“Justices consider Kansas death penalty”: The Kansas City Star provides this news update.

“Specter Predicts Long, Tough Questioning for Alito”: This article will appear Thursday in The Washington Post.

And Reuters reports that “Senate Democrats press for papers on Alito.”

Available online from law.com: Tony Mauro reports that “Roberts Pens First Opinion as Chief Justice.”

And Marcia Coyle has an article headlined “Finding Out Where Banks Are ‘Citizens.’”

“Tortured Rationale: Does Congress really want to fight the war on terror with false confessions?” Emily Bazelon has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“Failed case seen as blow to terror war; But many Muslim-Americans see the acquittal of Sami al-Arian as a vindication of US justice”: Warren Richey will have this article Thursday in The Christian Science Monitor. Earlier today, I collected additional coverage here.

“Blank Slate: Emily Bazelon flees from reality.” Edward Whelan has this essay today at National Review Online.

“High court hears arguments on Kansas death penalty”: The Wichita Eagle provides this news update.

“The death penalty and the mercy option”: Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Roberts Pens First Opinion as Chief Justice”: law.com’s Tony Mauro provides this report.

“Congressional Black Caucus to Oppose Alito”: Jesse J. Holland of The Associated Press provides this report.

Best, as in “most popular”: The 2005 Weblog Awards are now accepting votes (once per day, per computer, per type of web browser) for “Best Law Blog.”

“Because the Court does not appear to have developed a ‘coherent or stable conception of the appropriate role of precedent in constitutional adjudication,’ it is difficult to predict when the Court will rely on stare decisis and when it will depart from it.” That’s the conclusion of a recently-issued Congressional Research Service report titled “The Supreme Court’s Overruling of Constitutional Precedent: An Overview.”

“Split Decision: Republicans want to break up ‘the 9th Circus,’ the San Francisco-based liberal federal appeals court; Whose side are you on?” The current issue of SF Weekly contains an article that asks, “Are you an apologist for the 9th Circuit? Take our quiz and find out!”

“SJC hears child’s right to die case”: The Republican of Springfield, Massachusetts contains this article today.

The Boston Globe reports today that “SJC hears plea to keep girl on life support.”

And today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Morning Edition” contained a segment entitled “Legal Battle Looms over Girl on Life Support” (RealPlayer required).

“Schiavo forms watchdog PAC; The political action committee will inform voters where politicians stand on end of life issues and promote living wills”: This article appears today in The St. Petersburg Times.

“Al-Arian Verdict Deals a Blow To U.S. Anti-Terror Campaign”: Josh Gerstein has this article today in The New York Sun.

The New York Times reports today that “Not Guilty Verdicts in Florida Terror Trial Are Setback for U.S.”

The Washington Post contains a front page article headlined “Fla. Professor Is Acquitted in Case Seen as Patriot Act Test.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that “Ex-Professor Acquitted in Patriot Act Test Case.”

The Orlando Sentinel reports that “Al-Arian acquitted on 8 terror counts; Trial tests power of Patriot Act after 9-11.”

The St. Petersburg Times today contains articles headlined “8 times, Al-Arian hears ‘Not guilty’; The former USF professor and his co-defendants relieved after long, complicated case; Jurors can’t decide many counts; ‘Evidence making these guys terrorists just wasn’t there’“; “Verdicts elicit mixed reactions on USF campus“; “As jurors debated verdict, tensions, pressure grew“; and “For family, affirmation has a cost; Sami Al-Arian promised his wife in their early days that their lives might be hard; On Tuesday, it seemed worth it.”

The Tampa Tribune contains articles headlined “No Guilty Verdicts In Al-Arian Trial“; “Even With Acquittal, Al-Arian Unlikely To Return To USF“; and “Muslims Express Pride In Justice System.”

And today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Morning Edition” contained a segment entitled “Jury Partially Acquits Professor in Florida Terror Trial” (RealPlayer required).

“Jurors Might See All 9/11 Victims’ Photos; With Relatives’ Testimony, Moussaoui Prosecutors Want to Describe Lives of 45”: This article appears today in The Washington Post. The article describes a motion that the federal government filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“Detainee’s Lawyer Says Captors Foment Mistrust”: Neil A. Lewis has this article today in The New York Times. The detainee in question is Salim Ahmed Hamdan, whose case is pending on the merits before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“State high court rejects killer’s bid to practice law”: The Arizona Republic provides a news update that begins, “James Hamm, the convicted murderer who earned a law degree, was denied the right to practice law when the Arizona Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday that he had failed to prove he was of good moral character.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Murderer Denied Admission to Bar in Ariz.”

You can access today’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Arizona at this link.

