Door-to-door vacuum cleaner salespersons, a local ordinance requiring those individuals to provide their fingerprints and post a $1,000 bond, and a lawsuit seeking to enjoin the ordinance as an improper infringement on protected commercial speech: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued this ruling today.

“Legal Analysts Critical of N.Y. Times Reporter’s Stance in Leak Probe”: Howard Kurtz will have this article Wednesday in The Washington Post.

“Senators Advise Bush on Picking a Supreme Court Nominee”: Wednesday’s issue of The New York Times will contain this article.

And The Washington Post on Wednesday will contain an article headlined “Bush Begins Consultation With Key Senators.”

“Let’s get another touchstone”: Today in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Don Erler has an op-ed that begins, “The slender Supreme Court majority that outlawed public displays of the Ten Commandments in last month’s McCreary County vs. ACLU decision included its recently retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Let’s hope that her replacement will reduce those five votes to four.”

“Supreme Court Nominations and the Political Middle”: This segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of the public radio program “Here and Now.”

On this evening’s broadcast of NPR‘s “All Things Considered“: The broadcast contained segments entitled “Bush, Lawmakers Discuss Court Vacancy” and “Missouri Execution Case Reopened” (RealPlayer required).

“Bush makes nice on his court pick”: This article will appear Wednesday in The Hill.

“A plain error irony in Sensenbrenner’s letters”: The “Sentencing Law and Policy” blog provides this post and notes that the letters in question can be accessed here.

“The Gonzales Game: Is he really the best Supreme Court pick liberals can hope for?” Emily Bazelon has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“Philadelphia health care advocacy firm sues search-engine operators; Lawsuit against company that locates old Web postings is the first legal challenge to Internet archiving, experts say”: This article appears today in The Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey. The complaint can be accessed here, and the “The Patry Copyright Blog” offers a post titled “The Way Back Machine and Robots.txt.”

“Senate leaders suggest Bush should look outside judiciary”: Jan Crawford Greenburg and Jill Zuckman will have this article Wednesday in The Chicago Tribune.

And James Kuhnhenn of Knight Ridder Newspapers reports that “Senators urge Bush to select nominee from outside federal judiciary.”

In news from Colorado: The Denver Post reports today that “Auman takes plea deal; Accessory in officer’s death agrees to 20-year term, avoids retrial.”

And The Rocky Mountain News today contains articles headlined “Plea ends prison time for Auman; Woman imprisoned in cop slaying to go to halfway house” and “Law at controversy’s center; Auman’s conviction shined spotlight on felony murder rule.”

“Court Upholds New Federal Logging Rules”: The Associated Press provides this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued yesterday.

“Call for No Consensus!” The American Center for Law and Justice is seeking support for this online petition. (Via Alliance for Justice‘s Supreme Court Watch “Insider Scoop” blog.)

“Al Gonzales is a great friend of mine”: USA Today quotes President Bush as having said that in an interview which was the subject of an article published one week ago today.

While it certainly would be unusual for a President to appoint a foe to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, all the talk about President Bush’s possible nomination of his “friend” Alberto Gonzales has caused me to wonder about the other instances when a President nominated a bona fide friend to serve on the Supreme Court, and also whether the friendship survived the Justice’s later service on the Court.

For example, Justice Byron R. White has been described (see here and here, for example) as a friend of President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy, however, was assassinated the year after Justice White joined the Court.

A list of all the Justices who have served on the Court can be accessed here. Were any of these other Justices actually friends of the President who nominated them, and if so did the friendship continue thereafter? Answers are invited via email.

Update: A reader emails:

There are many examples of Presidents who appointed personal friends to the Supreme Court. For example, President F.D. Roosevelt was friendly with several of his appointees, including Justice Douglas, who apparently was a regular poker buddy at the White House, and Justice Jackson, among others. As to the Roosevelt-Jackson relationship, see, e.g., Justice Scalia’s opinion in chambers declining to recuse himself in Cheney v. U.S. District Court (March 18, 2004) and sources cited therein.

President Truman was roundly criticized for appointing “cronies” to the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice Vinson, as well as Justice Burton and Justice Minton, both of whom were friends from his Senate years.

President L.B. Johnson was an intimate friend of Justice (and Chief Justice-designate) Fortas, who had been Johnson’s personal lawyer for more than 25 years, including representing him in the Stevenson v. Johnson election litigation in 1948.

The author of this email also notes that the web site “A Vacancy on the Court” contains a page titled “Rewarding Personal or Political Friends.”

“First Lady Wants A Woman Justice”: The Washington Post provides this news update.

“Branzburg v. Hayes, reporters’ privilege & circuit courts”: The First Amendment Center has posted online this handy guide.

“Bush and Senators Discuss Vacancy on Supreme Court”: The New York Times provides this news update.

And Bloomberg News reports that “Bush Is Urged to Consider Non-judge for High Court.”

“Judgment Day: President Bush should listen to his base, not his opponents.” Mark R. Levin has this essay today at National Review Online.

