“Liu Says Criticism of Alito Showed ‘Poor Judgment'”: David Ingram has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“‘Nude’ Airport Scanners: Are They Safe?”: David Kravets has this post today at Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog.

“Fringe Westboro church to resume anti-gay protests”: Reuters has a report that begins, “The fringe Westboro Baptist Church, which has infuriated many with anti-gay protests at funerals of U.S. soldiers, said on Wednesday it plans to continue demonstrating after winning a Supreme Court ruling.”

“Rights group takes a step-by-step approach on gay marriage; Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, or GLAD, is arguing that it is unconstitutional to discriminate against gay couples who are already legally married; It hopes its incremental approach will lead to a broader ruling by the Supreme Court”: David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times has this news update.

And today in The San Francisco Chronicle Bob Egelko reports that “Kamala Harris says Obama’s action dooms Prop. 8.”

“Supreme Court rules in favor of former Iowa drug addict”: The Des Moines Register has a news update that begins, “The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in favor of second chances for a former meth addict from Iowa, paving the way for thousands of one-time prisoners to have their good conduct and rehabilitation considered when being resentenced on appeal.”

“Justices Appear to Back U.S. on Material Witness Law”: Adam Liptak will have this article Thursday in The New York Times.

In Thursday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal, Even Perez will have an article headlined “Justices Hear 9/11 Detention Case.”

Bill Mears of CNN.com reports that “Court appears split over material witness law.”

Jesse J. Holland of The Associated Press reports that “Court hears argument over post-9/11 arrest.”

And online at Slate, Dahlia Lithwick has a Supreme Court dispatch entitled “Al-Kidding Aside: The Supreme Court’s collective yawn at the case of a U.S. citizen’s detention and mistreatment after Sept. 11.”

You can access at this link the transcript of today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Ashcroft v. al-Kidd, No. 10-98.

For the judges as umpires file: At ESPN.com, Jim Caple has a very interesting article (accompanied by a related video) headlined “Humbled by umpire school: Becoming an ump requires a lot of hard work, and the road to the majors is a long one.”

“Federal Court Backs Students’ ‘Be Happy, Not Gay’ Shirts”: At the “School Law” blog of Education Week, Mark Walsh has a post that begins, “A federal appeals court has upheld $25 damages awards to two Illinois students who were barred by school officials from wearing T-shirts that said ‘Be Happy, Not Gay’ to protest a day meant to promote gay tolerance.”

My earlier coverage of yesterday’s Seventh Circuit ruling appears at this link.

“Alito is court’s lonely voice on First Amendment”: Mark Sherman of The Associated Press has this report.

“Blago gets immunity in horseracing civil case”: The Chicago Sun-Times has this news update reporting on a ruling that a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued today.

Circuit Judge Diane S. Sykes wrote the majority opinion, from which Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner dissented.

Ed Whelan responds to Richard Painter’s Huffington Post entry in support of Ninth Circuit nominee Goodwin Liu: At National Review Online’s “Bench Memos” blog, Whelan has posts titled “Richard Painter’s Deceptive Portrayal of Goodwin Liu–Part 1” and “Richard Painter’s Deceptive Portrayal of Goodwin Liu–Part 2.”

You can view this afternoon’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing live, online via this link after the hearing gets underway. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. eastern time.

“Justices Rule for Protesters at Military Funerals”: Adam Liptak of The New York Times has this news update.

Robert Barnes of The Washington Post has a news update headlined “Supreme Court rules First Amendment protects church’s right to picket funerals.”

David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times has a news update headlined “Supreme Court says anti-gay protesters have a right to demonstrate at military funerals.”

The Baltimore Sun has a news update headlined “Country’s high court says anti-gay church can protest at funerals; Opinion issued after members picketed a Maryland marine’s service.”

The Topeka Capital-Journal has a news update headlined “WBC applauds Supreme Court decision; Margie Phelps on free speech vs. privacy ruling : ‘We follow the law.’”

Michael Doyle of McClatchy Newspapers reports that “Supreme Court upholds Westboro church’s military funeral protests.”

Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “Supreme Court: ‘hurtful speech’ of Westboro Baptist Church is protected; Supreme Court Justice Alito is the lone dissenter in the 8-to-1 ruling on free-speech principles, saying the conduct of the Westboro Baptist Church ’caused petitioner great injury.’”

Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News reports that “Anti-Gay Funeral Protesters Win Case at U.S. Supreme Court.”

James Vicini of Reuters reports that “Supreme Court allows military funeral anti-gay protests.”

Brent Kendall of Dow Jones Newswires reports that “High Court Rules in Favor of Funeral Protesters.”

And Bill Mears of CNN.com reports that “Supreme Court rules for anti-gay church over military funeral protests.”

“Preliminary thoughts on the Bryant decision”: Law professor Richard D. Friedman has this post at “The Confrontation Blog.”

And at her “Court Beat” blog, USA Today’s Joan Biskupic has a post titled “Confrontational Scalia on the Confrontation Clause.”

Round two for Goodwin Liu: This afternoon, Ninth Circuit nominee Goodwin Liu is scheduled to make his second appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee has several new members who have not previously questioned this nominee. The hearing is scheduled to start at 2:45 p.m. eastern time, and you will be able to access a live webcast via this link once the hearing gets underway.

Today at The Huffington Post, Richard Painter has a post titled “Qualified, Measured, and Mainstream: Why the Senate Should Confirm Goodwin Liu.”

Earlier this week, Judith E. Schaeffer had a post titled “‘Judicial Emergency’: Goodwin Liu’s Nomination Hits One Year.”

And yesterday at National Review Online’s “Bench Memos” blog, Ed Whelan had a post titled “On Goodwin Liu and Same-Sex Marriage.”

Access online today’s decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court in argued cases: The Court today issued two decisions in argued cases.

1. Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered the opinion of the Court in Pepper v. United States, No. 09-6822. Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Samuel A. Alito, Jr. joined the opinion of the Court only in part. Justice Breyer issued an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment. Justice Alito issued an opinion concurring in part, concurring in the judgment in part, and
dissenting in part. Justice Clarence Thomas issued a dissenting opinion. And Justice Elena Kagan did not take part in the decision. You can access the oral argument via this link.

2. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court in Snyder v. Phelps, No. 09-751. Justice Breyer issued a concurring opinion. And Justice Alito issued a dissenting opinion. You can access the oral argument via this link.

In early news coverage, The Associated Press has reports headlined “High court rules for military funeral protesters” and “Court: Judges should consider rehabilitation.”

“Parked trucker’s boss liable for fatal crash”: In today’s edition of The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has an article that begins, “The employer of a trucker who illegally parked his rig alongside a freeway bears some responsibility for the death of a driver who lost control of his pickup and slammed into the truck, the state Supreme Court has ruled.”

And Metropolitan News-Enterprise reports that “S.C. Revives Lawsuit Against Ralphs by Widow of Negligent Driver.”

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

“Orie takes stand a 2nd day; Jury may begin deliberating today in Republican senator’s corruption case”: This article appears today in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

And The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports today that “Orie finishes testimony in corruption case.”

“Unanimously, Supreme Court Backs Veterans in 2 Cases”: Adam Liptak has this article today in The New York Times.

In today’s edition of The Los Angeles Times, David G. Savage reports that “U.S. Supreme Court ruling extends federal job discrimination laws; The Supreme Court decision protects workers from bias from all of their supervisors.”

Joan Biskupic of USA Today reports that “Supreme Court eases benefit deadline for vets.”

And Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “Supreme Court: Hospital punished worker for being in Army Reserves; Vincent Staub said he was fired from his hospital job because his supervisors were hostile to his responsibilities in the Army Reserves; The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in his favor Tuesday.”

“Supreme Court justices are talking more”: Robert Barnes has this article today in The Washington Post.

“Cynthia Holcomb Hall dies at 82; U.S. 9th Circuit judge; Cynthia Holcomb Hall often ruled on the conservative side of issues but occasionally surprised observers by going the other way; She was also known for the ornamental gardens at the Pasadena courthouse”: Carol J. Williams has this obituary today in The Los Angeles Times.

“Barry Bonds again pleads not guilty to perjury charges”: Howard Mintz has this article today in The San Jose Mercury News.

In today’s edition of The San Francisco Chronicle, Lance Williams has an article headlined “Barry Bonds’ trainer warned: Testify or jail.”

The New York Times has an article headlined “Risking Jail Time, Trainer Again Vows He Won’t Testify Against Bonds.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Bonds’ trainer picks jail over stand, again.”

“Court to hear argument over post-9/11 arrest”: Mark Sherman of The Associated Press has this report.

And today’s edition of The Washington Post contains an editorial entitled “High court should overturn Kidd v. Ashcroft.”