“Supreme Court has given firms a stronger hand; This year, it gave firms a stronger shield against class actions; But it also ruled for several individuals suing employers and made it easier for car crash victims to sue automakers”: David G. Savage will have this article Saturday in The Los Angeles Times.

“Komisarjevsky’s Lawyers Argue At Supreme Court To Keep Witness List Sealed”: The Hartford Courant has a news update that begins, “The state Supreme Court Friday heard arguments from Joshua Komisarjevsky’s attorneys who are attempting to keep the witness list in the Cheshire home invasion defendant’s upcoming trial sealed from the public before testimony begins.”

“Why this Supreme Court could be the best hope for gay-marriage advocates”: Law professor Justin Driver will have this op-ed Sunday in The Washington Post.

“Military court upholds Gitmo war crimes conviction”: The Associated Press has this report on today’s en banc ruling of the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan.

You can access the lengthy ruling at this link (via “Lawfare” blog).

“Orie gets chance to argue appeal”: Today’s edition of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review contains an article that begins, “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court sent Sen. Jane Orie’s double jeopardy appeal in her public corruption case back to Superior Court on Thursday in an order straightening out some tangled case law.”

You can access yesterday’s per curiam ruling of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania at this link.

“5th Circuit Judges Shrug Off Critics, Hang Onto Oil Investments”: Lawrence Hurley of Greenwire has an article (via The New York Times) that begins, “Despite criticism over perceived ties to oil and gas companies, judges of the New Orleans-based federal appeals court that frequently handles cases affecting the energy industry have made little effort to divest themselves of investments that could create conflicts of interest, according to new financial disclosure statements.”

“Appeals Court Keeps Material Witness Hearings Secret”: Mike Scarcella has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

And at his “Under the Radar” blog at Politico.com, Josh Gerstein has a post titled “D.C. Circuit punts on access to material witness cases.”

You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit at this link.

Access online Slate’s “Supreme Court Year in Review”: Available via this link, featuring Dahlia Lithwick, Walter Dellinger, and Paul Clement.

“Anna Nicole Smith’s Estate Loses Supreme Court Case”: Adam Liptak has this article today in The New York Times.

“High court sides with defendant in Louisville crack cocaine case”: The Louisville Courier-Journal contains this article today.

“Supreme Court Ruling Accepts No Substitutes in Crime Lab Testimony”: Adam Liptak has this article today in The New York Times.

And in today’s edition of The Los Angeles Times, David G. Savage reports that “Supreme Court puts extra burden on crime labs; Justices declare that a defendant in a drunken driving case has the right to demand that a lab technician testify in person about a test showing impairment.”

“Ex-media mogul Conrad Black ordered back to prison; wife faints”: The Chicago Sun-Times has this news update.

The Chicago Tribune has a news update headlined “Black headed back to prison; wife collapses in court.”

The Toronto Globe and Mail has a news update headlined “Conrad Black going back to prison.”

National Post has a news update headlined “Conrad Black going back to prison.”

The Associated Press reports that “Conrad Black resentenced to prison.”

Reuters reports that “Ex-media mogul Conrad Black sent back to prison.”

And Bloomberg News reports that “Judge Sends Conrad Black Back to Prison.”

Programming note: The panel in which I am participating as a speaker at the Judicial Conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit — on the subject “Opening Up: Can the Courts Be More Open and Better Understood?” — will be making its presentations this morning. As a result, new posts will not appear here until this afternoon.