“Roberts Questions McCain-Feingold Limits”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “Chief Justice John Roberts expressed doubts Tuesday about legal restrictions on political ads by outside groups as the Supreme Court took up a new challenge to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.”

“High court allows physician-assisted suicide”: This article will appear Wednesday in The Christian Science Monitor.

“Oregon Suicide Law is Upheld by High Court”: law.com’s Tony Mauro provides this news update.

“Career Alternatives for Law Firm Associates”: Orin Kerr has this post at “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

“Tone Deaf At The Alito Hearings”: CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen has this essay online at cbs4denver.com.

“Confirm Alito?” This segment (available in both RealPlayer and Windows Media formats) appeared today on the public radio program “On Point.”

On today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Day to Day“: The broadcast contained segments entitled “Court Upholds Ore. Assisted Suicide Law” (featuring Dahlia Lithwick); “Anaheim Sues over Baseball Team’s L.A. Name“; and “Slate’s Human Nature: Female Teachers, Male Students.” RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.

In Massachusetts, no more Batson-like claims due to exclusion of 2-year-olds from juries: Yesterday’s edition of The Standard-Times of New Bedford contained an article headlined “2-year-old city resident gets call for jury duty” that begins, “Kaylee Reynolds received a Taunton District Court Jury Summons for June 30, and she will be glad to do her duty as long as the trial judge calls a noontime recess for her daily nap. Kaylee gets a little grumpy — if not downright cranky — if she misses her midday snooze, Patricia Reynolds says of her 2-year-old daughter.”

“Melissa Lafsky, Opinionista Extraordinaire”: “Gawker” provides a post that begins, “Another day, another formerly anonymous blogger: Tomorrow’s Observer will identify the writer behind the irreverent life-as-a-lawyer blog Opinionistas as 27-year-old Melissa Lafsky.” (Via “A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago“).

“Alito well-versed in First Amendment”: Online at the First Amendment Center, Tony Mauro has a news analysis that begins, “Amid three days of refusing to state his views, it was a rare glimpse behind the facade: Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito Jr. actually acknowledged that he had a point of view on a controversial issue.”

In addition, the First Amendment Center has collected Judge Alito’s First Amendment-related confirmation hearing testimony at this link.

Cannibal testifies he’s not a killer, just hungry: The Times of London today contains an article headlined “I wanted to eat him, not kill him, court is told.”

BBC News provides a report headlined “German cannibal ‘not a murderer’; A self-confessed cannibal has described how he killed and partially ate a man he met via the internet in March 2001, at a retrial in Germany.”

Reuters reports that “Cannibal draws unusual distinction.”

And The Associated Press provides a report headlined “Cannibal: Victim asked to die.”

“Appellate Litigator Howard Bashman Joins ALM’s Law.com as Columnist”: American Lawyer Media has issued this press release today.

“Calif. School Scraps ‘Intelligent Design'”: The Associated Press provides this report.

Seventh Circuit rules that district judge was too anti-class action: Circuit Judge Frank H. Easterbrook‘s pro-class action opinion, issued today on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel, can be accessed here.

“States weigh wine ruling; Eight months later, nearly half still bar direct shipments”: The Sacramento Bee today contains an article that begins, “A Supreme Court victory won by California winemakers is now starting to resemble a fine cabernet: It’s taking a long time to fully mature.”

“Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Assisted Suicide Law”: David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times provides this news update.

“Ted K. to quit club that bans women”: The Boston Herald provides this report.

Crying fowl: In connection with Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissenting opinion today in the Oregon assisted suicide case, a longtime reader has sent an email titled “Scalia a comedian but no ornithologist” that states:

In dissent today Scalia writes, “Since the Regulation does not run afowl (so to speak) of the Court’s newly invented prohibition of ‘parroting’….”

But according to my dictionary, parrots are birds of the order Psittaciformes and fowl are birds of the order Galliformes.

Scalia better get this all straight before any avian flu cases come before the court.

Too funny.

“High court: State can take 11-year-old off life support.” The Associated Press offers this coverage of a ruling that the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts issued today.

Today’s U.S. Supreme Court opinions and Order List: The Court issued two opinions in argued cases today.

In Gonzales v. Oregon, No. 04-623, you can access the syllabus here; Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s majority opinion here; Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissenting opinion here; Justice Clarence Thomas’s dissenting opinion here; and the oral argument transcript here.

In Wachovia Bank, N.A. v. Schmidt, No. 04-1186, you can access the syllabus here, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s opinion for a unanimous court (with Justice Thomas recused) here; and the oral argument transcript here.

Today’s Order List is available at this link. The Court did not grant review in any new cases today.

In early coverage, Gina Holland of The Associated Press reports that “Supreme Court Upholds Ore. Suicide Law.” James Vicini of Reuters reports that “Court rules govt. can’t stop Oregon suicide law” and “Court won’t review Vatican Bank Holocaust suit.” The AP also reports that “Supreme Court Denies Firefighters’ Families“; “Supreme Court Denies Protester’s Appeal“; and “Justices Deny Appeal on Evidence Withheld.” Reuters also reports that “US court rules for Wachovia on federal jurisdiction.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Court bars federal control over assisted suicide.”

Back in October, I collected press coverage of the oral argument in the Oregon assisted suicide case in posts that you can access here, here, and here. Meanwhile, Tom Goldstein correctly predicted the outcome in a post you can access at this link.

On today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition“: This morning’s broadcast contained segments entitled “High Court to Weigh Campaign-Finance Restrictions” and “California Executes Oldest Inmate” (RealPlayer required).

