CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Who likes watching mediocre college basketball?? Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan!!!!

Judge Kagan was front and center at McDonough Arena at Georgetown University on Wednesday to watch her alma mater Harvard take on the Hoyas in the NIT basketball tournament.

Kagan's Crimson were the underdogs going into the game with a #6 seed -- facing a #3 seed in Georgetown, which also happens to feature college basketball star Mac McClung.

Oh, and the head coach at Georgetown is NBA legend Patrick Ewing. G.U. was a 6.5 point favorite going into the game.

So, why would Kagan choose a game where her team was facing almost certain destruction?

Because Harvard WON -- shocking the world to overcome the Hoyas in a 71-68 victory!! Maybe it was Kagan's Crimson blazer that inspired the team!

Harvard now moves on to face North Carolina State in the next round of the NIT tournament on Sunday in Raleigh.

The problem for Harvard now ... NC State is really good and JUST missed out on making the NCAA tournament, which people actually care about.

Boeing is getting sued for wrongful death over the Lion Air crash of a 737 Max 8 in Indonesia ... a disaster that killed everyone on board -- and signaled the start of Boeing's troubles with the model.

The federal lawsuit was filed by the estate of Rohmanir Pandi Sagala, one of the 189 souls lost when the flight went down last October. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the 737 Max 8's problems stem from a system called MCAS -- Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System -- which is supposed to stabilize the plane during flight.

However, in the suit, Sagala's attorneys say the MCAS on Lion Air's Flight 610 tilted the nose into a dive without any input from the pilot ... due to a faulty sensor. Sagala's estate claims the pilots fought to pull the nose back up, causing the plane to seesaw more than 2 dozen times before crashing into the Java Sea.

The lawsuit says Boeing failed to warn the public and pilots about the "dangerous and defective design" of the 737 Max 8. It also references the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines disaster -- another 737 Max 8 -- which killed 157 people, and led the worldwide grounding of the model.

For the record, investigators blamed the crash on the pilot overcorrecting the nose when a sensor indicated the danger of a stalled engine.

Sagala's lawsuit happens to come the day after Bloomberg published new details about the doomed Lion Air flight.

Mark McGrath is ripping Peloton for allegedly stealing music to build its brand ... and he says it's time the company pays songwriters and artists.

We got the Sugar Ray frontman at LAX Wednesday, and our photog asked him about the $150 million lawsuit claiming Peloton is jacking songs for spin classes. Ya gotta see Mark's reaction ... he's spinning mad about the whole thing, and he ain't holding back!!!

Mark slams Peloton for allegedly using music it doesn't have the rights to ... and makes an easy-to-understand analogy for those who don't know how intellectual property works.

Mark, who's written some hugely successful songs, is understandably upset ... but says he's more concerned about other musicians who can't afford to have their work stolen.

We also asked Mark what's the best music to spin to -- so long as the rights are locked up. Hint: This band will help you slay your workout.

Police and prosecutors believe podcast host Adam Grandmaison's life really was in danger when a guy busted in during his live stream and put a gun to his head ... 'cause the suspect's been charged, and he's still behind bars.

The hip-hop host of the "No Jumper" podcast -- known as Adam22 -- was violently interrupted while recording his show Sunday when the gunman pointed his weapon at Adam and threatened his life.

According to the L.A. County D.A.'s office ... the suspect, 24-year-old David Tran, has now been charged with one count of attempted second-degree robbery. He's still in custody and being held on $100k bail.

After video of the scary moment surfaced, many skeptics wondered if Adam staged it for publicity. Adam spoke to us and made it clear -- it was 100 percent real and serious, and everyone was fortunate there were no deaths ... especially the gunman.

As we reported ... Adam's security at his BMX and clothing store took control of the situation by quickly taking the guy down, and Adam ended his live stream and called the cops.

Here's VIDEO of ex-Denver Broncos QB Chad Kelly being chased out of a Denver-area home by a man wielding a vacuum cleaner tube ... all while Kelly's dressed like an idiot in his Halloween costume.

Yeah, it's bizarre.

It's all part of Kelly's criminal case stemming from the bizarre October 22 arrest -- after Kelly left Von Miller's big Halloween party and wandered into a random person's home.

Cops say the 24-year-old plopped down on the couch next to a woman who was holding her baby. Kelly was allegedly mumbling incoherently.

The woman called for help -- and a man who was inside the house grabbed a piece from a vacuum cleaner and used it as a weapon to chase the QB out of the home, striking him several times along the way.

In the footage, taken from the security camera at the home -- you can see Kelly (apparently dressed as Woody from "Toy Story") bolting out of the home.

Kelly was later arrested and charged with felony criminal trespassing ... and you can see in police station video we've obtained, the QB was distraught over the arrest.

But on Wednesday, the QB struck a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of 2nd-degree criminal trespass -- a class 3 misdemeanor -- and in exchange, the felony trespass charge was dropped.

As part of the deal, Kelly was also sentenced to 1 year of supervised probation, 50 hours of community service, and fines and fees.

For the Broncos' part -- they released Kelly shortly after the incident, with GM John Elway saying, "Even though Chad's no longer part of our team, we've offered to help him however we can and are supportive of him in every way possible."

Kelly is currently a free agent looking for another team.

Robert Kraft and 14 other suspects busted in the Florida prostitution sting want to make sure the police surveillance video of them in the massage parlor never sees the light of day.

Kraft's attorneys -- and attorneys for the other suspects -- filed jointly Wednesday morning to get a protective order ... which would prevent law enforcement from releasing any evidence gathered in the investigation. That includes the hidden camera footage from inside Orchids of Asia Spa in Jupiter, FL.

As we reported, cops placed cameras inside the spa and say they have video of Kraft making 2 visits to the spa. Cops say it includes footage of 2 women "manipulating his genitals."

According to the motion, obtained by TMZ Sports, the defendants also point out the case is still active because the prosecution is pending ... and therefore law enforcement can't release any evidence to the public.

Prosecutors have offered a plea deal. It would require Kraft to complete a course about prostitution, 100 hours of community service and submit to an STD test. He'd also have to state he would've been found guilty if it went to trial -- and, in exchange, the charges would be dropped.

Robert Kraft shouldn't turn his nose up at the offer on the table in his Asian Spa prostitution case ... he should TAKE IT ... so says "Shark Tank" star Daymond John.

It's interesting advice coming from a VERY respected businessman ... and while Daymond was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood, he told us about the upside for Kraft.

As for the deal ... prosecutors said they would drop the solicitation charges against Kraft if he agrees to take a course about the dangers of prostitution, complete 100 hours of community service, submit to STD testing and admit he would have been found guilty if the case went to trial.

It's super unlikely Kraft will take the deal since there's not much upside for him -- but John says he should REALLY consider it.

"I think he should do it," John says ... "Why not educate yourself? It makes him look good. He's like the mayor of his city ... why not?"

"It only shows he has a better education and when he can advise other people on what NOT to do wrong even if he made a mistake or not he has the education."

John continued ... "Life is about education even at his age, at anybody's age."

"Billionaires are actually billionaires because they keep educating themselves. He's no different."

YBN Almighty Jay has reason to smile again ... he just got more good news on the heels of having his stolen chain recovered.

TMZ's learned the rapper won't face any charges in a felony theft case that pegged him as a suspect for allegedly jacking around $80k in cash and jewelry from another rapper. A rep for the L.A. County D.A.'s Office tells TMZ ... it rejected the case because the victim didn't want to press charges or testify.

We're told the D.A. will not refer the case to the City Attorney's Office ... so Jay's off the hook.

As we reported, Jay was filming videos last month in Chatsworth, CA when he and his crew were allegedly caught on video stealing the loot from Skinnyfromthe9.

He ultimately turned himself in after cops named him a suspect, but he strongly denied he's the culprit ... telling us, repeatedly, "I didn't do s**t!" Jay's vindication in the case comes the day after J Prince recovered his chain ... with an assist from French Montana.

Meek Mill's city-to-city -- and now, state-to-state -- government recognition tour is rolling over to Connecticut, where he's receiving a state key for his efforts to reform criminal justice.

Meek is set to perform Tuesday night at the XFINITY Theatre in Hartford, where we're told Connecticut State Rep. Brandon McGee will give Meek a key to the state ... as well as a state-level proclamation declaring March 19, 2019, as "Meek Mill Day" in the Nutmeg State.

We're told Meek's getting this honor for the same reasons he's been getting "Days" all over the country during his current Motivation Tour -- namely, his activism to retool the criminal justice system. He just launched REFORM Alliance with Jay-Z and a string of other powerful names in Jan.

Meek's honor also falls just as Connecticut passed some crucial new legislation toward that end.

The state legislature recently passed a bill to restore voting privileges to convicted felons who are on parole.

Meek's already gotten honors like this from Houston and his hometown -- Philly actually gave him an entire weekend -- but Tuesday night's honor is first on a state level until now.

Championship stuff, for sure.

It's time for Robert Kraft to play "Let's Make a Deal" ... Asian Spa prostitute edition!

The Patriots owner has been offered a plea deal in his rub-and-tug case ... TMZ Sports has confirmed. We're told prosecutors are willing to drop the criminal charges -- if Kraft agrees to a battery of embarrassing punishments.

Kraft's proposed penance includes ... completing a course about prostitution and 100 hours of community service. He would also have to submit to an STD test. Yeesh.

There's more ... Kraft would also have to state that if the case were to go to trial, he would be found guilty.

We're told the deal is not specific to Kraft -- other men busted in the prostitution sting have received the same offer.

The issue for Kraft ... he's already pled not guilty, and there doesn't seem to be any upside in the offer from prosecutors -- so it would be shocking if he accepted this deal, or anything close to it.

News of the proposed plea deal was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Unclear if Kraft will accept the terms of the deal. His case is due back in court on March 28.

As we previously reported, 77-year-old Kraft is accused of going to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa on two separate occasions in January and paying for sex acts.

Nelly's had it up to here with allegations by the attorney for his accuser in the UK assault case ... and is now lashing out at her.

The rapper's firing back at the lawyer for the anonymous Jane Doe ... the lawyer who made claims Essex Police engaged in misconduct by treating the alleged victim as a suspect.

Nelly tells TMZ ... "It is time for me to personally speak up against this! I have remained quiet and haven’t said anything or done anything other than fully cooperate on every level of the investigation to allow law enforcement to do whatever they need to get to the bottom of these accusations."

Nelly insists he's remained quiet and fully cooperative with UK law enforcement's investigation, adding ... "In spite of my complete cooperation, this same lawyer in both cases against me, is claiming the police in two different countries 'won’t help her clients', 'are incompetent' and is consistently painting a picture that I am 'bullying the police' in two different countries to not do their job."

He believes the lawyer is going to the media for her own personal gain, and it's only doing harm to real victims by creating an idea that cops won't have their backs.

Nelly says, "Not only is this attorney continuously damaging my reputation to forge ahead with civil suits to get money, she is doing a severe disservice to women and true victims that need a safe system to report assaults against them with claims like 'police won’t help' and 'botched the case,' 'clients are being treated like suspects by the police' leaving real victims to feel like reporting would be of no help."

"Ray Donovan" star Marion "Pooch" Hall will not do any jail time for his alarming DUI ... which ended with him wrecking his car while his baby was in the back seat.

Hall struck a deal with prosecutors -- he entered a no contest plea to misdemeanor DUI and to child endangerment. For the DUI his sentence is 3 years probation and a 3-month alcohol program.

TMZ broke the story ... Hall was charged with felony child abuse and DUI back in October after a witness saw him driving with his toddler in his lap and holding the steering wheel. He blew a .25 ... more than 3 times the legal limit.

He eventually swerved off and smashed into a parked car. One eyewitness said he saw the child crying in the front seat and saw the car seat laying among the junk in the backseat. The car seat was not installed.

Still, he won't do any time for the child endangerment. The deal calls for Hall to complete a one-year parenting class, and if he does ... the charge will be dismissed.

This didn't appear to be an isolated incident.

