the killing of Renée Good, Saturday morning’s shooting once again raises the question of why it is so damned difficult to hold federal officers—and the federal government itself—accountable if and when they violate our rights." Me on the federal accountability gap—and how to close it:

@marinklevy.bsky.social Steam coming out of his eyebrows!

Barbara Black was such a great person. I didn't know her well but corresponded with her a few years ago. May her memory be a blessing. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...

I’m grateful to Law.com for this interview on The Pain Brokers—a book about pelvic mesh litigation and the mass tort machinery that profited from women’s pain. The hardcover is just $6 on Amazon right now. #ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #WomensHealth #LegalNonfiction #Justice

The rule that an administrative appellate stay requires no reasoning and no standard is applicable undermines basic rule of law values.

Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday forecast 2026 sales and profit ahead of Wall Street estimates, even when including a hit of "hundreds of millions of dollars" from the drug pricing deal it signed with the Trump administration earlier this month.

I find this confusing. Doesnt the govnt already have a passport photo?

This

Product design liability question of the day!

It’s a section that appears on my syllabi. Here’s the version from an intro physics class this past semester.

This is Kevin. He's a reactive dog getting some training to be more comfortable. His trainer brought him to a pet store for some socialization where they learned he is no longer reactive when given a giant stuffed dinosaur. 14/10 (TT: katieandtatesfostermates)

More than half a dozen major drugmakers are participating in the Trump administration's speedier review program for new medicines, yet other leading pharmaceutical companies are hesitating over what they see as potential legal risks, six industry sources told Reuters.

Opinion: Litigants can use artificial intelligence tools to support multidistrict litigation that helps shape decisions regarding which cases to work up through discovery pools and the selection of potential bellwether trials.

Renee Good’s Family Should Be Able to Sue the Officer Who Killed Her www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...

Healthcare software giant Epic Systems sued several companies, accusing them of improperly accessing hundreds of thousands of patient medical records and selling their data, including to mass tort attorneys looking for clients reut.rs/3LsVvyQ

Johnson & Johnson is urging the New Jersey state appellate court to disqualify plaintiff-side trial firm Beasley Allen from the ongoing talc litigation.

This is a really important development over the last few years.

Federal officers do not have absolute immunity, but there is a web of doctrines that make civil suits against them nearly impossible to bring successfully. Congress knew they needed to fix this in 2020, and new reasons why they should are coming fast and furious now. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Prof. Michael Mannheimer (author of a leading article on the subject) explains why federal officers do NOT have anything like absolute immunity from prosecution for violating state law: reason.com/volokh/2026/...

If you haven't read this book, highly recommend: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677131...

My theory of law review submissions: (I know you were not wondering, on this day of all days, what is her theory of law review submissions, but now you know anyway)

So a CBS Evening News reporter actually did a pretty solid breakdown of the ICE murder video, talking to a former agent who details all the ways Ross messed up. And yet: It didn’t air on the actual show tonight. CBS did post it to YouTube—and it has nearly 800k views already youtu.be/6ywLEESFDu0?...

Important thread for court watchers

Someone else already said this but I wanted to amplify that @bradwendel.bsky.social has a wonderful book about this called Cancelling Lawyers. I think he is right that this isn't a space for bright line rules. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

CFP: Oxford Studies in Private Law Theory, Volume V. We're seeking contributions in contract, property, tort, fiduciary, equity, unjust enrichment, and remedies law. Submissions are 12,000 words, and you get a trip to Cape Town! Deadline August 1, 2026! philevents.org/event/show/1...

At least 11 congressmen from 1865-1871 were arguably not citizens under Trump's interpretation of 14th A, our research finds. Yet no one challenged their eligibility to serve. Why not? Obviously, b/c no one who drafted or ratified the 14th A shared Trump's view. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....