“Democrats eye state supreme court races — this year and beyond; National groups are spending money in battleground judicial races with the hope of liberal majorities in two years”: Casey He of Politico has this report.

“Judge throws out Trump-ordered lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate race”: Margaret Carmel of The Anchorage Daily News has this report.

Anna Griffin of The New York Times reports that “Judge Rejects Trump Officials’ Move to Challenge Alaska Senate Election; In the latest defeat for the Trump administration, the ruling dismisses a lawsuit that pre-emptively contested the results of a race that includes two candidates named Daniel Sullivan.”

Jeremy Roebuck and Patrick Marley of The Washington Post report that “Judge tosses DOJ’s attempt to delay Alaska’s Senate results if Republican loses; The decision shot down the Trump administration’s extraordinary request to block the election’s resolution if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan narrowly loses; Another candidate, Dan J. Sullivan Jr., is also running.”

Madlin Mekelburg, Matthew Griffin, and María Paula Mijares Torres of Bloomberg News report that “DOJ Lawsuit to Probe Alaska Senate Vote Thrown Out by Judge.”

And Eric Heisig of Bloomberg Law reports that “DOJ Appeals Judge’s Dismissal of Alaska US Senate Lawsuit.”

You can access today’s decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska at this link.

“Judicial Notice (11.01.26): Who Killed Weil Gotshal? Laying the blame for Weil’s woes, a federal judge fed up with DOJ, a Ninth Circuit case with lots of leading litigators, and a $17 billion deal involving a name you know.” David Lat has this post at his “Original Jurisdiction” Substack site.

“Trump Has Found the Attorney General of His Dreams”: Columnist David French has this essay online at The New York Times.

“New York court takes up Trump’s latest efforts to toss hush money conviction; Trump claims the case was ‘the most politically charged prosecution in our nation’s history’”: Erik Uebelacker of Courthouse News Service has this report.

“Supreme Court faces wave of appeals about religion and schools; The justices will review petitions asking the court to overturn rulings related to the separation of church and state”: Maureen Groppe of USA Today has this report.

“DOJ’s Groundwork for Midterm Mayhem; A voter’s guide to lawsuits, lies, and last-minute chaos threatening the midterms”: You can access today’s new episode of Slate’s “Amicus” podcast via this link.

“Catholic preschools pit religion against LGBTQ rights in Supreme Court fight over public funds; After opening up taxpayer dollars to religious education, the justices are now considering if faith-based schools must follow the same rules as their secular counterparts”: Kelsey Reichmann of Courthouse News Service has this report.

And John Kruzel of Reuters reports that “Preschool case tests religious conservatives’ US Supreme Court win streak.”

“As Midterms Near, Top Law Firms That Capitulated to Trump Are on the Sidelines; None of the firms that struck deals to avoid crippling executive orders are publicly involved in the major legal efforts to check the Trump administration’s attempts to meddle in the midterm elections, a review by The New York Times shows”: Michael S. Schmidt and Jim Rutenberg of The New York Times have this report.

“Idaho gets green light to enforce abortion ban in health-risk cases; A divided Ninth Circuit panel said the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision likely defeats a doctor’s challenge”: Jeremy Yurow of Courthouse News Service has this report.

You can access yesterday’s decision of a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

“Judge weighs whether Justice Dept. violated statute in charging James Comey; A court hearing Friday centered on whether prosecutors used a valid legal maneuver to charge the former FBI director”: Perry Stein and Salvador Rizzo of The Washington Post have this report.

Devlin Barrett of The New York Times reports that “Prosecutors Suggest They May Seek Additional Comey Charges; At a hearing in federal court, prosecutors defended an unusual, 11th-hour criminal case accusing the former F.B.I. director of leaking classified information a decade ago.”

And Josh Gerstein of Politico reports that “Judge mulls throwing out DOJ’s leak case against James Comey; Comey’s lawyers say the statute of limitations has expired.”