8:00 PM PT -- June's manager and WEtv -- which airs her reality show -- say, "We share our viewers' concerns for [Mama June] and her entire family. We are monitoring events as they occur and are focused, as always, on the entire family's well-being."

Mama June's mug shot just surfaced from last week's arrest for crack cocaine ... and it's clear to see, she was anything but impressed.

TMZ broke the story ... Mama June and her boyfriend, Geno Doak, were both arrested last Wednesday after a reported domestic incident at an Alabama gas station. When police investigated, they say they discovered controlled substances on both of them, including drug paraphernalia.

Cops say Mama June was in possession of crack cocaine and a glass pipe, she also had $1300 cash in her bra ... and Geno -- who was also arrested for domestic violence/harassment -- had a needle in his pocket.

As we first told you ... the reality TV star was feeling lucky days after her arrest, strolling into an Alabama casino early Saturday morning and hitting up the slots.

Geno was there too -- watching as Mama June tried to hit the jackpot -- which could be a big problem considering court docs stated he had to stay away from her following the arrest.

Mama June's family is pissed at Geno ... they're blaming him for the crack arrest and June's downward spiral. They've been together for 3 years, and Geno has a long rap sheet including arrests for theft, burglary and property damage.

The insanely successful Peloton bikes, which changed the fitness game, have done so by jacking songs to use for its instructional classes ... according to a new lawsuit.

Peloton is being sued by several different music publishing companies because -- according to new docs obtained by TMZ -- the company did not acquire the rights to play numerous hit songs featured in its wildly popular interactive spin classes.

The docs say Peloton currently has more than 600k subscribers and is reported to be worth more than $4 BILLION ... and the music publishing companies claim a big part of that success is due to the music playing during the classes.

Some of the songs listed in the suit include "Umbrella" and "Diamonds" by Rihanna, "Don't Wake Me Up" by Chris Brown, along with older hits like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar. Rihanna's hit track, "Umbrella," has been used in at least 55 workout vids since 2017 ... according to the docs.

All in all, the publishers say they've ID'd more than a thousand songs in their catalogs that Peloton is using without proper permission.

Peloton is being sued for massive damages ... up to $150 million.

Wade Robson says he's received an outpouring of support since "Leaving Neverland" was released, but he doesn't care if people still listen to Michael Jackson ... because this is about way more than that.

We got Wade Monday evening at LAX where he wanted to make it clear -- he's not the moral authority on muting MJ ... it's up to everyone individually to decide how to deal with the disturbing allegations against the singer.

Wade says he hopes his story makes people question who they worship ... more than question whether they play certain songs. He does reveal his personal decision on Jackson's music.

As for his doubters -- from members of the Jackson family to Aaron Carter -- Wade's pretty mum. He tells us people will believe what they want to believe ... and sometimes it takes time.

The high school referee who told Andrew Johnson to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit is now threatening to sue ... claiming he's been DEFAMED and he's demanding $100,000 in damages.

The wrestling match made international headlines when Johnson -- who is black -- appeared humiliated when he was essentially forced to cut his hair during the Dec. 2018 match.

The ref, Alan Maloney, has not reffed a single high school wrestling match since ... and he's pissed -- claiming he did nothing wrong.

In fact, Maloney believes he was simply following the rules laid out by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association ... and should NOT be subject to any sort of punishment.

In his letter, Maloney states his case ... saying Johnson's hair length violated the rules. Maloney claims he gave Johnson time to get a hair covering, but Johnson did not have one.

So, in accordance with NJSIAA policy, Maloney says "provided the wrestler with the time to correct the deficiency" -- aka, a haircut.

Once the video went viral, many people accused Maloney of operating out of racism and he feels the NJSIAA did nothing to correct the narrative.

Now, Maloney has fired off a letter to the NJSIAA saying he's planning to take legal action because he feels the association has participated in DEFAMING him, causing him to lose income and suffer emotional distress. He's claiming damages of $100k.

We spoke with Johnson's attorney Dominic Speziali who tells us, "To the extent that [Maloney] plans to file a claim as a victim in this incident is outright absurd."