“Court Weighs Juries’ Death Penalty Decisions”: The Associated Press provides this news update.

“Marquette suspends dental student for blog comments; Disciplinary panel says he violated conduct code, but ruling is being appealed”: This article appeared yesterday in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The Marquette Tribune yesterday reported that “Student suspended for blog posts; His lawyer says an appeal has been filed.”

And Inside Higher Ed provides a report titled “Dental Pain at Marquette.”

Three-judge Eighth Circuit panel divides over appropriate remedy after jury in federal civil rights suit involving claim for the use of excessive force during pretrial detention awards plaintiff $75,000 in “nominal damages”: The disagreement between the majority and the dissenter in today’s ruling centers around whether the trial court appropriately reduced the award to $1 or whether a new trial should have been granted.

“North Dakota’s narrowly tailored do-not-call statute significantly furthers the state’s interest in residential privacy. The Act does not substantially limit charitable solicitations and is not unconstitutionally overbroad.” A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reaches that conclusion in a decision issued today. Today’s decision overturns a district court ruling that struck-down a portion of North Dakota’s do-not-call statute as a content-based regulation that failed strict scrutiny.

Pulitzer-Prize winning historian David J. Garrow reviews Law Professor Jack M. Balkin‘s new book, “What Roe v. Wade Should Have Said: America’s Top Legal Experts Rewrite America’s Most Controversial Decision.” Garrow’s review appears in the Autumn 2005 issue of The Green Bag, and you can access the review online at this link.

In news and commentary from Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review today reports that “Judges sue to reinstate pay raises.”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports today that “Another judge sues over repealed raise.”

And The Philadelphia Daily News today contains an editorial entitled “Judge Dread.”

The Associated Press is reporting: Gina Holland reports that “Supreme Court Rules in Student Loan Case.”

And in other news, “Court Weighs Juries’ Death Penalty Decisions.”

Today’s U.S. Supreme Court opinions in argued cases: At “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Court allows student loan offset, rules on lawyer fees.”

Today’s rulings came in the cases of Lockhart v. United States, No. 04-881 (oral argument transcript here; case background here), and Martin v. Franklin Capital Corp., No. 04-1140 (oral argument transcript here; case background here).

“Hoax Case Turned On Court Docket; Police Compared Bomb Calls, Case Lists”: The Hartford Courant today contains an article that begins, “Javier Rodriguez didn’t want to drive to Superior Court in Danielson last Friday morning – his driver’s license had been suspended. And he had already been convicted five times of failing to appear in court. So instead of risking another arrest, he told police, he called in a series of bomb threats.”

I previously collected press coverage of last Friday’s bomb threat-related closure of Connecticut’s judicial system at this link.

“Court sympathetic to recruiters; Justices are skeptical of the arguments law schools use to bar the military members”: This article appears today in The Sacramento Bee.

And The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reports today that “Justices question colleges’ ban on military recruiters; Universities see anti-gay bias.”

“Michael Schiavo joins the fray; Terri Schiavo’s husband starts a PAC devoted to defeating the Bible-thumping politicians who used his comatose wife as a football”: Michael Scherer has this report today at Salon.com.

“Death penalty up for debate; Arguments before the Supreme Court on the Kansas law will focus on states’ rights and other issues”: This article appears today in The Wichita Eagle.

The Kansas City Star today contains an article headlined “All eyes of court today on Kansas; Death penalty case to be heard.”

And in The Denver Post, columnist Al Knight has an op-ed entitled “Death penalty under fire.”

Available online from National Public Radio: Yesterday evening’s broadcast of “All Things Considered” contained a segment entitled “High Court Weighs On-Campus Military Recruitment” featuring Nina Totenberg.

And yesterday’s broadcast of “Talk of the Nation” contained a segment entitled “Supreme Court Hears Recruiting Case” featuring David G. Savage.

RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.

“N.Y. Court Ruling Raises Hopes on Eminent Domain”: The New York Sun today contains an article that begins, “Property owners angered by the Supreme Court’s decision this year that the government can seize their homes and businesses received a psychological boost when a federal appeals court ruled that a New York village had overstepped its eminent domain authority.”

Monday’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit can be accessed here.

“Group Opposed to Nominee Rallies Its Hollywood People”: This article appears today in The New York Times.

The Washington Times reports today that “Alito ads stirring little interest.”

And The Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star reports that “Alito deserves appointment, attorney says.”

Available online from law.com: Tony Mauro reports that “High Court Leans Towards Upholding Military Recruiters’ Access to Law Schools.”

And in other news, “Conn. Justices Knock Snow-Tubing Waiver Off Course; Liability for ski resort’s own negligence can’t be summarily signed away.”