“The Tobacco Suit That’s Going Up In Smoke: How the government blew $135 million in six years.” The June 27, 2005 issue of BusinessWeek magazine contains this commentary.

In today’s issue of The Washington Times: An article reports that “Gay ‘marriage’ foes hail California ruling.”

And Donald Lambro has an op-ed entitled “Here come the judges.”

“Abortion court cases could rise; Statute requiring parental signature needs interpreting, some lawyers say”: The Houston Chronicle contains this article today.

“Commandments cases could revive flap over plaque; A 2003 ruling allowed the courthouse decalogue; The U.S. high court is reviewing similar displays” This article appears today in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Watched Pot”: In the June 27, 2005 issue of The New Yorker, Hendrik Hertzberg has a Talk of the Town essay that begins, “If hard cases make bad law, as a three-hundred-year-old courthouse saying has it, then the case of Gonzales et al. v. Raich et al. ought to have been easy and good.”

“If High Court Vacancy Opens, Activists Are Poised for Battle; With past judicial fights in mind, interest groups have new tactics ready if Rehnquist retires soon”: This lengthy article appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

“E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying to Give Out Over the Phone”: Michael Ward offers these examples at McSweeney’s Internet Tendency (which I happened to think of due to this item from today’s Sunday Book Review section of The New York Times).

“Got a License for the Pinata? Likenesses of cartoon characters, many made in garages and sold by small vendors, prompt legal action by entertainment giants.” This article appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

“A lapse in judgment”: The St. Petersburg Times today contains an editorial that begins, “No institution did more in recent years to clean up Hillsborough County’s judiciary than the state Judicial Qualifications Commission. But the agency tarnished its legacy by prosecuting Hillsborough Circuit Judge Gregory Holder on dubious charges of plagiarism.”

This past Wednesday, that newspaper contained an article headlined “Panel deliberates judge’s plagiarism case; If the plagiarism allegations are deemed true, Greg Holder could face a reprimand or removal from the bench.”

Also on Wednesday, The Tampa Tribune reported that “Panel’s Decision On Judge Could Take Weeks.”

“Justices heed law, not politics”: “How Appealing” reader Leighton Moore will have this op-ed Monday in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Sweating With the Enemy: If getting fit also means enriching a millionaire who donates to antiabortion groups, why is Curves sweeping across New England with the force of a blizzard?” The Boston Globe Magazine contains this article today.

“Will US Courts Adjudicate Foreign Patents or Will Comity Prevail?” This post about a case pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit appears today at “Patently-O: Patent Law Blog.”

“Supreme Court to rule on file-sharing”: The Seattle Times contains this article today.

“Family blames lawyer for their daughter’s downfall; Dr. Charles C. and Paula J. Calenda and their daughter Courtney, of East Greenwich, have filed a complaint with the Supreme Court against Joseph A. Bevilacqua Jr.” This lengthy article appears today in The Providence Journal.

“New Jersey Gay Marriage Suit Headed for State’s Highest Court”: Bloomberg News provides this report.

“Tainted trials: The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Miller-El vs. Dretke indicates that some courts aren’t doing enough to prevent racial bias in jury selection.” This editorial appears today in The St. Petersburg Times.

In Monday’s edition of The New York Times: Elisabeth Bumiller will have an article headlined “War Rooms (and Chests) Ready for a Supreme Court Vacancy.”

And in other news, “Libraries Say Yes, Officials Do Quiz Them About Users.”

“Michigan Abortion Law Faces Legal Challenge”: This segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on this evening’s broadcast of NPR‘s “All Things Considered.”

“Name game: Mark Pryor plays it well.” The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette yesterday contained an editorial that begins, “QUESTION: When is a filibuster not a filibuster?”

“America’s supreme court awaits final judgment in the politics of succession”: This article appears in Monday’s edition of The Guardian (UK).

“Bush considering Gonzales for high court”: United Press International provides this report.

“U.S. Supreme Court vs. The World”: Tony Mauro will have this op-ed Monday in USA Today.

“Bales took long road to Ariz. Supreme Court”: This article appears today in The Arizona Daily Sun.

Judge is fan of blogger called for jury duty: So Tony Pierce of “busblog” fame reports in a post you can access here.

In today’s edition of The New York Times: An article reports that “Political Leanings Were Always Factor in Tobacco Suit.”

And U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has a letter to the editor that appears under the heading “Rubber-Stamping Judges.”

“A maverick in search of compromise: Thurmond’s successor talks on filibusters, trade, Iraq, Reagan.” This interview with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appears today in The Charlotte Observer.

“Costly court nuances”: Thomas Sowell has this op-ed today in The Washington Times.

“Specter’s moment has now arrived; Sick and 75, he’s determined not to miss it”: This article appears today in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The article reports: “Specter’s greatest challenge this year as Senate Judiciary chairman could begin within the next two weeks when the Supreme Court is expected to wrap up its session and Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who is suffering from thyroid cancer, may announce his retirement. But Specter said Friday that he had seen Rehnquist this past week at a lunch and wasn’t so sure that a Supreme Court nomination would be next up on the Judiciary Committee’s agenda.”

“White House Letter: Left and right gear up for High Court warfare.” Elisabeth Bumiller of The New York Times will have this article in Monday’s edition of the International Herald Tribune.

“Tipping the scales of justice: A retirement or two, especially of the chief, could augur significant change for the country.” Richard L. Pacelle Jr. has this op-ed today in Newsday.

“Renegade Rehnquist goes to bat for convicted rapist”: The Boston Herald today contains an article that begins, “Boston attorney James Rehnquist, the only son of Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, was once a long-haired Amherst College hippie more interested in hoops than habeas corpus.”

“Kelo Case Is Just Part Of Land-Grab Nationwide”: Gregory N. Stone has this op-ed today in The Day of New London, Connecticut.

“Possible Court Nominees Pose a Quandary for Bush; A Conservative Anchor vs. an Ethnic First”: Sunday’s edition of The Washington Post will contain this front page article.

“Lawmakers Trying Again to Divide Ninth Circuit”: This article will appear Sunday in The New York Times.

“Senators collaborate on judicial nominees”: The St. Petersburg Times today contains an article that begins, “U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez are reestablishing a joint judicial nominating commission to review federal judiciary appointments.”