“New law expands abortion buffer zone”: The Boston Globe today contains an article that begins, “Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill yesterday establishing a 35-foot buffer zone between abortion clinic entrances and antiabortion protesters, the strictest state law of its kind in the nation, its supporters said. Operation Rescue: Boston, an antiabortion group that holds daily vigils outside the city’s abortion clinics, said the law violates the right to free speech and promised to file a lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality within weeks.”
“Guantanamo how-to manual hits the Web”: Carol Rosenberg of The Miami Herald has a news update that begins, “Guantanamo detainees were denied Red Cross visits and mail, had criticism of the U.S. government or leaders censored and dogs were allowed to patrol at the detention hospital, according to a once-secret prison camps manual that has suddenly appeared on the Internet.”
The newspaper has posted the 238-page manual online at this link.
“O’Connor ‘love story’ gets cold shoulder”: Mark Obbie has this thoughtful post today at his “LawBeat” blog. Mark’s post also links to the original coverage of this news story that NBC’s 12 News in Phoenix provided, headlined “O’Connor family deals with Alzheimer’s” (written report with link to video of televised segment; access 12 News video report directly by clicking here).
And today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Day to Day” contained an audio segment entitled “The Complications of Falling in Love with Alzheimer’s” (RealPlayer required).
Law Professor Eugene Volokh argues a Seventh Circuit appeal: And, in a ruling issued today, one of his two clients has prevailed. You can download the oral argument audio via this link (5.86MB mp3 audio file). The appellate briefs, however, are not available for download over the Seventh Circuit’s web site because the case is classified as a criminal appeal. Professor Volokh even gets a shout-out in the first footnote to the opinion, but the Seventh Circuit in its written opinion fails to thank him for accepting the court’s pro bono appointment to represent these two state court prisoners on appeal (although the panel did thank Professor Volokh profusely at the conclusion of the oral argument, after asking him “Why are you handling this case?”).
“State Your Secrets: The smart way around telecom immunity.” Justin Florence and Matthew Gerke have this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.
“Formal Swearing-In of Attorney General Michael Mukasey”: C-SPAN provides the video at this link (RealPlayer required). Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. administered the oath of office.
And the White House web site provides this transcript of the event.
“Singing Law Professor Rocks the Classroom”: This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition.” For those who wish to torture themselves more, an extended version of the songs can be accessed via this link (scroll down to link below law professor’s photo).
On appeal to the Fourth Circuit, Chewy Vuiton defeats Louis Vuitton: You can access yesterday’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit at this link.
At WSJ.com’s “Law Blog,” Patter Lattman had this post in November 2006 reporting on the trial court ruling that the Fourth Circuit affirmed yesterday. And the blog “Counterfeit Chic” covered the ruling in a post you can access here.
The Associated Press is reporting: Now available online are articles headlined “Bush Promises to Rebuild Justice Dept.” and “Law Firm Converts Old Jail to Office.”
“Telecom companies still seek immunity; AT&T, others fear lawsuits stemming from federal anti-terror eavesdropping moves”: James Oliphant has this article today in The Chicago Tribune.
And today’s edition of The Christian Science Monitor contains an article headlined “When cooperating with U.S. antiterror efforts is risky: Potential liability for past actions is central to the Bush administration’s push to grant immunity to telecom firms that helped the US wiretap program, and it was a factor in Mukasey’s hedged judgment about waterboarding.”
“Mexican lawyers leave Cuban rafters adrift; When Cuban rafters reach Mexico, relatives sometimes send money to immigration lawyers — not realizing that deportation often is inevitable”: This article appears today in El Nuevo Herald.
“Pentagon still plans 80 trials at Guantanamo”: Carol Rosenberg of The Miami Herald has an article that begins, “The Pentagon still plans to press war crimes charges against 80 men held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or about one in four of the detainees, a military spokesman said Tuesday.”
“O’Connors’ story sends message on Alzheimer’s”: The Arizona Republic today contains a front page article that begins, “A public family’s private story is now the center of a discussion about Alzheimer’s disease. Over the past week the world has begun to learn about the marriage of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and her husband of 54 years.”
And yesterday evening’s broadcast of “World News with Charles Gibson” contained a report headlined “Supreme Court Justice Knows It Is Best to Let Alzheimer’s Patients Forget the Past; Doctors Say Families Must Allow Patients to Have New Lives.”
“Take the Gun Case: The District waits to find out whether its ban will become the nation’s Second Amendment battleground.” This editorial appears today in The Washington Post.
And today in The Los Angeles Times, Robert A. Levy has an op-ed entitled “Unholster the 2nd Amendment: The Supreme Court, in weighing D.C.’s handgun ban, has a chance to reaffirm the right to own guns.”
“Justice Dept. Reopens Surveillance Probe”: Dan Eggen has this article today in The Washington Post.
The New York Times reports today that “Bush Allows Clearances for N.S.A. Inquiry.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that “Justice wiretap probe restarted; The department reopens an inquiry into whether its lawyers acted properly in regard to an eavesdropping program.”
USA Today reports that “Justice Department restarts inquiry into warrantless spying.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that “Mukasey Reopens Internal Probe.”
And McClatchy Newspapers report that “A Justice Department inquiry into secret eavesdropping is on again.”
“Prosecutors oppose new trial for Skilling; Their reply to Enron figure’s appeal calls his 24-year sentence ‘reasonable'”: Mary Flood has this article today in The Houston Chronicle.
And The Washington Post reports today that “A Year Later, Prosecutors Fight To Keep Enron’s Skilling in Prison.”
Update: Via WSJ.com’s “Law Blog,” you can access the federal government’s appellate brief at this link.
“U.S. justices refuse Baraka’s case over loss of post; Author claims poetry position was dropped after he read 9/11 work”: The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger today contains an article that begins, “The nation’s highest court refused yesterday to hear former New Jersey poet laureate Amiri Baraka’s challenge of the state’s decision to eliminate the position after he read a controversial poem about the 9/11 terror attacks.”
My earlier coverage of the Third Circuit’s ruling appears at this link.
“3 House members call Kent case ‘shocking’; Woman who made allegations is urged to file with courts’ disciplinary panel”: This article appears today in The Houston Chronicle.
The Galveston County Daily News reports today that “Judiciary panel responds to Kent allegations.” In addition, Heber Taylor has an op-ed entitled “Congress must step in on Kent.”
And The Associated Press reports that “Congressional committee puts judge inquiry on hold; U.S. House members say they’ll await criminal investigation into accusations that federal District Judge Samuel Kent groped former employee.”
“Giuliani Derides Idea of a Crack Amnesty”: Josh Gerstein of The New York Sun provides this news update.
The Washington Post reports today that “Plan to Cut Inmates’ Sentences Raises Ire.”
The Chicago Tribune today contains an editorial entitled “Retroactive justice.”
And The Christian Science Monitor contains an editorial entitled “Next step to close the cocaine gap: New sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine offenders should also apply to those behind bars.”
“High court has rare chance to guide gun-control debate; D.C. case offers opportunity to balance private rights, public safety”: This editorial appears today in USA Today.
The newspaper also contains a related op-ed by Larry Pratt entitled “More arms, less crime; Supreme Court should reject D.C. ban, uphold ownership rights.”
Available online from law.com: Tony Mauro reports that “High Court May Shift in Cases Over Bad Lawyering; Defense lawyers fear that justices are backing away from opinion that set standards for ineffective assistance claims.”
And in other news, “D.C. Circuit May Lose Judge to 9th Circuit.” I wrote about this pending legislation in a recent installment of my “On Appeal” column headlined “On the Horizon: More Powers for Some Federal Judges?”
