“Judge Pryor, Unplugged”: Kathryn Jean Lopez has this post at National Review Online’s “Bench Memos” blog.

“Former Bush Adviser Gets Probation”: The AP provides a report that begins, “A former White House adviser pleaded guilty to theft Friday, briefly breaking into tears as he tried to explain to a judge why he made phony returns at discount department stores while working as a top aide to President Bush.” You can access earlier coverage via this link.

“Judge Dismisses Suit Against Sen. Kerry”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “A federal judge dismissed a filmmaker’s defamation lawsuit against Sen. John Kerry, saying remarks linked to Kerry’s campaign during the heat of the 2004 presidential race amount to political opinions.”

You can access yesterday’s ruling of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania at this link.

“Environmentalists Ask Senate to Leave the 9th Circuit Alone”: Lawrence Hurley has this article today in The Daily Journal of California.

“A proposed class representative is neither typical nor adequate if the representative is subject to a unique defense that is likely to become a major focus of the litigation.” So holds the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in an opinion issued today.

No doubt that if circuit-riding were to resume, the Seventh Circuit would perform the task ever so efficiently: In an opinion issued today rejecting a saleswoman’s sex and age discrimination claims, Circuit Judge Frank H. Easterbrook writes, “How to construct the shortest route that visits all destinations is an old subject: in graph theory and linear programming it is known as the ‘traveling salesman problem’ and is the subject of a considerable literature.”

“Vt. Weighs in on Lesbian Custody Fight”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The state Supreme Court ruled Friday that Vermont courts, and not those in Virginia, have exclusive jurisdiction over a case involving two women battling for custody of a child they had while they were in a lesbian relationship. The unanimous ruling conflicts with a series of decisions in Virginia, where courts ruled the state’s anti-gay marriage laws controlled the case.”

You can access today’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Vermont at this link.

Rex Heinke and Tony Mauro discuss the “Supreme Court Today”: Yesterday, I linked here to the audio for the newest installment of Legal Talk Network’s “Coast to Coast” program, which happens to be on the subject of “Blawgging at Big Law Firms.”

I should also mention that last month, the “Coast to Coast” program had a half-hour segment focusing on the U.S. Supreme Court. You can access that audio via this link.

“The Reagan Revolution in the Network of Law”: Law Professors Frank B. Cross and Thomas A. Smith have this article (abstract with links for download) online at SSRN. The article’s abstract begins, “This paper analyzes the effect of the Rehnquist Court on Supreme Court precedent, using a network of all Court citations to other Supreme Court cases.” Thanks to “Legal Theory” for the pointer.

“Chronicle reporters may face contempt charges”: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has an article that begins, “A dispute between the Justice Department and The Chronicle over the use of grand jury testimony in stories about athletes’ steroid use will come to a showdown today in a San Francisco federal courtroom.”

Airport runway expansion at O’Hare, its impact on church cemeteries, and a resulting claim under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act: Today a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decides whether the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval of an airport layout plan incident to a determination of eligibility for federal funding sufficed to subject the FAA to claims arising under RFRA. The majority answers “no,” while Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith dissents on that point. You can access today’s complete ruling at this link.

U.S. Senate returns five federal appellate court nominations to President Bush: Technically, at least as of this moment, you can no longer accurately refer to Terrence W. Boyle and William J. Haynes II as current nominees to the Fourth Circuit, you can no longer accurately refer to Michael B. Wallace as a current nominee to the Fifth Circuit, and you can no longer accurately refer to William Gerry Myers III and N. Randy Smith as current nominees to the Ninth Circuit. Details here and here (via “Confirm Them“).

“Professor Wins Suit Against Blog Site”: The Associated Press provides this report from China.

“Appeals Panel Keeps DeLay on Ballot; GOP Will Ask Supreme Court to Delist Former Lawmaker”: The Washington Post contains this article today.

And USA Today reports today that “Ruling keeps DeLay on ballot; GOP to appeal to high court.”

“Justice After Guantanamo: The White House still thinks the ends justifies the means in trying suspected terrorists.” This editorial appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

“A Better Way on Detainees”: Today in The Washington Post, Law Professors Jack Goldsmith and Eric A. Posner have an op-ed that begins, “Everyone involved in the contentious negotiations between the White House and Congress over the proper form for military commissions seems to agree on at least one thing: that al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists ought to be prosecuted. We think this assumption is wrong: Terrorist trials are both unnecessary and unwise.”

“Specter’s NSA Plan Hits Snag; Senate Democrats Also Vow to Block Justice Dept. Confirmation”: This article appears today in The Washington Post.

“Hale sues attorney for malpractice; White supremacist serving 40-year term”: The Chicago Tribune today contains an article that begins, “White supremacist Matthew Hale, serving 40 years in a Colorado prison for plotting to kill a federal judge in Chicago, is suing his former attorney for malpractice.”

And The Associated Press reports that “White Supremacist Files Malpractice Suit.”

