President Obama will introduce legislation to end the NSA's warrantless collection of bulk telephone records. Authority for the NSA's program expires Friday, unless renewed by the FISA Intelligence Court. According to senior administration officials:

Under the proposal, they said, the N.S.A. would end its systematic collection of data about Americans’ calling habits. The bulk records would stay in the hands of phone companies, which would not be required to retain the data for any longer than they normally would. And the N.S.A. could obtain specific records only with permission from a judge, using a new kind of court order.

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The Colorado Supreme Court issued a new rule for lawyers today. Lawyers will be allowed to represent marijuana businesses, so long as the lawyers don't help clients break state law. Via the Denver Post:

The new rule gives lawyers the go-ahead to work with marijuana businesses — even though those businesses are breaking federal law — so long as the lawyers don't help businesses also break state law.

The new rule is here. Some background on why it was needed is here. [More...]

End of a long day. While I catch up on the news, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The creators of "The Good Wife" decided that the best way to handle Will Gardner's decision to leave the show was to have him killed by a client at the courthouse. Here's their explanation. Poor choice.

Even worse, now the show will bring back Michael J. Fox, in his role as a sleazy lawyer, and Stockard Channing, as Alicia's irrelevant mother. And judging from the preview for next week, Alicia and Peter will recreate The Taming of the Shrew.

The show has been off its game most of this season. The "new firm" storyline went nowhere, they turned Eli Gold into a neurotic mess and they neutered Galinda by pairing her with milk-toast Carey. The new characters, like the ethics lady, and Will's yoga teacher girlfriend, were one-dimensional and embarrassingly demeaning. The only thing we were spared (for the most part) this season were Alicia's unappealing teenage kids. [More...]

Hillary Clinton told Jimmy Kimmel Saturday at a Global Initiative event in Arizona that she is still undecided about running for President.

" I’m obviously thinking about all kinds of decisions."

The "selfie" with Bill, Hillary, Chelsea and Jimmy is very cute.

Today's picks: Memphis +6 over Virginia, Arizona -6½ over Gonzaga, Kansas -6 over Stanford, North Carolina +1½ over Iowa State, Baylor +3½ over Creighton, Kentucky +4½ over Wichita State, Tennessee -7 over Mercer, Stephen Austin +9 over UCLA.

Open Thread.

My picks:

Wisconsin -5 over Oregon, Michigan State -7½ over Harvard, Villanova -3½ over Connecticut, Syracuse -7 over Dayton, Louisville -9 over St Louis, Pittsburgh +6½ over Florida, Texas +5 over Michigan San Diego State -3 over North Dakota State.

Go Gators!

Open Thread.

A bit late with this, but Scout's honor, these are my investments today:

Eastern Kentucky +14 over Kansas, Kentucky -6½ over Kansas State, Oklahoma State -3 over Gonzaga, Iowa State -8 over NC Central, Memphis -4 over George Washington, UL Lafayette +14 over Creighton, Wichita State -16 over Cal Poly S.L.O., North Carolina -4 over Providence, Tulsa +8½ over UCLA, Virginia -20½ over Coastal Carolina, Stephen Austin +6½ over Va Commonwealth, Baylor -4 over Nebraska, Mercer +14½ over Duke, Tennessee -5½ over Massachusetts, New Mexico -3 over Stanford, Weber State +20 over Arizona.

Open Thread.

Main draw begins play today.

My picks today: Michigan -16 over Wofford, Cincinnati -3 over Harvard, Connecticut -4½ over St. Joseph's, Michigan State -14 over Delaware, Pittsburgh -6½ over Colorado, BYU +5½* over Oregon, Ohio State -6 over Dayton, Wisconsin -13½ over American, Syracuse -13 over Western Michigan, Albany NY +21 over Florida, Arizona State +2* over Texas, Wisc-Milwaukee +16½ over Villanova, Oklahoma -3 over North Dakota State, Louisville -16½ over Manhattan, San Diego State -7 over New Mexico State, and NCState +3* over St Louis. (Asterisk indicates lower seed outright winners.)

Go Gators!

Open thread.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The Washington Post reports on yet another NSA surveillance program: Mystic.

The National Security Agency has built a surveillance system capable of recording “100 percent” of a foreign country’s telephone calls, enabling the agency to rewind and review conversations as long as a month after they take place, according to people with direct knowledge of the effort and documents supplied by former contractor Edward Snowden.

In related news, in a court filing, DOJ confirmed warrantless mass e-mail surveillance during the Bush administration.

In a very powerful opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Otis Wright has dismissed the charges against three defendants in an ATF reverse sting case, finding the sting constituted outrageous government conduct.

The opinion is here.

The time has come to remind the Executive Branch that the Constitution charges it with law enforcement—not crime creation. A reverse-sting operation like this one transcends the bounds of due process and makes the Government “the oppressor of its people.” ...In this case, the Constitution will not tolerate subjecting an individual to prosecution for an imaginary crime subject to a very real punishment — a punishment which rests entirely on ATF agents’ whims. Since it is the Court’s sworn duty to uphold the Constitution, the Court GRANTS Dunlap’s Motion to Dismiss the Indictment.

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