“How Alito explained his high regard for Bork; Dems tried to use his praise to show him in a bad light”: Bob Egelko has this article today in The San Francisco Chronicle.

Today in USA Today, Joan Biskupic reports that “Court losing O’Connor’s unique voice; Answers often obtained from her questions.” And columnist DeWayne Wickham has an op-ed entitled “Alito’s attempt to shed old alliance doesn’t ring true.”

The Washington Times reports that “Democrats abort deal on Alito vote.” And Tod Lindberg has an op-ed entitled “The search for ‘something.’”

In The Boston Globe, Charlie Savage reports that “Alito hearings recast abortion issue; Activists see no need for ‘stealth’ nominees.” And Peter S. Canellos has an essay entitled “Judiciary Committee confirms its history of common ground.”

The Stanford Daily reports that “Alito coolly navigates hearings.”

And The Penn State Collegian reports that “Alliance protests support of Alito.”

In commentary, columnist Ruth Marcus has an op-ed entitled “Underneath Their Robes” in The Washington Post.

In The Providence (R.I.) Journal, columnist M. Charles Bakst has an op-ed entitled “Alito vote: Chafee and conscience.”

In Newsday, columnist James P. Pinkerton has an op-ed entitled “Democrats can learn from failure to block Alito.”

In The Rocky Mountain News, columnist Vincent Carroll has an op-ed entitled “Salazar on the spot.”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram contains an editorial entitled “On the one hand….” And Don Erler has an op-ed entitled “So what is Samuel Alito’s problem?”

The Harrisburg Patriot-News contains an editorial entitled “Judicial Dance.”

The Washington Examiner contains an editorial entitled “Confirm Samuel A. Alito Jr.”

The Sheboygan-Press contains an editorial entitled “Without delay, Alito should be confirmed.”

The Daily News-Record of Harrisonburg, Virginia contains an editorial entitled “Confirm Judge Alito.”

The Intelligencer of Wheeling, West Virginia contains an editorial entitled “Liberal Extremists Are ‘Out of Step.’”

The Berkshire Eagle contains an editorial entitled “No to Alito.”

And in The Yale Daily News, Ben Shaffer has an op-ed entitled “Alito’s politcs trump his resume.”

“Teens’ Bold Blogs Alarm Area Schools; Uninhibited Online Remarks Full of Risks, Officials Warn”: This front page article appears today in The Washington Post.

“Cheap justice is poor justice; Recent hostility toward the judiciary is no excuse for underfunding the third branch of government”: The Roanoke Times contains this editorial today.

“BlackBerry Gambles Patent Office Will Be On Its Side in Court”: This article (free access) appears today in The Wall Street Journal.

“Clinton Eligible, Once Again, To Practice Law”: Josh Gerstein has this article today in The New York Sun.

“California Executes Death Row Inmate, 76”: Henry Weinstein and Hector Becerra of The Los Angeles Times provide this news update.

The San Francisco Chronicle offers articles headlined “Ailing killer executed at age 76; Condemned for 3 slayings, Allen is oldest ever put to death in state“; “A quieter protest outside San Quentin this time; About 300 people, some of them kin, in the glare of TV“; and “Allen’s last meal: KFC and pecan pie.”

The Sacramento Bee provides a news update headlined “Clarence Allen, 76, executed for 1980 triple murder.”

And The Associated Press reports that “California Executes Oldest Inmate.”

Update: The U.S. Supreme Court‘s order denying a stay of execution, from which Justice Stephen G. Breyer dissented, can be accessed here.

“Chinese Detainees’ Lawyers Will Take Case to High Court; Ruling on Uighurs Is Called Vital”: The Washington Post today contains an article that begins, “Lawyers for a group of Chinese nationals held in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with no hope of release are taking the rare step of asking the Supreme Court to intervene immediately, saying only the high court can resolve the constitutional crisis their case presents.”

“Senate Panel to Vote on Alito Jan. 24”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Judge Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court on Jan. 24, officials announced Monday night, and the full Senate will begin debate the following day.” The Senate Judiciary Committee‘s announcement is here.

The Washington Post on Tuesday will report that “Senate Panel’s Vote on Alito Delayed Until Next Week; Democrats Aim To Shorten GOP Victory.”

And The New York Times on Tuesday will report that “Accord on Scheduling Alito Vote Next Week.”

The U.S. Senate‘s vote on confirmation is now scheduled to occur on January 31, 2006.

“Teachers’ Pets? Are teachers who sleep with boys getting off?” William Saletan has this human nature essay online at Slate.

“Elderly Convict’s Clemency Plea Rejected”: David Kravets of The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from a 76-year-old convicted killer who argued that he was too old and feeble to be executed.”

In Tuesday’s edition of The Christian Science Monitor: Tomorrow’s newspaper will contain an article headlined “For Senate Democrats, a last stand on Alito.”

And Warren Richey will have an article headlined “Lobbying versus electioneering: A key campaign-finance law is back in the high court Tuesday, as interest groups challenge a rule on election-season ads.”

“Roberts Eases Into Chief Justice Job”: Gina Holland of The Associated Press provides this report. And a related item is headlined “A Timeline for Chief Justice John Roberts.”

“Supine politics and the Supreme Court”: Reed Hundt has this post at TPMCafe (via Kevin Drum).

Not to be confused with Judge Dread: ZDNet UK provides an article headlined “Judge dreads software patents” that begins, “An Appeals Court judge has questioned whether software patents should be granted, and has criticised the US for allowing ‘anything under the sun’ to be patented.”