On this evening’s broadcast of NPR‘s “All Things Considered“: The broadcast contained segments entitled “Alito Asylum Rulings Raise Questions” and “Librarian Fights Gag Order on Records Request.”

“O’Connor Fires Back on Judicial Independence”: law.com’s Tony Mauro provides this report.

“Original Intent: Revisionist rhetoric notwithstanding, the founders left God out of the Constitution–and it wasn’t an oversight.” Susan Jacoby will have this essay in the December 2005/January 2006 issue of Mother Jones magazine.

Available online from National Public Radio: Today’s broadcast of “Day to Day” contained a segment entitled “Slate’s Jurisprudence: Padilla Finally Gets Day in Court” featuring Dahlia Lithwick.

And today’s broadcast of “Morning Edition” contained segments entitled “U.S. Indicts One Terrorism Suspect, Convicts Another” and “ACLU Suit Targets Taxes on ‘Religious’ Books.”

RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.

The San Francisco Chronicle publishes dueling op-eds on the subject of splitting the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: In today’s newspaper, U.S. Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID) has an op-ed entitled “Breakup is inevitable.”

Taking the opposite view, Law Professor John C. Yoo and Eric M. George have an op-ed entitled “A flawed plan to isolate California.”

“Alito’s CAP Connection”: Eyal Press will have this essay in the December 12, 2005 issue of The Nation.

Justice Antonin Scalia bobblehead doll ends up selling for $500.00 at auction on eBay: Details on the auction, which ended earlier today, are available here.

“Ninth Circuit Decides Interesting Voting Rights Case Apparently Requiring that Recall and Initiative Petitions Be in Multiple Languages, Creating a Circuit Split”: The “Election Law” blog offers this post about a ruling that a divided three-judge Ninth Circuit panel issued today.

Claims against Austria for property taken by the Nazi regime are dismissed as nonjusticiable under the political question doctrine after the United States, appearing as amicus curiae, urged dismissal to facilitate Austria’s resolution of claims through a general settlement fund created in January 2001: A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued this decision today.

“Splitting the court would be a mistake”: Merrilee MacLean and David Burman have this op-ed today in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

“Ind. Court Upholds Abortion Waiting Period”: The Associated Press provides this report on a ruling that the Supreme Court of Indiana issued today.

Anti-abortion protesters hope that three-judge Ninth Circuit panel will treat them better than Ezra: The Honolulu Star-Bulletin yesterday contained an article headlined “City ban on aerial banners challenged” that begins, “Huge aerial banners depicting graphic images of aborted fetuses are political speech that deserve First Amendment protection, the attorney for an anti-abortion group contends.” You can access the audio from Monday’s Ninth Circuit oral argument in Honolulu via this link (Windows Media).

“Admirers and detractors can unite on at least one thing – the performance was, ahem, god-awful.” So reports The Sacramento Bee today in an article headlined “Newdow tests the musical waters.”

“Alito needs to shed his CAP”: In yesterday’s edition of The Daily Princetonian, Stephen R. Dujack had an op-ed that begins, “Almost 20 years ago, the Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) collapsed like a modern House of Usher, so rotten from within from its own deceptions and peculiar madness that it could no longer sustain its own weight.”

“As foreman, Kerry wins praise from fellow jurors”: The Boston Globe contains this article today.

And The Boston Herald today contains an article headlined “Kerry reports for jury duty: Courtroom service a first for the senator.”

“Sex with student brings no jail time for Lafave; Amid a media frenzy and at the urging of her victim’s family, prosecutors accept a plea deal from former teacher Debra Lafave”: This article appears today in The St. Petersburg Times.

The Tampa Tribune today contains articles headlined “Lafave Signs Plea” and “Spouse Says Lafave Radically Changed Before Her Arrest.”

The Ocala Star-Banner contains an article headlined “‘I am sorry’; Lafave pleads guilty, avoids serving time in jail.”

And The Villages Daily Sun reports that “Teacher’s plea in sex case accepted at request of 14-year-old victim’s family.”

