“John Kerry’s Last Stand: The Alito Filibuster Backstory.” The first substantive (in a manner of speaking) post of the new “Wonkette” is here.

“Trial of Enron ex-bosses to begin today; Finding unbiased jurors may be tough”: This article appears today in The Toronto Globe and Mail.

Today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Morning Edition” contained a segment entitled “Jury Selection Begins in Enron Fraud Trial” (RealPlayer required).

Reuters reports that “Jury selection starts in long-awaited Enron trial.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Enron’s Lay, Skilling Arrive at Court.”

The Houston Chronicle features three blogs that will provide coverage of the trial: “Enron: TrialWatch“; “Enron: Legal Commentary; Lay-Skilling trial analysis from Houston-area attorneys“: and “Full Disclosure.”

“Why Bush needs a new lawyer”: Former D.C. Circuit Judge Abner J. Mikva has this op-ed today in The Boston Globe.

“Too short a career on the federal bench”: The Kalamazoo Gazette yesterday contained an editorial that begins, “Susan Bieke Neilson could have served the last four years of her life as a federal appeals judge.”

Gimme a C-L-O-T-U-R-E: What is slated to be the penultimate day of debate on whether to confirm Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to the Supreme Court of the United States is scheduled to begin on the floor of the U.S. Senate at 10 a.m. today. You can view the proceedings live, online via C-SPAN2 (RealPlayer required). A cloture vote on the debate is scheduled to occur at 4:30 p.m. today, and the U.S. Senate’s up-or-down vote on the nomination is scheduled for 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Don’t spend it all in one place: The lawyer who emerged last week from a Tenth Circuit en banc ruling as the proud recipient of a $1.50 attorney’s fee award under the federal civil rights act has graciously agreed to take part in a written interview to be posted online here at “How Appealing” in the near future. Even better, he will participate entirely free of charge.

Aside from the obvious questions — how many hours did you work, and what effective hourly rate does the $1.50 attorney’s fee produce?; do you anticipate that the defendant will voluntarily pay your $1.50 attorney’s fee, or will additional litigation be required?; how do you plan on spending the fee, or perhaps you will invest it tax-deferred as part of your retirement savings?; had you known when a federal judge asked you to accept this matter that your fee if you won would be $1.50, would you have done anything differently? — are there any other questions that I should be asking the interviewee? If so, please feel free to forward them to me via email.

Last week’s Tenth Circuit en banc ruling is here, and that court’s earlier three-judge panel ruling in the case is here.

The new “Wonkette” has arrived: From Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, to the Newark, New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office, to full-time gossip blogger. Given this downward spiral, can homelessness be very far away? Which, of course, is just another way of saying that one of the two new writers for “Wonkette” is the author of “Underneath Their Robes.”

“Redact This: Preserving Secrets on Appeal in the Digital Age.” The brand-new installment of my weekly “On Appeal” column for law.com can be accessed here. Here’s law.com’s summary: “As many have learned to their dismay, Internet anonymity is much harder to attain than it appears. In this time of executive branch eavesdropping on overseas communications and Department of Justice subpoenas to Internet search providers, some may wonder where the judicial branch stands on keeping secrets online. The answer is generally encouraging, although some courts and electronic filers could be more attuned to the privacy issues that electronic filing presents.”

“Blawg Review #42”: Available here at the blog “Cyberlaw Central.”

“Obama joins filibuster bid against Alito; But senator criticizes tactic, says it will fail”: The Chicago Tribune contains this article today.

And The Washington Times reports today that “Obama criticizes party for strategy.”

“Agreeing on 12 Enron jurors no easy feat; Lawyers, set to start eliminating candidates today, will be drawn to different qualities”: This article appears today in The Houston Chronicle, along with an article headlined “For key players, a day of work, worship; Media set up outside the courthouse as legal teams make final preparations.”

The Los Angeles Times today contains articles headlined “Trial of Former Enron Chiefs Starts Today; Jury selection begins in the federal fraud case against Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling” and “Trader’s Effect Felt Powerfully in the West.”

USA Today contains articles headlined “Enron’s legacy: Scandal marked turning point for business world; Impact felt in energy trading, lawsuits, corporate governance and regulations” and “Unindicted, yet under a shadow; Ex-Enron officials in legal twilight zone.” In addition, an editorial is entitled “Spinning justice’s scales.”

CNN.com provides a report headlined “Enron’s Lay: Trial will turn out ‘fine’; Jury selection set to begin after defense requests denied.”

The Chicago Tribune yesterday published an article headlined “Explainer for Enron: Indicted exec Jeffrey Skilling hires Chicago lawyer Daniel Fischel as an expert witness.”

The Baltimore Sun yesterday published an article headlined “Lessons unclear after fall of Enron; Some companies and investors still tread risky paths.”

And today in The New York Times, Law Professor Henry T.C. Hu has an op-ed entitled “Enron Happens.”

“Sign Here: Presidential signing statements are more than just executive branch lunacy.” Dahlia Lithwick has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate today.

“O’Connor era ends at court, continues in law; History-making tenure marked by shifts and surprises”: Joan Biskupic has this article today in USA Today. The newspaper also contains a related item headlined “Her opinions set today’s standards.”

“Al Qaeda Detainee’s Mysterious Release; Moroccan Spoke Of Aiding Bin Laden During 2001 Escape”: The Washington Post contains this article today.

“A Law Clerk Hiring Update: Justice Kennedy’s Swinging Clerks!” This post appears today at “Underneath Their Robes.”

In the February 6, 2006 issue of The New Yorker: Malcolm Gladwell has an article titled “Troublemakers: What pit bulls can teach us about profiling.”

And Mimi Swartz has a Talk of the Town essay entitled “Pencils Up! Enron Multiple Choice.”