“$135M jury verdict against stadium beer vendor overturned”: The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger today contains an article that begins, “An appeals court has overturned a landmark $135million jury verdict against the beer vendor at Giants Stadium and a fan whose drunken-driving accident left a young girl paralyzed.”

And The New York Times reports today that “Court Overturns Jury Award Against Stadium Concessionaire.”

My earlier coverage appears at this link.

The Associated Press is reporting: Now available online are articles headlined “GOP to Take DeLay Case to Supreme Court” and “Jailing of Reporters Send Powerful Signal.”

“‘Indecency’ Debate To Play Out In Series Of Appeals Court Battles”: National Journal provides this report.

In Friday’s edition of The New York Times: An article will report that “DeLay Stays on Ballot, Judges Rule.”

And Adam Liptak will have an article headlined “Prison Disciplines Inmate Who Paints With M&M’s.” Liptak’s earlier article on this subject, published July 21, 2006, was headlined “Behind Bars, He Turns M&M’s Into an Art Form.”

“Against All Odds: Antigua Besting U.S. in Internet Gambling Case at WTO.” The Washington Post on Friday will contain an article that begins, “Locked in a federal prison in the Nevada desert, tortured by the distant lights of the Las Vegas strip, Jay Cohen couldn’t stop thinking about getting even with the government that had put him away — and his revenge fantasy had a unique twist.”

Available online from law.com: Tony Mauro reports that “Secrets Revealed in New Roberts Biography.”

In other news, “Pentagon GC’s Bid for 4th Circuit Seat Threatened; William Haynes is taking heat for his stance on Guantanamo interrogation policy.”

An article reports that “Calif. Supremes Wait for Smoke to Clear Over Punitive Damages.”

And Shannon P. Duffy reports that “Holocaust Survivor Loses Bid to Sue German Companies.”

“Why So Few Minority Women Stay at Law Firms”: This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on this evening’s broadcast of NPR‘s “All Things Considered.”

“Judges indicate they will draw their own congressional map”: The San Antonio Express-News provides this update.

And The Austin American-Statesman provides a news update headlined “Court hears redistricting plans; Presiding judge suggests redrawing map doesn’t have to hurt incumbents.”

“Critics Say Library Case ‘Overcensored'”: The Associated Press provides this report.

“DeLay ballot issue heads for Court”: At “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post that begins, “The head of the Texas Republican Party, seeking to clear a space on the November election ballot for a new GOP candidate for the House of Representatives, announced plans Thursday to file an appeal to the Supreme Court on an expedited basis, after the Fifth Circuit Court kept former Rep. Tom DeLay on the ballot.” The Fifth Circuit‘s opinion issued today is now available over that court’s web site at this link.

First Circuit sets aside $950,000 defamation judgment in favor of a former assistant state’s attorney in Maryland and against The Boston Phoenix: At issue was whether the federal district court properly determined that the plaintiff was a private figure and not a public official for libel-law purposes. You can access at this link today’s ruling, which will necessitate a new trial.

“Ninth Circuit Orders Officials to Allow Sikh Group to Build Temple; Panel Says Sutter County ‘Substantially Burdened’ Religious Freedom by Repeatedly Denying Permit”: Yesterday’s edition of Metropolitan News-Enterprise contained this article.

Yesterday’s edition of The Appeal-Democrat of Marysville-Yuba City, California contained an article headlined “Sikh temple wins in court.”

And today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko reports that “Sikhs can build rural temple.”

My earlier coverage appears at this link.

“Further energy refunds possible; Appeals court says federal limit was issued in error”: Bob Egelko has this article today in The San Francisco Chronicle.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports today that “U.S. court raps FERC, paves way for refunds; $1 billion at issue from 2000-01 energy crisis.”

The Sacramento Bee contains an article headlined “Split energy crisis ruling; Court says state may pursue $900 million in refunds but takes $1.8 billion off table.”

And The Contra Costa Times reports that “Court urges power refunds; Ninth Circuit attacks the FERC’s position it could not demand money from generators, traders over 2001 energy crisis.”

“Initial Thoughts on Fifth Circuit Ruling Unanimously Upholding District Court Decision Preventing Texas Republican Party from Naming a Replacement for Tom DeLay on the Ballot”: Rick Hasen has this post at his “Election Law” blog.

“Blawgging at Big Law Firms”: That’s the title of this week’s broadcast (recorded yesterday) of “Coast to Coast” on the Legal Talk Network. Guests on the program were Denise Howell of the “Bag and Baggage” blog, Ernie Svenson of the “Ernie the Attorney” blog, and me. You can listen to the broadcast by clicking here (Windows Media Player format).

“Legal Battle over an Anti-War T-Shirt”: This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Day to Day.”

Under Illinois law, an insurer’s duty to indemnify may arise even in the absence of any duty on the insurer’s behalf to defend a lawsuit against the insured: A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued this decision today.