“‘Borat’ actor Sacha Baron Cohen wins Ala. suit over hit movie”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “Borat to the Alabama Supreme Court: High fives! The nine-member court sided with British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen on Friday in a lawsuit filed by etiquette teacher Kathie Martin, who unwittingly appeared in his hit movie ‘Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.’ The justices overruled a lower court and said Martin can’t sue Cohen and the companies that produced the movie in Alabama because she signed an agreement stating only courts in New York could hear any disputes that arose from her appearance.”
You can access today’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Alabama at this link.
“Indictments tossed against Texas Supreme Court justice, wife”: The Houston Chronicle provides this news update, along with a news update headlined “Judge may hold hearing on grand jurors’ complaints.”
And The Associated Press reports that “Charges Dismissed on Texas Justice, Wife.”
First Circuit rejects First Amendment challenge to Concord, New Hampshire’s ban on electronic billboards: You can access today’s ruling at this link.
“Appeals court vacates Urciuoli, Driscoll convictions”: The Providence Journal provides a news update that begins, “In a major decision announced this afternoon, a federal appeals court has vacated the corruption convictions of two former top Roger Williams Medical Center executives and ordered a new trial.”
The second to last paragraph of today’s First Circuit ruling concludes, “It is frustrating not to be able (yet) to reduce the ‘honest services’ concept to a simple formula specific enough to give clear cut answers to borderline problems. But it is in the nature of sections 1341 and 1346, at least as applied to political activities, that the problems generated sometimes have to be settled one at a time until an accretion of concrete precedents forms a pattern that can be usefully articulated.”
“Court to hear case on ‘light’ cigarette ads”: Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”
The Associated Press provides reports headlined “Court Will Hear ‘Light’ Cigarettes Case“; “Court Takes Drug Lawsuit“; “Court Takes Retaliation Case“; and “Supreme Court Denies Kucinich Ballot Bid.”
Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News reports that “Altria Gets U.S. High Court Hearing on ‘Lights’ Suits.”
And James Vicini of Reuters reports that “Top court to decide sex harassment retaliation case.”
You can access today’s Order List of the U.S. Supreme Court at this link.
“Baffling vacancy on federal bench”: Today in The Baltimore Sun, Law Professor Carl Tobias has an op-ed that begins, “Next week, when federal judicial selection resumes, participants in the process could learn much from efforts to fill Judge J. Michael Luttig’s vacancy on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.”
Daryl Atkins is no longer on Virginia’s death row: The Daily Press of Newport News, Virginia reports today that “York killer’s death sentence commuted; The legal battle included a Supreme Court ruling on executing the mentally retarded.”
And The Washington Post reports today that “Death Sentence Commuted In Va. Case; Prosecutor Action Is Issue, Not Mental Status of Defendant.”
“Enron Investors Ask Supreme Court to Clarify Stock-Fraud Ruling”: Bob Van Voris and Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News provide this report.
And today’s edition of The Washington Post contains an editorial entitled “Corporate Impunity: Investors should be able to sue for losses caused by fraud.”
“Federal Judge Criticizes C.I.A. Handling of Interrogation Tapes”: This article appears today in The New York Times.
“Secret Service: Detailed Look at ’06 Turmoil.” The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “The arrest of a man named Steven Howards in June 2006 after he approached Vice President Dick Cheney at a Colorado ski resort and denounced the war in Iraq might have seemed, at the time, no more than a blip on the vice president’s schedule. But now the blip has become a blowup, with Secret Service agents — under oath in court depositions — accusing one another of unethical and perhaps even illegal conduct in the handling of Mr. Howards’s arrest and the official accounting of it.”
The article furnishes links to deposition transcripts.
“The Supreme Court and Public Opinion: Will They Soon Diverge, If a Democrat Is Elected This Year?” Edward Lazarus has this essay online today at FindLaw.
“Texas Supreme Court justice, wife indicted”: This article appears today in The Houston Chronicle. In addition, columnist Lisa Falkenberg has an op-ed entitled “Rosenthal shouldn’t obstruct grand jury.”
Today in The Austin American-Statesman, Chuck Lindell reports that “Texas Supreme Court justice indicted; Medina, wife charged in arson, kicking off political melee in Houston.”
The New York Times reports that “Texas Supreme Court Justice Is Embroiled in an Arson Case.”
The Dallas Morning News reports that “Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina indicted in connection with fire.”
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that “Supreme Court judge, wife are indicted in fire.”
And Texas Lawyer reports that “Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina Indicted.”
“The Year of the Gun”: Law Professors Glenn Harlan Reynolds and Brannon P. Denning have this essay about the Second Amendment case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court at “See Also,” the online companion of the Texas Law Review.
You can also access the essay via SSRN (abstract with link for download).
“Supreme Court divide threatens to deepen; Gun rights, voter ID laws among issues before justices”: Joan Biskupic has this article today in USA Today.
“Investors Lose Again, Thanks to Supreme Court”: Bloomberg News columnist Susan Antilla has this essay.
Available online from law.com: An article reports that “CIA Faulted for Destruction of Interrogation Videotapes; No contempt holding; N.Y. federal judge puts the focus on a possible remedy.”
And Amaris Elliott-Engel reports that “JNOV Wipes Out Verdict of $1.5 Million in Hormone Replacement Case.” [Disclosure: I am serving as co-counsel for plaintiffs on appeal.]
“Novell’s Suit Against Microsoft Cites Decline of WordPerfect”: James Rowley of Bloomberg News provides this report.