“The Supreme Court’s Surprisingly Unanimous Abortion Decision: A Parting Gift for Justice O’Connor?” FindLaw commentator Michael C. Dorf has this essay today.

“Women demand tougher laws to curb abortions; Poll reveals growing concern over late terminations”: The Observer (UK) today contains an article that begins, “A majority of women in Britain want the abortion laws to be tightened to make it harder, or impossible, for them to terminate a pregnancy.” (Via “PrawfsBlawg“).

In Monday’s edition of The New York Times: Tomorrow’s newspaper will contain articles headlined “In Alito, G.O.P. Reaps Harvest Planted in ’82” and “An Enron Jury Free of Grudges? Easy, Judge Says.”

“Punitive damages appealed in Valdez spill; Oil company says it has been punished enough for accident”: Bob Egelko had this article yesterday in The San Francisco Chronicle. The audio of Friday’s oral argument before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit can be accessed via this link (Windows Media format).

“Amendment reroutes monies for V.I. Supreme Court to St. Croix”: Yesterday’s issue of The Virgin Islands Daily News contained this article.

“Patently Absurd: The inside story of RIM’s wireless war.” This lengthy article appeared yesterday in The Toronto Globe and Mail.

“Is a BlackBerry blackout likely? Most experts say no; patent fight over e-mail device is at key phase here next month.” The Richmond Times-Dispatch today contains an article that begins, “Inside the stone walls of the federal courthouse in downtown Richmond rests the threat, though perhaps a small one, of a blackout on the BlackBerry wireless e-mail gadgets.”

“Top Enron Officials’ Trial Begins Today; Firms’ Collapse Sparked Crackdown”: This article will appear Monday in The Washington Post.

“Additional Thoughts on Alito”: Law Professor Geoffrey R. Stone has this post today at the University of Chicago Law School’s “Faculty Blog.” His earlier post on the subject is here.

“Democrats didn’t make their case on Alito, Obama says”: This article will appear Monday in The Chicago Tribune.

“Welcome, New York Times Readers”: This new post appears today at the blog “Underneath Their Robes.” By the way, tomorrow marks David B. Lat’s debut as a blogger at “Wonkette.”

The Associated Press is reporting: Now available online are articles headlined “Sen. Obama Criticizes Filibuster Tactic” and “Frist: Gov’t Unwanted in End-Of-Life Cases.”

The St. Petersburg Times is reporting: Today’s newspaper contains articles headlined “Case might slow executions; An appeal from Florida’s death row may give inmates everywhere an avenue to challenge lethal injections” and “On eve of Enron trial, aftershocks; The energy empire’s collapse still reverberates – even in the Tampa Bay area – as the trial of the founder and CEO begins.”

“Judge Alito Passes Muster”: This editorial appears today in The Hartford Courant.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal today contains an editorial entitled “Alito appears clear — maybe; Nevada’s Harry Reid might vote to filibuster.”

The Huntsville Times contains an editorial entitled “The inevitable Alito.”

The Decatur (Ala.) Daily contains an editorial entitled “Now is not right time for Democrats to fall on swords.”

The Beaver County (Pa.) Times contains an editorial entitled “Win Elections.”

In The San Jose Mercury News, Susan Estrich has an op-ed entitled “The likely tie-breaker on abortion? Not Alito.”

In The Pueblo Chieftain, U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) has an op-ed entitled “Senate should confirm Judge Alito’s nomination.”

In The Boston Globe, columnist Joan Vennochi has an op-ed entitled “Tilting at Alito.”

In The Sioux Falls Argus Leader, columnist David Kranz has an op-ed entitled “Johnson’s vote for Alito stirs debate among South Dakota Democrats.”

In The Washington Times, Carey Roberts has an op-ed entitled “Fathers back in abortion debate.”

In The Houston Chronicle, Olive Hershey has an op-ed entitled “The shame I don’t wish on any woman; Alito’s confirmation stirs up dark memories of growing up in ’50s.”

In The Anniston Star, H. Brandt Ayers has an op-ed entitled “Sam Alito’s times.”

In The Athens Banner-Herald, Wendy Chambers has an op-ed entitled “High court nominee no fan of ‘little guy.’”

And in The Albany (N.Y.) Times Union, Marianne Means has an op-ed entitled “Beware of Alito’s hidden agenda.”

“Palace Revolt: They were loyal conservatives, and Bush appointees; They fought a quiet battle to rein in the president’s power in the war on terror; And they paid a price for it.” Daniel Klaidman, Stuart Taylor Jr. and Evan Thomas have this lengthy investigative article in the February 6, 2006 issue of Newsweek.

“The gay divorcees: First came gay marriage; Now comes the inevitable – and a slew of unprecedented legal questions.” The Ideas section of today’s edition of The Boston Globe contains this article.

“Gay Marriage Politics”: This editorial appears today in The Washington Post.

“Lay, Skilling trial will be a battle of strategies; The defense will focus on intricate accounting, and prosecutors want to keep it simple”: Mary Flood has this article today in The Houston Chronicle, along with an article headlined “Enron judge comes to trial well-prepared.”

Today’s newspaper also contains profiles of defense attorneys headlined “Lay attorney won’t shy away from fight“; “Criminal case something new for Skilling lawyer.”

The newspaper contains profiles of prosecution attorneys headlined “Attorney ‘destroys the other side’“; “Ex-judge argues for government“; “Prosecutor gained experience fast“; and “Lead attorney relishes challenge.”

Finally, today’s newspaper reports that “Seating is ‘first come, first serve’; ‘Overflow’ room with big-screen TV will accommodate 120 reporters or other spectators.”

“Senators promise yes votes for Alito”: This article appears today in The Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner.