“Abortion law ruling expected today”: From South Dakota, The Associated Press reports here that “U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier said she will rule by the end of the day Thursday whether to prevent a new state law on abortions from taking effect Friday.”

“Ruling Thursday on papers’ JOA; State high court’s decision to shape dispute’s direction”: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer today contains an article that begins, “The dispute between the owners of Seattle’s daily newspapers could reach a pivotal moment Thursday with an expected ruling from Washington’s highest court on a central issue in their 26-month- old lawsuit. The opinion from the state Supreme Court may not end the legal fight between the owners of The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. But the ruling, focusing on a disputed contract clause, will shape the direction of the conflict — potentially determining the fate of both papers.”

“Activist Tries a Grab for Jurist’s Property; A foe of the high court’s eminent domain ruling wants to apply it to seize David H. Souter’s home”: This article appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

“Your home can be Pfizer’s castle”: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, columnist Debra J. Saunders has an op-ed that begins, “Americans who want to keep government out of the bedroom, beware.”

“‘Death row’ Briton faces decision; A Scot who has spent 18 years on death row in the United States for killing a two-year-old child is to learn whether he is to be released or retried”: BBC News provides this report, along with a related item headlined “Kenny Richey: Serving time.” You can access at this link the ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in this case.

“Green guilty on single charge of mail fraud; Prosecutors ponder whether to retry him on other counts”: The Times-Picayune of New Orleans today contains an article that begins, “State Judge Alan Green, the only defendant who chose to go to trial to fight racketeering charges stemming from a federal probe of Jefferson Parish Courthouse corruption, was convicted Wednesday of mail fraud involving two $5,000 cash payments he took from Bail Bonds Unlimited.”

“Senate minority chief offers his court picks”: This article appeared yesterday in The Sacramento Bee.

“State’s domestic partner law survives a legal challenge”: Bob Egelko has this article today in The San Francisco Chronicle.

And The Los Angeles Times reports today that “State Justices Won’t Hear Challenge to Partners Law.”

“Time Magazine to Hand Over Reporter Notes”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “Time Inc. said Thursday it would comply with a court order to deliver the notes of a reporter threatened with jail in the investigation of the leak of an undercover CIA officer’s name.”

Update: Now available online is the “Time Inc. Statement on Handing Over Documents.”

“Supreme Court notebook: Is Friday a good day to retire?” The Associated Press provides this report.

“Girls Gone Wild” and State Farm v. Campbell: The Virginian-Pilot today contains an article headlined “Beach woman wins lawsuit against ‘Girls Gone Wild'” that begins, “A jury on Wednesday ordered the company that produces the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ videos to pay $60,150 for filming and using the image of a Virginia Beach woman without her written consent. The jury ordered Mantra Films Inc. to pay $150 in compensatory damages and $60,000 in punitive damages.” (Via “Obscure Store.”)

“2nd Circuit Reverses $248 Million Cayuga Award”: law.com provides this report. Additional press coverage can be found in this post at “Overlawyered.”

“Judge Warns Reporters They Face Jail in a Week”: In today’s edition of The New York Times, Adam Liptak has an article that begins, “With mounting frustration and a hint of anger, a federal judge said at a hearing Wednesday that he would send two reporters to jail in one week if they did not agree to testify before a grand jury about their confidential sources in the meantime. Lawyers for the reporters, Judith Miller of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine, said their clients would accept jail time rather than testify. The judge, Thomas F. Hogan of Federal District Court here, added that he would also impose very large fines against Time Inc., in an effort to force the company to obey a court order directing it to turn over documents in the investigation.”

In other coverage, The Los Angeles Times reports today that “Reporters Get 1 Week to Name Sources; A federal judge says he’ll then jail journalists for Time magazine and the New York Times.”

And The Washington Post reports that “2 Reporters in Leak Case Given 48 Hours to Argue Against Jailing.”

Yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia posted online court filings it received from lawyers for the reporters and the federal government.

“The High Court, Between the Lines”: Today in The Los Angeles Times, CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen has an op-ed that begins, “There are memorable Supreme Court terms and then there are Supreme Court terms like the one we have just witnessed.”

“Friendly Pa. senators at odds in stem cell debate; Never wanting to fault the other, GOP’s Specter, Santorum now face bitter fight”: This article appears today in USA Today.

Modest Mouse thanks Justice David H. Souter for the mention; “He can live in our tour bus if his house is seized for commercial redevelopment,” band’s leader says: Inexplicably, none of the matters discussed in the heading to this post merited mention in this review, published today in The Chicago Sun-Times, of the band’s performance Tuesday night.

“Bridge ladies will show all their cards to save courthouse”: The Star Press of Muncie, Indiana today contains an article that begins, “Call them the Courthouse Girls. Seven women – with a combined age of 590 years – will bare it all in an effort to raise money and continue the fight to save the Randolph County Courthouse.” In case you’d like to purchase a calendar featuring nude women whose average age is 84 to raise money for courthouse restoration, the article provides ordering instructions.

A photograph of the courthouse can be viewed here, while earlier press coverage of this matter can be accessed here, here, and here.

“It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Uncertainty; Washington’s staffers and activists suspend summer vacation plans, anxiously awaiting a Rehnquist retirement that has yet to occur”: This article appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

The Chicago Tribune today contains an article headlined “Bracing for a nomination battle like no other.”

And in The Washington Post, Dana Milbank’s “Washington Sketch” is headlined “Only Vacancy Is in Supreme Court News.”

Even more news coverage of Sandra O’Connor’s retirement: This article appears today in The Baltimore Sun. I first noted the retirement announcement yesterday in a post that can be accessed here.

“Groups prepared for media war over Supreme Court vacancy”: This article will appear Thursday in The Chicago Tribune.

Viewing child pornography versus knowingly possessing it — a divided three-judge Tenth Circuit panel holds that the two are equivalent when a web browser is used to access the images over the internet: Today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit can be accessed here. Circuit Judge Paul J. Kelly, Jr. dissented on the issue, explaining that “The court’s decision effectively rewrites the statute to criminalize viewing child pornography via computer.” In a nutshell, the court has ruled that ignorance of how a web browser works — namely, that images viewed online are automatically saved to the computer’s hard drive — is no defense to the crime of knowingly possessing the images.

“Court: Adware Companies Not Breaking Law.” The Associated Press provides this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued on Monday.

Staying ahead of the retirement curve: Apropos of this afternoon’s post noting The AP’s report on Sandra O’Connor’s retirement announcement, some longtime readers may recall that in June 2003 “How Appealing” linked to reports of both a Rehnquist and an O’Connor retirement.

“Press splits on how to protect confidential sources; Court’s move has some journalists seeking legislative solutions, while others shun government involvement”: This article will appear Thursday in The Christian Science Monitor.

Bob Egelko is reporting: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, he has articles headlined “Supreme Court’s moderates put Rehnquist on losing side” and “Judge refuses to toss suit over federal abortion law.”

“Sandra O’Connor * * * has said she will retire, her office said Wednesday”: So begins this report that the Baltimore office of The Associated Press has issued today.

In somewhat related news, the Sandra Day O’Connor High School has announced its retirement from educating teenagers. The Sandra Day O’Connor Elementary School, however, plans to persevere in its educational mission.

Available today at National Review Online: Law Professor Jonathan H. Adler has an essay entitled “Property Rights & Wrongs: Supreme Court handed property advocates three deserved losses.”

And Jonah Goldberg has an essay entitled “Better Off Dead: A conservative Constitution.”

“Justices uphold California domestic partner law”: David Kravets of The Associated Press reports here that “Gays and lesbians won a major legal victory Wednesday when the California Supreme Court let stand a new law granting registered domestic partners many of the same rights and protections of heterosexual marriage. Without comment, the unanimous justices upheld appellate and trial court rulings that the sweeping measure does not conflict with a voter-approved initiative defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Justice Janice Rogers Brown, who leaves Thursday to join the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, did not vote.”

“Man to try to seize home of Supreme Court justice”: Reuters provides this report.

“Conservative chameleons”: Today in The Detroit Free Press, columnist Brian Dickerson has an essay that begins, “Poor William Rehnquist! In the twilight of a Supreme Court career that has spanned seven presidencies, the chief justice ought to evoke admiration and sympathy as he battles thyroid cancer. Instead, it seems the nation he has served faithfully for 33 years can’t wait to be rid of him. It’s not that we’re rooting against Rehnquist’s recovery, exactly. We just wish he’d continue it somewhere else so we could get on with the fun of beating each other senseless over the choice of his successor.”

“Is it Unlawful To Threaten Justice Souter’s Home (Suggested Answer: Yes)” Dave Hoffman has this post at “PrawfsBlawg.”

“Ten Commandments Rulings Split Religious Conservatives”: This segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Morning Edition.”

The Indianapolis Star today contains an article headlined “Commandments at Statehouse? Daniels hopes so; Governor, others see support for idea in Supreme Court action on Monday.”

FindLaw commentator Marci Hamilton today has an essay entitled “The Supreme Court Draws the Correct Ten Commandments Line: Why the Texas Display Was Constitutional, and the Kentucky Display Was Not.”

And in The Seattle Times, columnist Danny Westneat has an essay entitled “The judge speaketh, sort of.”

Yesterday, newspapers across the Nation contained a massive amount of coverage of Monday’s Ten Commandments rulings, and I remain in the midst of collecting that coverage (organized by State) in a post you can access here.

“‘Hotel’ targets Souter’s home; Property rights advocates make protest personal”: The Concord (N.H.) Monitor today contains an article that begins:

A letter that emerged yesterday from the fax machine in the Weare Town Hall has thrust Supreme Court Justice David Souter’s beloved farmhouse into a national debate over property rights.

Souter, a longtime Weare resident, joined in a court decision last week that allows governments to seize private property from one owner and turn it over to another if doing so would benefit a community. Now, an outraged Californian wants to test the ruling – by asking Weare’s selectmen to let him replace Souter’s farm with a posh hotel.

The article also featurs this photo of Justice Souter’s mailbox.

In other coverage, The Associated Press reports that “Proposal Made to Seize Souter’s Property.”

My earlier mention of this matter can be accessed here.

“Top court term a difficult one for Rehnquist”: Reuters provides a report that begins, “The U.S. Supreme Court’s newly ended term was a difficult one for Chief Justice William Rehnquist, with his health problems and a number of major rulings rejecting the conservative legal views he has long espoused.”

Woman who sued basketball legend Michael Jordan for allegedly having sex with her and then welshing on promise to pay $5 million to keep it “their secret” cannot prevail in defamation suit against Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Seventh Circuit rules: Today’s decision, written by Circuit Judge Terence T. Evans on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel, concludes that Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper wasn’t necessarily calling the woman a prostitute. More likely, Roeper was merely calling her a gold-digger. According to early reviews, Roeper has given today’s ruling two thumbs-up.