“U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent indicted in sex case”: The Houston Chronicle provides a news update that begins, “U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent was indicted Thursday on charges of abusive sexual contact and aggravated sexual abuse, making him the first federal judge to be charged with federal sex crimes and the first in Texas to be indicted in recent history.”

“Federal court in Ohio OKs 1912 ‘gold’ lease clause”: The Associated Press provides this report. My earlier coverage of yesterday’s Sixth Circuit ruling appears at this link.

And, as The Vancouver Sun noted earlier this week in an article headlined “A case of conflicting principles that’s as good as gold; Judge decides how to split up the booty when the protection of property and protection of commercial transactions collide,” gold coins were also recently the subject of a court ruling in Canada.

“Roberts to judge UF court contest”: Yesterday’s edition of The Gainesville Sun contained an article that begins, “The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court will judge a competition of University of Florida law students on Sept. 5.” According to the article, “Chief Justice John Roberts will judge moot court at the Phillips Center. Four law students will write briefs and make oral arguments in a fictional case on the Constitutionality of anti-abortion license plates.”

And The National Law Journal provides a news update headlined “Chief justice to judge Florida Law moot court competition.”

(Via the ABA Journal’s “Law News Now” blog.)

“Mexican Supreme Court upholds legal abortion”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “Mexico’s Supreme Court voted 8-3 Thursday to uphold legal abortion in the capital, opening the possibility that similar measures could be adopted elsewhere in Mexico – and perhaps beyond.”

Reuters reports that “Mexico’s top court upholds abortion law.”

Agence France-Presse reports that “Mexico’s Supreme Court upholds capital’s abortion law.”

And The Guardian (UK) provides a news update headlined “Court backs Mexico City’s free abortion law; Absolute right to terminate pregnancy up to 12 weeks has sparked national debate on longstanding taboo.”

“2nd Circuit Appears Skeptical of Validity of Patriot Act’s National Security Letters”: law.com provides this report.

“Ohio Judge, 82, Sees History’s ‘Spark’ in Obama’s Nomination”: Bloomberg News provides this report about retired Sixth Circuit Judge Nathaniel R. Jones.