“Judge in sex assault case sued by alleged victim”: The Lincoln (Neb.) Journal-Star today contains an article that begins, “In the latest legal twist in the sexual assault prosecution of a Lincoln man, the woman at the center of the case sued the trial judge this week because he barred ‘rape’ and other words from the courtroom. Tory Bowen, 24, said in the complaint filed in federal court that Lancaster County District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront violated her First Amendment right to free speech by barring the words ‘rape,’ ‘victim,’ ‘assailant,’ ‘sexual assault kit’ and ‘sexual assault nurse examiner’ from the trial of Pamir Safi.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Woman Sues Judge for Banning Words.”

“Iran Must Pay $2.6 Billion for ’83 Attack”: The Washington Post today contains an article that begins, “A federal judge yesterday ordered Iran to pay more than $2.6 billion to nearly 1,000 family members and a handful of survivors of a 1983 bombing of a Marine barracks in Lebanon that killed 241 soldiers. The ruling brought cheers and tears from survivors but faces long odds of being fulfilled.”

Reuters reports that “U.S. judge orders Iran pay $2.6 billion for 1983 attack.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Iran Rejects U.S. Ruling on 1983 Attack.”

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has posted online both yesterday’s opinion and the accompanying judgment.

“White House defends nominee for 4th Circuit; Neither Warner, Webb recommended Getchell in bipartisan judge picks”: This article appears today in The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“SLC attorney wins case on appeal; Court rules that most of the info detailing his brother’s death in Oklahoma jail in 1995 can be released”: The Salt Lake Tribune contains this article today.

And today’s edition of The Deseret Morning News contains an article headlined “Salt Lake attorney wins point in cover-up case” that begins, “The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has knocked a hole in the wall of secrecy built up around federal law enforcement agency investigations. In a 35-page ruling issued Friday, the court said Salt Lake City attorney Jesse Trentadue is entitled to information in a federal report that may show Department of Justice officials conducted a cover-up surrounding his brother’s death in a federal prison.”

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

“Enron’s Skilling asks court to throw out all his convictions”: This article appears today in The Houston Chronicle.

Available online from law.com: An article reports that “3rd Circuit to Hear CBS’ Appeal Over Indecency Fine for Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl Stunt; More is at stake than the network’s financial hit, as FCC’s power over broadcasters is challenged.”

In other news, “Comcast Loses on Appeal in Fees Case; 11th Circuit rules that the customers’ arbitration agreements with the cable company are unenforceable in the case.” You can access Tuesday’s Eleventh Circuit ruling at this link.

An article headlined “Are Plaintiffs Attorneys Becoming Targets?” begins, “Michigan attorney Geoffrey Fieger was recently indicted on campaign finance charges, the fourth high-profile plaintiffs attorney to face federal criminal charges in the past 14 months. The string of charges has caught the ire of the plaintiffs bar, with many well-known trial attorneys alleging that the federal government is targeting them.”

And next Monday’s brand new installment of my “On Appeal” essay is headlined “How Should a Federal Appellate Court Decide Whether an Appeal Should Be Orally Argued?”

“Bush Expected to Nominate Attorney General Next Week; Former Solicitor General Is Called a Leading Candidate”: The Washington Post today contains an article that begins, “President Bush is expected to choose a replacement for Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales by the middle of next week, and former solicitor general Theodore B. Olson has emerged as one of the leading contenders for the job, according to sources inside and outside the government who are familiar with White House deliberations. Other candidates still in the running include former deputy attorney general George J. Terwilliger III and D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Laurence H. Silberman, according to the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the discussions.”