“Philip Morris Punitive Damages Get High Court Hearing”: Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News provides this report.

“A Supreme Court Setback for Whistle-Blowers”: Linda Greenhouse will have this article Wednesday in The New York Times.

And Wednesday in The Washington Post, Charles Lane will have articles headlined “High Court’s Free-Speech Ruling Favors Government; Public Workers on Duty Not Protected” and “Justices To Rule on Punitive Damages.”

“Court to speed decision on gay marriage ban”: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides a news update that begins, “Georgia’s highest court agreed Tuesday to speed up its review of a motion to reinstate the state’s constitutional ban of gay marriage – a small win for supporters of the prohibition.”

“Judging the Schiavo Case”: Law Professor Samuel R. Bagenstos has this paper (abstract with link to article) online at SSRN. Thanks to Eugene Volokh for the pointer.

On this evening’s broadcast of NPR‘s “All Things Considered“: The broadcast contained audio segments entitled “High Court Tightens Rule on Workplace Speech” (featuring Nina Totenberg) and “Librarians Denounce Gag Order in Patriot Act Case.” RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.

“Supreme Court limits protections for government whistleblowers”: Stephen Henderson of Knight Ridder Newspapers provides this report.

And Wednesday in The Christian Science Monitor, Warren Richey will have an article headlined “From high court, warning to whistle-blowers; The justices find that public workers’ criticisms aren’t ‘protected’ speech.”

“Supreme Court Rules Against Internal Whistleblowers”: This audio segment (RealPlayer required) featuring Lyle Denniston of “SCOTUSblog” appeared on today’s broadcast of the public radio program “Here & Now.”

You and your bloody contract: The Associated Press provides a report headlined “Calif. Lawsuit Focuses on Blood Contract” that begins, “The lawsuit that Jinsoo Kim filed against Stephen Son is ordinary in every respect – except that it centers on a contract written in human blood.”

“E-mail from Israeli Law School lecturer fuels debate”: The Yale Daily News provides a report that begins, “When Israeli Supreme Court President Aharon Barak, a lecturer at Yale Law School, allegedly sent an e-mail to a ‘dear friend’ at the University with his explanation of one of the Israeli high court’s most bitterly contested constitutional decisions to date, he did not expect the letter and the Law School to land on the front pages of Israeli newspapers.”

“Supreme Court Will Hear Case on High Punitive Damages; Justices also narrowed First Amendment protections for government-employee whistle-blowers”: law.com’s Tony Mauro provides this news update.

On today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Day to Day“: An audio segment entitled “Slate’s Jurisprudence: Rights of Whistle-Blowers” features Dahlia Lithwick.

And an audio segment entitled “Hunger Strike Grows at Guantanamo Bay” features Carol Rosenberg, a reporter for The Miami Herald. Today she has an article in that newspaper headlined “Hunger strikes break out once again at Guantanamo; Guantanamo captives staged coordinated hunger strikes over Memorial Day weekend; commanders said they are seeking publicity ahead of the resumption of war-crimes trials in mid-June.”

RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.

“Ga. Court to Expedite Gay Marriage Appeal”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “Georgia’s highest court said Tuesday it would expedite its review of a ruling that struck down the state’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage.”

“Interesting split Fifth Circuit ruling on ‘execution impact’ testimony”: The “Sentencing Law and Policy” blog provides this post about a ruling that a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued today.

“Law school pals meet in Iraq; Graduates of Albany Law serve in war zone, one as a colonel, one as a trial lawyer”: This article appears today in The Times Union of Albany, New York.

“Muhammad found guilty on six counts of murder; Sniper convicted on 6 counts of first-degree murder stemming from 2002 shooting spree”: The Baltimore Sun provides this news update.

And The Associated Press reports that “Jury Finds Muhammad Guilty in Sniper Trial.”

“Appeals court upholds white supremacist’s conviction, sentence”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “White supremacist Matthew Hale’s conviction on charges of soliciting the murder of a federal judge and his 40-year sentence were upheld Tuesday by an appeals court that brushed aside his claim that he had repeatedly said he wanted nothing to do with the crime.”

Seventh Circuit affirms judgment of conviction and sentence against Matthew Hale on charges of obstructing justice and soliciting a crime of violence in connection with his resistance to a judgment entered against his white supremacist organization by U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow and his involvement in a plot to have the judge murdered: You can access today’s 29-page per curiam opinion at this link.

“Wiley Rutledge, Executive Detention, and Judicial Conscience at War”: Law Professor R. Craig Green has today posted this article (abstract with link for download) online at SSRN.

Sharp thinks res judicata should have prevented Trademark Trial and Appeal Board from dismissing Sharp’s objection to ThinkSharp, Inc.’s registration of the mark “ThinkSharp,” but Federal Circuit disagrees: You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit at this link.

“The Courthouse Mice”: In the June 12, 2006 issue of The New Republic, Seventh Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner has a review (pass-through link) of, in his words, “two remarkably similar books about Supreme Court law clerks.”

The books that are the subject of Judge Posner’s review are: “Courtiers of the Marble Palace: The Rise and Influence of the Supreme Court Law Clerk,” by Todd C. Peppers; and “Sorcerers’ Apprentices: 100 Years of Law Clerks at the United States Supreme Court,” by Artemus Ward and David L. Weiden.

Update: At “SCOTUSblog,” Marty Lederman has a post titled “Posner on SCOTUS Clerks and Transparency.”

Today’s U.S. Supreme Court Order List and opinion in an argued case: You can access today’s Order List at this link.

At “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has posts titled “Public employee speech curbed” and “Court to hear tobacco appeal.” The case in which review was granted today calls on the Justices to revisit the question of whether a particular award of punitive damages is unconstitutionally excessive.

The Court’s only opinion in an argued case issued today came in Garcetti v. Ceballos, No. 04-473, a case originally argued on October 12, 2005 and then reargued on March 21, 2006. You can access the original oral argument transcript here; and the transcript of reargument here.

In early news coverage, Gina Holland of The Associated Press reports that “High Court Limits Whistleblower Lawsuits.” And The AP also reports that “Supreme Court to Review Philip Morris Case” and “Supreme Court Passes on Yahoo Case.”

“Jury to Begin Deliberations in Sniper Case”: The Associated Press provides this report.

“EU court blocks data deal with US; The European Court of Justice has blocked an EU-US agreement that requires airlines to transfer passenger data to the US authorities”: BBC News provides this report.

And The Associated Press reports that “EU Court Nixes Giving Air Data to U.S.”

You can access today’s ruling of the European Court of Justice at this link.

“4th Circuit: Who’ll Replace Judge Luttig?” Law Professor Carl W. Tobias has this op-ed today in The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“Recognizing Greatness in 3rd Circuit’s Judge Becker”: That is the title of the brand new installment of my “On Appeal” essay for law.com

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s article from last Tuesday reporting on last Monday’s funeral service for Third Circuit Judge Edward R. Becker stated that “the stretch of Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets will now be named Edward R. Becker Way.” One of Judge Becker’s former law clerks last Friday emailed to me this photograph of the new street sign on display at 5th and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia.

This blog’s earlier coverage of the late, great Judge Becker can be accessed via this link.

In today’s issue of USA Today: The newspaper contains articles headlined “Enron verdicts good for investors; Key message: Crooks will pay” and “Scrushy’s lawyer says Lay strategy was wrong; ‘You never, ever put the CEO on the witness stand.’”

And Law Professor Jonathan Turley has an op-ed entitled “Insanity’s legal fall from grace: U.S. law used to have fairly standard protections for suspects who were deemed insane — until the shooting of President Reagan; Is there a constitutional basis for such a defense? The Supreme Court, it is hoped, will answer ‘yes.’”

“Hawaiian bill pursues native rights; Long-stalled legislation stirs fears of secession, gambling, reparations”: This article appeared yesterday in The Chicago Tribune.

Available online from The St. Petersburg Times: Yesterday’s newspaper contained an article headlined “Courts overwhelmed by immigration cases; Fewer judges, hasty decisions and drawn-out appeals are creating an unmanageable backlog.”

And in today’s newspaper, columnist Howard Troxler has an op-ed entitled “Court review of campaign rhetoric: a slippery slope” discussing a ruling that the Supreme Court of Florida issued last week.

“Justices’ Heaviest Lifting Is Ahead; As the Supreme Court term ends, weighty issues will test Roberts’ consensus-finding skills”: David G. Savage has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

“Chief Justice Swears in Sullivan”: CalLaw.com’s “Legal Pad” blog provides a post that begins, “It may have taken Kathleen Sullivan two times to pass the California bar exam, but she sure got royal treatment for her successful repeat performance.”

“Final Hearing Set Over Gay Rites in New York State”: The New York Sun today contains an article that begins, “Gay couples who have been waging a legal battle for the right to marry in New York State for more than two years will get a final hearing at the state’s highest court tomorrow.”

“What Congress Should Consider Before Renewing the Voting Rights Act: A Chance to Preempt Supreme Court Invalidation, and Better Protect Minority Voting Rights.” Richard L. Hasen has this essay online today at FindLaw.