“Ruling against health insurance mandate is a ‘tea party’ milestone; The decision by a federal judge in Florida gives voice to the tea party’s rallying cry that the Constitution put strict limits on the national government”: David G. Savage and Kathleen Hennessey will have this article Friday in The Los Angeles Times.

“Judge Deanell Tacha named as Pepperdine University’s dean of law”: The Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World has this news update.

And today Pepperdine University issued a news release headlined “Distinguished U.S. Court of Appeals Circuit Judge Named Dean of Pepperdine University School of Law.”

“No damages for families of Boston mob victims”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A federal appeals court says the families of two men who were gunned down by Boston mobsters in 1982 will not receive $8.5 million in damages because their wrongful death lawsuits against the FBI were filed two years after a legal deadline.”

You can access today’s ruling by a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit at this link.

“Musical Chairs: Judge Tacha To Take Over as Dean of Pepperdine Law.” David Lat has this post at “Above the Law.”

In January 2004, then-Chief Judge Deanell Reece Tacha of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit was my interviewee in this blog’s “20 questions for the appellate judge” feature. You can access the interview by clicking here.

“Court Upholds Federal Teacher-Protection Law”: At the “School Law” blog of Education Week, Mark Walsh today has a post that begins, “A federal statute meant to give teachers and school administrators protection from legal liability over their efforts to maintain safe and orderly schools has been upheld against a constitutional challenge. The Missouri Supreme Court, ruling in a lawsuit in which a student who had been slashed by another student sought to hold a school superintendent liable, held that the federal law was a valid exercise of Congress’ powers under the spending clause in Article I of the Constitution.”

You can access Tuesday’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Missouri at this link.

“Calif. court: Merchants can’t ask patrons for ZIPs.” The Associated Press has a report that begins, “The California Supreme Court says merchants in the state can no longer ask credit card customers for their ZIP codes.”

You can access today’s ruling of the Supreme Court of California at this link.

“Makeover Urged for Federal Court Web Sites”: Tony Mauro has this post today at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“One giant health care case? Virginia asks the Court to gather up all of the health care law’s challenges from the federal appeals courts, and decide all of them in one omnibus proceeding dealing with every issue; The constitutional controversy has mired the nation in uncertainty, the state argues.” Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Decide Definition of ‘Public Charity'”: Paul Caron has this post at his “TaxProf Blog.”

My most recent earlier coverage of this case, in which I represent the party that sought Pa. Supreme Court review, appears at this link.

“Leroy R. Hassell Sr., Virginia’s first black chief justice, dies at 55”: The Washington Post contains this obituary today.

Today’s edition of The Richmond Times-Dispatch contains an obituary headlined “Virginia Supreme Court Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr. dies at 55.”

And The Virginian-Pilot contains an obituary headlined “Virginia Supreme Court Justice Leroy Hassell dies at 55” and an editorial entitled “A justice for all Virginians.”

“Hot news v new media”: This post appears at the “Babbage” blog of The Economist.

“Pa. Supreme Court to hear appeal on cultural trust’s tax exemptions”: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette contains this article today.

And The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports today that “Nonprofit’s tax fight heads to high court.”

“Cuccinelli asks Supreme Court to expedite health-care ruling”: This article appears today in The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Bloomberg News reports that “Republican Governors in 28 States Request Fast Review of Health Law Suits.”

And ABCNews.com has a report headlined “Should Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan Sit Out Health Care Case? Seventy-Four Democrats Say Justice Thomas Should Recuse Himself Because of Wife’s Lobbying.”

“Dining with a justice”: Today in The Basehor (Kan.) Sentinel, Rae Sedgwick has an essay that begins, “I had dinner on Friday night with an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Sonia Sotomayor. I am still pinching myself.”

“Opening arguments to begin in Orie trial”: This article appears today in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

And The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports today that “Judge refuses ethics expert testimony.”

“‘3 strikes’ sentence overturned for lack of jury”: Bob Egelko has this article today in The San Francisco Chronicle.

You can access yesterday’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

“Common Cause suddenly uncommonly forceful in fighting Koch Industries”: Dan Eggen has this article today in The Washington Post.

“State chemist testifies in retrial of drug case heard by high court; Defendant’s right to cross-examine experts was issue”: Today’s edition of The Boston Globe contains an article that begins, “A chemist from the state Department of Public Health, testifying in the retrial of a defendant in a 2004 Boston drug case that reached the nation’s highest court, described yesterday how she had scrutinized a powdery white substance in her lab.”

“Governor will keep high court nominees secret”: Ken Kobayashi has this article today in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser.