“Defendants in Wone Death Opt for Bench Trial”: David Ingram has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“US wants high court to stay out of rendition case”: The Associated Press has this report.

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “U.S. opposes ‘rendition’ review; SG Kagan stays on sidelines.”

“Don’t Stand So Close: If Elena Kagan is too close to the president, what was Harriet Miers?” John Dickerson has this essay online at Slate.

“Kagan makes rounds on Capitol Hill, staying mum”: The Associated Press has this report.

Available online at Politico.com: Josh Gerstein, at his “Under the Radar” blog, has a post titled “Kagan sparred with Clinton race panel.”

Ben Smith has an article headlined “Elena Kagan’s friends: She’s not gay.”

And Carol E. Lee reports that “Gay rights central to Elena Kagan fight.”

“Adelphia’s Rigases win ruling on double jeopardy; May be unconstitutional to try Rigases on conspiracy”: Reuters has this report on a ruling that the en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued today.

Update: In other coverage, The Associated Press has a report headlined “US court: 2nd Rigas trial may be double jeopardy.”

Lawrence Hurley of The Daily Journal of California is reporting: In today’s newspaper, he has an article headlined “Cross Case In Supreme Court Was Kagan’s First-Ever Win.”

And in yesterday’s newspaper, he had an article headlined “Supreme Court Nominee Braces For Deja Vu.”

“Don’t Bork Kagan: Sex, religion, and a nominee’s right to privacy.” William Saletan has this essay online at Slate.

“Memos reveal Elena Kagan’s centrist side”: Josh Gerstein has this article at Politico.com.

“Senators to query Kagan, but don’t expect answers”: Jesse J. Holland of The Associated Press has this report. The AP also has an article headlined “GOP senators’ shifting standards.”

“3 men convicted in Orange County sexual assault take case to California Supreme Court; Gregory Haidl, the son of a former assistant sheriff, and two others who videotaped their attack on a 16-year-old girl want their convictions overturned and do not want to register as sex offenders”: The Los Angeles Times contains this article today.

And The Orange County Register reported last week that “Greg Haidl takes case to state Supreme Court.”

“Conspiracy trial in Robert Wone killing set to start”: This article appears today in The Washington Post.

“’95 Article Reveals Kagan’s Views on Confirmation”: Adam Liptak has this article today in The New York Times. The newspaper also contains articles headlined “A New York Bloc on the Supreme Court“; “As Clinton Aide, Kagan Recommended Tactical Support for an Abortion Ban“; and “Court Nominee Figures in Midterm Campaigns.”

Today’s edition of The Washington Post contains articles headlined “The justice league: Elena Kagan’s nomination shows that Ivy roots run deep” and “White House seeks to defend Kagan’s diversity record.” And in commentary, columnist Ruth Marcus has an op-ed entitled “Advise and wimp out“; columnist Michael Gerson has an op-ed entitled “The mystery of Elena Kagan“; and columnist Kathleen Parker has an op-ed entitled “Elena Kagan is miles away from mainstream America.”

The Los Angeles Times contains an article headlined “Kagan would be high court’s third — New Yorker? Both female justices on the Supreme Court hail from New York; What is it about the city? ‘The New York woman, she’s a striver,’ says one expert.” And in commentary, law professor Jonathan Turley has an op-ed entitled “Evidence of a Supreme Court bias: Almost all the Supreme Court justices attended law school at either Harvard or Yale, as did President Obama’s latest nominee.” Turley also has an op-ed entitled “Senate’s way is no way to confirm a judicial MVP; Other models: The Vatican, pro baseball and the Academy” in USA Today.

The Boston Globe contains an article headlined “In Kagan stance on military, a complex history.”

In The Wall Street Journal, Laura Meckler has an article headlined “Mixed Grades at Harvard Law; Kagan Built Bridges on Divided Campus but Other Factors Helped Her Along.” Jess Bravin has an article headlined “Kagan and Key Case: The Jury Is Out.” You can freely access the full text of this article via Google News.

Michael Doyle of McClatchy Newspapers reports that “Judicial experience a fairly new expectation for Supreme Court.” And William Douglas reports that “Kagan nomination could influence November elections.”

Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “Supreme Court confirmations, as Elena Kagan saw them: Elena Kagan once urged aggressive questioning of and candid responses from Supreme Court nominees, but has lately backed off those views; Senate Democrats hail her ‘diversity of experience’; Republicans question her qualifications.”

Tony Mauro of The National Law Journal reports that “Law Review Article Could Spell Trouble for Kagan at Confirmation Hearing; Senators who will be trying to pry Kagan’s closely held views out of her at the upcoming confirmation hearing will almost certainly confront Kagan with her own words from long ago.”

From NPR, today’s broadcast of “Morning Edition” contained an audio segment entitled “Should Kagan’s Lack Of Judicial Experience Matter?” featuring Nina Totenberg. Yesterday evening’s broadcast of “All Things Considered” contained audio segments entitled “Kagan’s Years At Harvard Scrutinized” and “Some On Left Also Oppose Kagan Nomination.” NPR also has a written report headlined “Can Kagan Bridge Divided Court? Consensus Is No.”

Columnist Konrad Yakabuski of The Toronto Globe and Mail has an op-ed entitled “Kagan nomination reflects Obama’s centrist vision; President counting on appointment of proven pragmatist as surest way to correct court’s tilt to the right.”

And columnist Mike Littwin of The Denver Post has an op-ed entitled “Kagan’s not left enough, which makes her just right.”

“Mojave Desert cross, focus of long legal battle, is stolen; The 7-foot steel and concrete symbol honoring WWI vets had stood atop Sunrise Rock since 1934;The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that it could stay put; The VFW has offered a $25,000 reward”: This article appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

The New York Times reports today that “Cross at Center of Legal Dispute Disappears.”

USA Today reports that “Vandals tear down cross that justices would not.”

The Desert Dispatch of Barstow, California reports that “Anonymous letter explaining cross theft sent to Desert Dispatch.”

The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, California reports that “Visitors lament loss of Mojave Cross.”

The Hi-Desert Star of Yucca Valley, California reports that “Thieves steal cross.”

The San Bernardino Sun reports that “Mojave cross stolen, replacement pledged; Memorial to veterans vanishes from desert site.”

And The Christian Science Monitor reports that “Mojave cross theft shows planning; veterans groups vow to rebuild; The Mojave cross, which the US Supreme Court two weeks ago ruled could stay, was removed early this week, sparking outrage.”

“War court judge sets new Khadr trial date: Aug. 10.” Carol Rosenberg of The Miami Herald has this article today.