Available online from National Public Radio: This evening’s broadcast of “All Things Considered” contained segments entitled “Massachusetts Court Limits Gay Marriage to Residents” and “Government Won’t Release NSA Information to Attorneys.”
Today’s broadcast of “Talk of the Nation” contained a segment entitled “Massachusetts Gay Marriage Decision.”
And today’s broadcast of “Day to Day” contained a segment entitled “Slate’s Jurisprudence: Jury Holds Moussaoui’s Fate” (featuring Dahlia Lithwick).
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“Massachusetts Court Limits Gay Unions”: This article will appear Friday in The New York Times.
And The Washington Post on Friday will report that “Mass. Court Sets Limit On Same-Sex Marriage Law.”
Fifth Circuit rejects habeas appeal challenging federal criminal convictions of former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards: You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit at this link.
“Levin should give OK to judge nominee deal; GOP will offer Democratic appointments to break logjam”: This editorial appears today in The Detroit News.
How groovy was this week’s Ninth Circuit reargument on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court in the medicinal marijuana case known as Raich v. Gonzales? Not all that groovy for the plaintiff, if this report (which I first noted here) published earlier this week in The Sacramento Bee is to be believed.
Ordinarily, the Ninth Circuit would have posted online the oral argument audio by now, but the audio of this particular oral argument isn’t yet available via that court’s web site. Perhaps there’s something poetic about slacking-off in a marijuana-related case.
“Why Hamdan is Right about Conspiracy Liability”: Law Professor David Scheffer today has this op-ed online at Jurist’s “Forum.”
“Senate Committee OKs Supreme Court Cameras”: The Associated Press provides this report. Some other results from today’s executive business meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee are noted in this comment posted at “Confirm Them.”
Available online from National Public Radio: Today’s broadcast of “Day to Day” contained segments entitled “Justice Scalia’s Under-the-Chin Gesture” and “South Dakota’s Abortion Ban, Part 1.”
And today’s broadcast of “Morning Edition” contained segments entitled “Closing Arguments Take Stage at Moussaoui Sentencing Trial” and “Former Federal Prosecutor Indicted for Trial Conduct.”
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L. Ralph Mecham, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, is a 2006 National Public Service Award Winner: Details are available at this link.
“It’s final: Affirmative action issue on November ballot.” The Detroit Free Press provides a news update that begins, “The proposal to ban the use of race and gender in hiring and admissions by government and public universities will go before voters November 7 under an order issued Thursday by the Michigan Supreme Court.”
And The Associated Press reports that “Mich. Voters to Decide Affirmative Action.”
“‘Sopranos’ stars divided on bawdy body language”: The Boston Herald, refusing to take to heart Justice Antonin Scalia’s suggestion that the newspaper’s staffers are relying too heavily on the HBO program “The Sopranos,” today contains (in addition to the items I noted here earlier today) an article headlined “‘Sopranos’ stars divided on bawdy body language.”
The article begins, “Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says anybody who thinks his Sicilian gesture was obscene has been watching ‘too many episodes of “The Sopranos,”‘ but a star of the TV mob hit says such body language is just as injudicious in real life.”
“Court: Gays Can’t Come to Mass. to Marry.” The Associated Press provides this report.
Programming note: I will be attending this interesting CLE course midday today in Philadelphia. Additional posts will appear here this afternoon.
Update: The CLE panelists were indeed quite interesting. For those looking to connect a voice to the blogger, it was I who asked the panelists toward the end of the program for their thoughts on the current controversy over the U.S. Supreme Court‘s citation to foreign law, and whether the panelists thought that the Court’s rulings in either the homosexual sodomy case from Texas or the juvenile death penalty case from Missouri would have come out differently had the majorities in those cases not relied on foreign law.
BREAKING NEWS — “SJC upholds law barring out-of-state gay couples from marriage”: The Boston Globe provides this news update.
Today’s ruling of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts can be accessed at this link.
“Moussaoui Sentencing Case Goes to the Jury”: Neil A. Lewis has this article today in The New York Times.
The Washington Post today reports that “In Closing, Moussaoui Trial Rests On His Lies; A Role Reversal Redux As Jury Gets Terror Case.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that “Moussaoui Case Goes to Jury; Prosecutors contend his silence aided the 9/11 plot; The defense says he inflated his importance.”
And The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that “Jurors start to deliberate at trial for Moussaoui; Prosecutors urge them to buy his testimony; defense calls client a liar.”
“Supreme Court hears eBay patent case; Auctioneer seeks to keep using fixed-price technology”: Joan Biskupic has this article today in USA Today.
The Washington Post today reports that “High Court Considers EBay Case On Patent; Issue May Spur Changes to System.”
