“Does separation equal suffering? Some state inmates spend years in solitary; Critics say that is cruel and unusual.” This article will appear Sunday in The St. Petersburg Times.

“Cambridge courthouse workers can sue judge; Asbestos in building led to employees’ case”: The Boston Globe today contains an article that begins, “In a decision that a lawyer for Cambridge courthouse workers said bolsters their demands for asbestos protection, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled yesterday that employees can pursue a civil suit to ensure that their health is safeguarded during renovation of the problem-plagued 22-story building.”

You can access yesterday’s ruling of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts at this link.

“Rell Gets Help In Picking New Chief Justice”: Today in The Hartford Courant, Lynne Tuohy has an article that begins, “The scandal set in motion by former Chief Justice William J. Sullivan’s decision to withhold a controversial court ruling on behalf of a colleague followed its own unique path. So too, it seems, has the search for Sullivan’s successor.”

“N.C.’s ban on explicit dancing upheld”: The Associated Press provides this report. My earlier coverage appears here.

“Former Steeler’s Family Wins Disability Ruling”: The New York Times on Thursday contained this article reporting on a 35-page non-precedential ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued on Wednesday.

“In New Jersey, Gay Couples Ponder Nuances of Measure to Allow Civil Unions”: This article appears today in The New York Times.

The Newark Star-Ledger reports today that “Some civil servants balk at performing civil unions; Mayors unsure of duties under pending law.”

And The Philadelphia Inquirer contains an article headlined “N.J. civil unions and insurance: The cost, not the semantics, is the focus to businesses, which would be required to pay health benefits for workers’ same-sex partners.”

“He Does Take This Woman. Now, About Her Last Name….” The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “If John Smith falls in love with Marie Bakalaka and wishes to become John Bakalaka, should that cost him money? Should his wishes come with so much grief? Wouldn’t his family be likely to give him enough of that? The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in United States District Court here Friday asking for an overhaul of California laws that dictate the process of changing a name through marriage.”

And the ACLU of Southern California yesterday issued a press release entitled “Make California Marriage Law Equal for Husbands Who Take Their Wives’ Last Name; ACLU/SC Will Represent Couple Who Faced $300 Name-Change Fee.”

My earlier coverage appears at this link.

“Padilla’s mental health in question; Evaluation requested for al-Qaida suspect”: This article appears today in The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“Block That Branch: Why can Congress take cases away from the courts?” Emily Bazelon has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“Ruling halts state method of execution; A judge says California’s injection procedure is cruel and unusual”: Henry Weinstein has this article today in The Los Angeles Times. A related graphic is here.

Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko reports that “Judge issues ultimatum to state on executions; He sets 30-day deadline for officials to agree to change lethal injection — or he’ll declare it unconstitutional.”

In The San Jose Mercury News, Howard Mintz reports that “Fix needed to resume executions.” A related graphic is here.

The Sacramento Bee contains an article headlined “Judge: Rethink lethal injection; He says execution method can be fixed if the governor helps.”

The Washington Post contains a front page article headlined “Lethal Injection Is On Hold in 2 States; Florida Governor Suspends Executions; Judge Orders California to Alter Methods.”

And in The New York Times, Adam Liptak and Terry Aguayo report that “Florida Governor Halts the Death Penalty.”

We’re number two! Thanks to everyone who voted for “How Appealing” in the “Best Law Blog” category in The 2006 Weblog Awards. You can access the preliminary results at this link.

“How Appealing” achieved second place with 1483 votes, representing 19.75% of the votes cast in this category among ten finalists. The highly deserving first place winner is “The Volokh Conspiracy,” with 2399 votes, representing 31.95% of all votes cast in the category.