“‘My Body Hurts’: Pike Describes Pain and Isolation After Botched Execution; Christa Pike, who was convicted of a 1995 murder, released her first statement since the failed attempt to execute her last month”: Emily Cochrane of The New York Times has this report.

And Katie Mettler and Maegan Vazquez of The Washington Post report that “Christa Pike said she awoke ‘confused and in pain’ after botched execution; In her first public statement since the failed lethal injection, Pike said she had been ‘prepared to die’ for her role in a brutal killing.”

“Federal judge signals she may halt construction on Trump’s arch; Judge Tanya S. Chutkan was skeptical of the Justice Department’s arguments, including on the project’s urgency; ‘What is the rush?’ she asked”: Dan Diamond of The Washington Post has this report.

And Kyle Cheney of Politico reports that “Judge weighs blocking construction of Trump’s triumphal arch; The judge said a Supreme Court decision on Trump’s ballroom doesn’t necessarily control the fate of his arch, too.”

“Judge Appoints Special Master to Determine if Trump Officials Lied in Golf Course Suit; Judge Ana C. Reyes said an outside investigator would help determine whether parks officials or Justice Department lawyers withheld plans for Washington’s East Potomac Park”: Zach Montague of The New York Times has this report.

Rick Maese of The Washington Post reports that “Judge orders inquiry into whether DOJ lawyers misled court on Trump’s golf plan; U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes opened another heated hearing by reading the D.C. Bar rules about truthfulness in court.”

And Kyle Cheney of Politico reports that “Judge opens misconduct inquiry in Trump golf course case; U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes clashed with a top Justice Department official over the administration’s conflicting statements.”

“Can the feds sue judges? Fourth Circuit wrestles with ‘unprecedented’ lawsuit; The unusual case requires the federal appeals court to decide whether the executive branch can sue the judicial branch”: Joe Dodson of Courthouse News Service has this report.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has posted online the audio of today’s oral argument at this link.

“Appeals court orders new trial to determine damages for NFL overcharging ‘Sunday Ticket’ subscribers”: Harrison Rich of The San Francisco Chronicle has this report.

Saad Yousuf of The Athletic reports that “NFL faces new trial over ‘Sunday Ticket’ damages after court reinstates verdict against league.”

Leah Nylen, Peter Blumberg, and Erika Tulfo of Bloomberg News report that “NFL Sunday Ticket Antitrust Fight Revived With Billions at Stake.”

And Edvard Pettersson of Courthouse News Service reports that “Ninth Circuit throws flag on NFL win against Sunday Ticket subscribers; The appellate panel sent the case back to the lower court in Los Angeles for a new trial on damages, agreeing that the $4.7 billion the jury awarded two years ago wasn’t supported by the evidence.”

You can access today’s decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

“10th Circuit gives go-ahead for Kansas restaurant’s cheeseburger mural; The panel ruled that a local ordinance distinguishing murals from commercial signs is not tailored to fit government interest in traffic and pedestrian safety”: Joe Duhownik of Courthouse News Service has this report.

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

“Texas federal judge fails to appear for judicial misconduct investigative hearing”: Nate Raymond of Reuters has this report.

The Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit posted this order and transcript online today.

“Former NH Supreme Court Justice Hantz Marconi won’t face discipline after settling ethics case; Retired Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi admitted ethics violations tied to inquiries about her husband’s case but will face no discipline under a settlement dated Oct. 28”: Paul Feely of The New Hampshire Union Leader has this report.

And Todd Bookman of New Hampshire Public Radio reports that “Retired Supreme Court Justice Hantz Marconi settles ethics probe; won’t face discipline.”

“Trump Wants to Kick ‘Rogue Activist Judges’ Off Cases. Can He? A Supreme Court decision and ethics opinions give judges room to speak their minds.” Adam Liptak has this new installment of his “On the Docket” newsletter online at The New York Times.

