Today’s appellate court filing: Between now and Monday, March 13, 2006, I’ll be filing three reply briefs in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. The reply brief that I’m filing today in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit involves a dispute between a primary insurer and a reinsurer over whether the termination of a reinsurance treaty required the reinsurer to return more than $2 million in active life reserves to the insurer. The opening Brief for Appellant can be accessed here. The case is tentatively scheduled for oral argument in Richmond, Virginia sometime during the last week in May 2006.
“Merck’s fight looks tougher in NJ; Lanier, the only lawyer to defeat drug maker in a Vioxx suit, returns for round two”: CNNMoney.com provides this report.
“Will high court draw the lines? The Supreme Court will hear arguments on the 2003 Texas redistricting; Its decision could change the future of politics as usual.” This article appears today in The St. Petersburg Times.
“Justices Won’t Expand Death Penalty Review”: Gina Holland of The Associated Press provides this report.
“Scalia champions hunting and conservation; Supreme Court justice gives speech at wild turkey event”: This article appeared yesterday in The Tennessean.
And The Associated Press reports that “Supreme Court Justice Champions Hunting.”
“Ohio applies Blakely and the Booker remedy!” The blog “Sentencing Law and Policy” provides this report.
Today’s U.S. Supreme Court Order List: Today’s Order List can be accessed here.
At “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Court grants no new cases.”
A drag racing death near Detroit and the state-created danger doctrine: A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued this interesting decision today. According to the dissenting opinion, “What really matters is [plaintiff’s] evidence that the race was about to be called off for fear of police intervention but ultimately went forward after the officers actively encouraged the race to proceed, reassuring the drag racers and the crowd that nobody would be arrested for conducting the race.”
“Blogging law profs assault ivory tower; Is it scholarship, or a cyber chit-chat?” This article appears in this week’s issue of The National Law Journal.
“Death Penalty Trials a Painstaking Process”: The Associated Press provides this report focusing on the Zacarias Moussaoui trial.
“Blawg Review #46”: Available here, at “De Novo.”
“Congress Puts ‘Partial-Birth’ Abortion Back on the Supreme Court’s Agenda”: This week’s installment of my “On Appeal” column for law.com can be accessed here.
The Chicago Tribune is reporting: In today’s newspaper, Naftali Bendavid reports that “Texas-size gerrymander case heads to high court.”
And in other news, an article is headlined “St. Thurgood? It just might be; Episcopalians in the nation’s capital seek sainthood for the 1st black high court justice.”
“Justices have a date with former Playmate”: Patty Reinert has this front page article today in The Houston Chronicle.
“Blog Epitaphs? Get Me Rewrite! Rumors of Blogs’ Demise Are Exaggerated, But a Lot Less Obsession Would Be Healthy.” Jason Fry has this essay (free access) online today at The Wall Street Journal.
USA Today is reporting: In today’s newspaper, Joan Biskupic has an article headlined “Anna Nicole legal drama moves center stage to Supreme Court.”
And in other news, “RIM, NTP urged to settle dispute; BlackBerrys could face shutdown as early as this week.”
“The Supreme Court’s Unanimous Decision Recognizing a Religious Right to Use Hallucinogenic Tea”: FindLaw commentator Michael C. Dorf has this essay today.
On this date in “How Appealing” history: Three years ago today, on February 26, 2003, I had a post titled “Onan he arbarian” reporting on a passage from a Seventh Circuit opinion that had issued that day. That post’s link to the opinion no longer works, but the opinion can now be accessed here.
“Plan B Battles Embroil States; Proposals Mirror Red-Blue Divide”: The Washington Post on Monday will contain a front page article that begins, “Filling a void left by the Food and Drug Administration’s inability to decide whether to make the ‘morning-after’ pill available without a prescription, nearly every state is or soon will be wrestling with legislation that would expand or restrict access to the drug.”
“New cyberstalking law challenged over ‘annoy’ language”: David L. Hudson Jr. has this article online at the First Amendment Center.
“High Court Mulls Strict Campaign Finance Law”: FOXNews.com provides this report.
The Sacramento Bee is reporting: Today’s newspaper contains a front page article headlined “Death ritual steeped in controversy; Morales case thrusts lethal injection protocol into disarray.”
And in related coverage, “Death row may become off-limits to doctors.”
“Lethal injection facing scrutiny”: This article appears today in The San Jose Mercury News.
In the March 6, 2006 issue of Time: The magazine will contain an article headlined “Lethal Objection: An execution is postponed after two doctors refuse to take part; Is the needle on the ropes?”
And a Notebook item will carry the headline “The New Front Line in the Abortion Wars.”
“Drawing the Line: Will Tom DeLay’s redistricting in Texas cost him his seat?” Jeffrey Toobin, with whom you can visit tomorrow evening in Fort Wayne, Indiana, will have this Annals of Law article [large PDF file] in the March 6, 2006 issue of The New Yorker.
“Supreme Court to make call on late abortion”: This editorial appears today in The Birmingham News.
“Groups fear fallout from Supreme Court cases; Limitation of Clean Water Act’s scope could spell trouble for Ohio wetlands”: The Columbus Dispatch contains this article today.
“The Supreme Court is like a box of chocolates”: This editorial appears today in The Kalamazoo Gazette.
“Psycho Path Voted Wackiest Street Name”: The Associated Press provides this report. According to the official results, “Third Prize goes to Farfrompoopen Rd., which we’re told is the only way to get to Story, Arkansas’ Constipation Ridge.”
“Reality Check for ‘Roe’: With the hard right hoping for reversal, the black-and-white war over abortion finds itself immersed in shades of gray.” The March 6, 2006 issue of Newsweek will contain this article.
“Repeal joint and several liability; The legal doctrine encourages plaintiffs to go after big companies and wealthy individuals, who can get stuck paying damages beyond their portion of fault”: This editorial appears today in The St. Petersburg Times.
“An Odd Map, A Big Flap; Texas redistricting comes before the Supreme Court”: The March 6, 2006 edition of U.S. News & World Report will contain this article.
“Appointed justice facing his first political race”: This article appears today in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Austin American-Statesman is reporting: Today’s newspaper contains articles headlined “Supreme Court’s ruling on GOP map will echo; Decision would be far-reaching for Texas elections, the political leanings of Congress” and “Death row inmates share identical appeals; 20 pages of death row inmates’ appeals are identical, even errors.”
“Plan B battle shifts to states; FDA’s inaction on ‘morning-after’ pill boosts momentum”: Friday’s edition of The Baltimore Sun contained this article.