“Still Searching for a Strategy Four Years After Sept. 11 Attacks”: Today in The New York Times, Adam Liptak has a news analysis that begins, “Four years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the government has yet to settle on a consistent strategy for holding and punishing people it says are terrorists. Its efforts remain a work in progress, notable for false starts and a reluctance to have the executive branch’s broadest claims tested in the courts.” And the newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “Um, About That Dirty Bomb?”

The Los Angeles Times reports today that “Terror Suspect Indicted After 3 Years in Jail; The counts against Jose Padilla don’t refer to the ‘dirty bomb’ plot he was first accused of; The U.S. citizen’s detention has been a legal flashpoint.”

The Chicago Tribune reports that “U.S. indicts Padilla; Charges allege overseas conspiracy; No mention of a ‘dirty bomb’ plot.”

The Miami Herald contains articles headlined “Padilla to face terror charges here; Jose Padilla, whose arrest and detention more than three years ago as an ‘enemy combatant’ sparked a Supreme Court battle with the Bush administration, was indicted in South Florida’s biggest terrorism case” and “Choice could show Bush’s fear of defeat in top court; The Bush administration’s decision to shift Jose Padilla from enemy combatant to criminal defendant represents the latest move to avoid a legal showdown, legal experts said.”

The Boston Globe reports that “Longtime US detainee indicted; Charges make no mention of ‘dirty bomb’ plot.”

In The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Michael McGough reports that “Alleged ‘dirty bomber’ indicted on other charges; Held since May 2002 as enemy combatant.”

The Washington Times reports that “Padilla to face federal charges.”

USA Today reports that “Padilla accused of aiding terrorists; No mention of ‘dirty bomb’ or al-Qaeda in indictment” and “Padilla case brings questions about legal strategy; Suspect charged with conspiracy, not with plotting terror attacks.”

Newsday reports that “U.S. indicts terror suspect Jose Padilla; Feds now say man they had held as an enemy combatant should face trial on conspiracy charges.”

The Toronto Globe and Mail reports that “White House reverses field on ‘dirty bomb’ suspect.”

The Detroit News reports that “Feds link ex-Detroit school official to terror case; Accused is on leave from post at Wayne State; Indictment says he gave material support to suspected terrorists.”

And The Detroit Free Press reports that “Ex-city schools official accused of terror role; U.S. says Jayyousi has links to Muslim radicals.”

In commentary, The Washington Post contains an editorial entitled “Three Years Late.”

The Dallas Morning News contains an editorial entitled “Caught in Legal Limbo: No American should be held without charges.”

The San Jose Mercury News contains an editorial entitled “A trial for Jose Padilla.”

The Denver Post contains an editorial entitled “Padilla charge avoids legal test.”

And The Rocky Mountain News contains an editorial entitled “Padilla indictment was justice delayed.”

“White House Says Alito Was Assuring on Districting”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “Moving to defend the Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. against attacks on his stance on civil rights, the White House said Tuesday that he had assured senators last week of his commitment to the principle of one person one vote.”

In commentary, The Las Vegas Review-Journal today contains an editorial entitled “Judge Alito’s paper trail: Democrats using the word ‘filibuster.’”

In The Boston Globe, columnist Derrick Z. Jackson has an op-ed entitled “The masking of a conservative.”

In The Naples Daily News, Dan K. Thomasson has an op-ed entitled “A warning about the issue of abortion that has become fact.”

In The Philadelphia Daily News, Michael Smerconish has an op-ed entitled “Planned Parenthood vs. (Bobby) Casey.”

And in The New York Sun, Peter Roff has an op-ed entitled “Leaving ‘Las Vegas’” that begins, “The debate over Samuel Alito’s nomination has focused thus far on those thoughtful and weighty issues generally thought of as constitutional matters.”

“U.S. Ends Prosecution Of Arthur Andersen; Former Partner Moves to Withdraw 2002 Guilty Plea”: The Washington Post contains this article today.

And The Houston Chronicle reports today that “Government won’t retry Andersen criminal case; Court likely to dismiss charges against firm; employee who pleaded guilty could go free.”