Fifth Circuit holds that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not validly abrogate state sovereign immunity with regard to the claims of disabled inmates who were denied access to prison educational and work programs: You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit at this link.

“Judges to Rule on Child Porn Question in Stelmack Case; Former principal pasted girls’ faces on images of nude adult bodies”: This article appears today in The Lakeland (Fla.) Ledger.

“Conn. judge: Jury can’t consider execution cost.” The Associated Press has this report.

“Federal appeals court upholds Texas pledge wording”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A federal appeals court has rejected a Dallas-area parent’s bid to have ‘under God’ removed from the Texas pledge of allegiance that is recited every day by public schoolchildren.”

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

“Sandra Day O’Connor on Judicial Elections, Supreme Court’s New Players”: Yesterday’s broadcast of the PBS program “NewsHour” included this segment (transcript with link to video).

“Jury selection continues in Diehl-Armstrong trial”: This article appears today in The Erie (Pa.) Times-News.

“U.S. Supreme Court Faces Word Puzzle in Job Bias Case”: Marcia Coyle of The National Law Journal has this report.

“High Court Weighs Death Row Inmate’s DNA Query”: Adam Liptak has this article today in The New York Times.

In today’s edition of The Washington Post, Robert Barnes reports that “Drama is missing in DNA death row case.”

David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times reports that “Supreme Court struggles with DNA testing issue; Texas inmate Hank Skinner was once an hour away from execution when the high court intervened; Now the justices consider whether new DNA testing can be allowed of old evidence in a long-ago trial.”

Joan Biskupic of USA Today reports that “Case weighs inmate civil rights; Convict’s argument centers on DNA testing denied under state law.”

The Washington Times reports that “Supreme Court hears case of Texas death row inmates.”

Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “Supreme Court: Can death row inmate force state to do more DNA testing? The Supreme Court agreed to take the case of a man on Texas’ death row; He wants the state to do DNA tests on other, untested evidence he says would prove his innocence; A victory would make it easier for convicted criminals to continue to fight convictions.”

And The Daily Northwestern reports that “The Medill Innocence Project meets the U.S. Supreme Court; Court hears oral arguments in case of Hank Skinner, which Innocence Project researched for 10 years.”

“Judge Says He’ll Rule Thursday On Hayes Defense Motion; Lawyers Seeking To Use Cost Of Execution In Penalty Phase Arguments”: This article appears today in The Hartford Courant.

Today’s edition of The New Haven Register contains an article headlined “Keeping Hayes alive will save state millions, lawyer argues.”

And The Wall Street Journal reports that “Killings Fuel Election Debate.”

“Giving Back Your Constitution: What the court needs, Breyer’s new book says, is an engaged public.” Dahlia Lithwick has this book review online at Slate.

“Ray, Neu to oppose effort to dump 3 Iowa justices”: This article appears today in The Des Moines Register.

“Colleagues: Judge in gay court case not ‘activist.'” The Associated Press has a report that begins, “The federal judge who halted the military’s ban on openly gay troops is known for working at court well past closing time, typing her own court orders and doting on two terriers who themselves are no strangers to the halls of justice.”

Today’s edition of The Los Angeles Times reports that “Legal scholars debate judge’s ruling on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’; They are divided on whether the ruling lifting the ban on gay troops applies to all service members; The Justice Department is expected to appeal.”

Today’s edition of The New York Times contains an article headlined “Unexpected Turns for Suit Over ‘Don’t Ask’ Rule.”

The Washington Post reports that “Administration is expected to appeal ‘don’t ask’ injunction.”

And Ginny LaRoe of The Recorder reports that “‘Don’t Ask’ Ruling Puts 9th Circuit Back in Gay-Rights Spotlight.”