“Appeals Court Denies DOJ Bid to Block 20,000 California Ballots”: Erik Larson of Bloomberg News has this report.

You can access today’s per curiam order of a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

Update: In other coverage, Kevin Rector and Brittny Mejia of The Los Angeles Times report that “9th Circuit again denies Trump administration request to block 20,000 California ballots.”

And Zach Montague of The New York Times reports that “Appeals Court Again Rejects Trump Effort to Impound California Ballots; In a 2-to-1 vote, an appeals court panel declined to order the state to set aside more than 20,000 mail-in ballots, calling the notion plainly unconstitutional.”

“If Trump Gets Another Supreme Court Pick, MAGA Wants a Loyalist; For years, Supreme Court aspirants have avoided talking about how they might rule; Trump’s frustrations with his first-term picks could change that”: Mattathias Schwartz of The New York Times has this report.

“Supreme Court isn’t on the ballot. But in campaigns, it is hotly contested. Some Democrats propose to expand the court and impose term limits on justices if they regain control of Congress, although similar proposals have failed in the past.” Bart Jansen of USA Today has this report.

“Trump Erupted After Learning of Alina Habba’s $50 Million Deal; Angry about the scale of a contract signed by one of his former lawyers with the family of a wealthy pardon seeker, the president told allies he wanted some of the money to go to his future presidential library”: Tyler Pager of The New York Times has this report.

“Fourth Circuit considers Second Amendment argument from man arrested near CIA headquarters; A man arrested outside the CIA headquarters in 2025 argues the federal government violated his Second Amendment rights”: Yann Ranaivo of Courthouse News Service has this report.

You can access the audio of yesterday’s oral argument before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit at this link.

“Ninth Circuit panel skeptical of San Diego abortion clinic speech restrictions; A Ninth Circuit panel pressed attorneys on whether San Diego’s restrictions on speech outside abortion clinics are unconstitutionally vague, as an anti-abortion protester seeks to revive his dismissed lawsuit”: Quinn Welsch of Courthouse News Service has this report.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has posted the video of this oral argument on YouTube.

“Read the (Proposed) Amicus Brief I Filed Supporting the State of Alaska in the Suit Where DOJ Wants to Stop Certification in the U.S. Senate Race”: Rick Hasen has this post at his “Election Law Blog.”

“In this appeal from a direct criminal contempt conviction, we consider whether a courtroom spectator who called a judge a vulgar insult in open court ‘obstruct[ed] the administration of justice’ within the meaning of the Judicial Code. We conclude that he did not. Thus, we reverse.” So begins a decision that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued today. The decision was accompanied by a concurring opinion.

“The Trump Justice Department Has Been Reduced to Lying About a Golf Course Renovation; A fitting end to the first two years of Trump’s second term in office”: Jay Willis has this post at his “Balls & Strikes” Substack site.

“Trump’s North Dakota judicial nominee is unqualified and extreme. That’s why he was nominated. Phil Axt graduated from law school in 2018 and has been working to restrict fundamental rights.” Patrick McNeil has this post at his “Nomination Notes” Substack site.

“Two cheers for ‘insecure originalism’”: Richard Re has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Bringing Charges Against the President’s Political Enemies”: You can access today’s new episode of the “Advisory Opinions” podcast via this link and on YouTube.

“DOJ Faults Judge Who Bashed Trump’s IRS Lawsuit, Settlement”: Erik Larson of Bloomberg News has this report.

You can access the brief that the U.S. Department of Justice filed yesterday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit at this link.

“Seventh Circuit hears challenge to Illinois firearm suppressor ban; Illinois gun advocates maintained that regulating firearm suppressors runs afoul to their right to bear arms”: Caitlyn Rosen of Courthouse News Service has this report.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has posted the audio of yesterday’s oral argument on YouTube.

“Amy Coney Barrett’s Sex Equality Constitution: The View from United States v. Skrmetti.” Law professor Marc Spindelman has posted this paper online at SSRN.