The San Jose Mercury News reports that “EBay patent dispute heard; Supreme Court weighs auction giant’s request to limit injunctions.”
And The San Francisco Chronicle reports that “Bay Are tech companies turn focus on litigation; EBay asks Supreme Court to reject patent claim on Buy It Now feature.”
“Photographer: Herald got it right.” The Boston Herald today contains an article that begins, “Amid a growing national controversy about the gesture U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made Sunday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the freelance photographer who captured the moment has come forward with the picture.” The photograph can be viewed by clicking here or here.
That newspaper today also contains an editorial entitled “Here we get the last word.”
“Judge to hold hearing at San Quentin to examine execution plan; Group will review plans to cut risk of painful procedure”: Bob Egelko has this article today in The San Francisco Chronicle.
“Scalia could do justice to the moodza”: Columnist John Kass has this op-ed today in The Chicago Tribune.
“Bill Would Speed Challenge to Surveillance”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, introduced a bill Wednesday that would put lawsuits challenging the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program on a fast track to the Supreme Court.”
“Court Rules Against Democrat in Leak of Tape”: This article appears today in The Washington Post.
“Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Foreigners’ Rights in U.S.”: Linda Greenhouse has this article today in The New York Times.
And in The Washington Post, Charles Lane reports that “Court Hears Arguments In Consular Access Case.”
“The Real Chief Justice Roberts: Conciliator or Divider? A Recent Fourth Amendment Holding Indicates That He May Be More Like Rehnquist Than Previously Thought.” FindLaw commentator Edward Lazarus has this essay today.
On this evening’s broadcast of NPR‘s “All Things Considered“: The broadcast contained segments entitled “Court Considers Burden of Telling Foreigners Their Rights” (featuring Nina Totenberg) and “Closing Arguments Heard in Moussaoui Sentencing.” RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.
“Supreme Court hears eBay patent case”: Joan Biskupic will have this article Thursday in USA Today.
The San Jose Mercury News provides an update headlined “Supreme Court wades into high-tech patent thicket.”
And Investor’s Business Daily reports that “Supreme Court’s eBay Patent Right Case Has Both Sides Saying Innovation At Risk.”
Available online from law.com: Shannon P. Duffy has an article headlined “Who’s the Shark Now? ‘Candygram’ Case Delivers Good News for Criminal Defense; Much-talked-about 3rd Circuit victory comes in case nicknamed for classic ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit.”
And in other news, “N.Y. High Court Finds ‘Crawford’ Violation in Affidavit Admission; Landmark Supreme Court ruling found to bar affidavit’s use in license case.”
“Sniper suspect ruled competent; Muhammad may represent self, judge rules; trial starts May 1”: This article will appear Thursday in The Baltimore Sun.
The Washington Post on Thursday will contain an article headlined “Judge: D.C. Sniper Can Represent Himself.”
And The Associated Press reports that “Md. Judge to Let Muhammad Be Own Lawyer.”
“Analysis: no penalty for patent ‘trolls.'” Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.” Demonstrating that humor does not necessarily benefit from analysis, Denniston writes, “[Carter G. Phillips] and Kennedy had a somewhat amusing exchange over whether ‘troll’ meant the ogre under a bridge, or someone fishing for something. Being present in the courtroom added a bit to the sense that this was funny.”
Access online the transcript of yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, No. 05-184: The Court has posted the transcript at this link.
At page 10, the transcript establishes that Scalia-Alito is the new O’Connor-Ginsburg.
“Alliance for Justice Launches New Project Monitoring the Federal Judiciary; Full Court Press to Provide Timely Updates on Court Decisions to Ordinary Americans”: Alliance for Justice has issued a press release (full text not yet available online) announcing the organization’s launch of a blog titled “Full Court Press.” The blog’s subtitle states, “Full Court Press will keep you up-to-date about the rapidly increasing number of judicial opinions that unjustifiably restrict rights, undermine legal protections, and adversely affect real people.”
“Moussaoui Death-Penalty Case Heads to Jury”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The death-penalty case against al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui went to the jury Wednesday after the prosecution asserted his lies were responsible for deaths Sept. 11, 2001, and the defense argued he had no part in the plot.”
In addition, The AP offers “Sketches of Moussaoui’s Jurors.”
“Supreme Court Hears High-Stakes Patent Fight”: law.com’s Tony Mauro provides this news update.
“Juror Backgrounds Get Increased Scrutiny”: The Associated Press provides this report.
“Supreme Court hears eBay’s patent appeal”: c|net News.com provides this report.
“The Marketplace Report: Prosecutors Rest Enron Case.” This segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Day to Day.”