“After all these years, our government still treats Native American Indians as if they were somehow less than deserving of the respect that should be afforded to everyone in a society where all people are supposed to be equal.” So writes District Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a quite remarkable decision issued today in the Indian Trust litigation captioned Cobell v. Norton.

Update: The Associated Press reports that “Judge Condemns Interior Department.”

“Say It Loud: Even Antonin Scalia thinks that judicial candidates should talk about their beliefs.” Jack C. Doppelt has this essay online today at The American Prospect.

On today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Day to Day“: The broadcast contained segments entitled “Bush, Senators Confer on High Court Vacancy“; “Slate’s Jurisprudence: Legal Shields for Journalists” (featuring Emily Bazelon); and “Swearing on the Quran in N.C. Court.” RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.

“At issue is whether a permanent injunction barring defendant Thurston Paul Bell from promoting and selling unlawful tax advice is permissible under the First Amendment.” So begins a decision that a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued today.

Back on January 12, 2003, The New York Times reported on this case in an article headlined “Judge Orders Group to Stop Promoting Income Tax Evasion.” It appears that the complete text of the article can be accessed here.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issues its decision in Defenders of Wildlife v. Flowers: The answer to why defenders of wildlife would be involved in litigation adverse to flowers can be accessed here. In a nutshell, the majority on a divided three-judge panel appears not to give a hoot about threats to the survival of the Arizona cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl. You can learn more about the Arizona cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Reuters is reporting: In news pertaining to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, “Ex-banker Quattrone argues for trial reversal.”

And an article headlined “Wachovia a partial victor in key lending case” reports on this ruling that the Second Circuit issued yesterday.

“Hispanic Judges on Dems’ List for Bush”: The Associated Press provides this report.

For man convicted in federal court of wire fraud offenses for having successfully separated Joe Piscopo from $3 million of Piscopo’s money, the price of plain error exceeds $100.00: Circuit Judge Diane S. Sykes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued this decision today on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel. Because the Seventh Circuit ends its decision by ordering that the defendant be re-sentenced due to a separate error, it will be interesting to see whether the new sentence will (or must?) include the additional $100 special assessment that the Seventh Circuit today holds unlawful but not unlawful enough to constitute plain error.

What’s more baffling than a 56-page en banc patent claim construction decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit? How ’bout a 56-page en banc patent claim construction decision that centers on the meaning of the term “baffles.” Today the Federal Circuit issued its en banc ruling in Phillips v. AWH Corp.

“Patently-O: Patent Law Blog” analyzes the decision in a post titled “En Banc Federal Circuit Changes The Law of Claim Construction.” And the blog “madisonian theory” offers these thoughts.

“Bush Doesn’t Tip Hand on Court Nominees”: The Associated Press provides this report, while Reuters reports that “Bush, senators discuss names for Supreme Court job.”

Video available online from C-SPAN: The following video clips require RealPlayer:

• “Senate Leaders Press Conference on Supreme Court Nominees & Nomination Process“;
• “Alliance for Justice Speakers Forum on the Hispanic Community & Supreme Court Changes“;
• “Nat’l Press Club Forum on the Supreme Court Vacancy” hosted by Ms. Magazine;
• “David Savage, L.A. Times Supreme Court Reporter”;
• “Prof. Stephen Wermiel & Prof. Herman Belz on Supreme Court Nomination History“; and
• “Terence Jeffrey, Human Events, Editor.”

Much additional video content can be accessed online via C-SPAN’s “Supreme Court” web page.

In today’s edition of The Hill: In addition to the articles I noted here earlier this morning, the newspaper today also reports that “Brownback set to hold meeting with Gonzales.”

And a newsbrief headlined “Dems huddle on Sensenbrenner action” begins, “Democrats yesterday were considering a response to a news report that House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) chastised the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago for giving a drug courier what he considered to be a light sentence.”

Available online from The Washington Post: The newspaper has launched its “Campaign for the Supreme Court” blog, and comments are allowed.

Also, today’s Tom Toles cartoon looks at President Bush’s impending choice of a U.S. Supreme Court nominee.

“No-Comment Is Common at Hearings for Nominees”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “Each time senators asked Sandra Day O’Connor about her views on a specific topic like abortion during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1981, she looked down at a piece of paper that had been prepared for her and read, ‘I do not believe as a nominee I could tell you how I would vote.'”

“Nan Aron, president of the Alliance For Justice, redefining the Gang of 14’s filibuster agreement”: “Radio Blogger” provides this transcript from yesterday’s broadcast of the Hugh Hewitt radio show.

As the transcript reflects, Aron argued that the “Memorandum of Understanding on Judicial Nominations” that avoided an attempt to invoke the so-called “nuclear option” in the U.S. Senate does not expressly state that Janice Rogers Brown, William H. Pryor, Jr., and Priscilla Owen fail to satisfy the “extraordinary circumstances” threshold for filibuster. While this is a plausible construction of the memorandum, I’ll leave it to others to judge whether this construction is persuasive.

On today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Morning Edition“: The broadcast contained segments entitled “President, Senate Leaders Meet over O’Connor Vacancy” and “Supreme Court Vacancy” (featuring Nina Totenberg). RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.