“U.S. Attorneys May Have Been Fired over Politics”: This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Day to Day.”

Commentary in today’s issue of Legal Times: The newspaper contains a debate over Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, in which the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing the fate of a particular type of taxpayer challenge under the establishment clause. John W. Whitehead argues “Yes, They Have Standing to Sue,” while Law Professor Douglas W. Kmiec argues “No, They Don’t Have Standing to Sue.”

In addition, William L. Taylor has an essay entitled “Words Tainted by Ugly History: Justice Scalia’s continued use of the phrase ‘mixed blood’ aggravates old wounds.”

“Declarative Sentences: Congress has the power to make and end war–not manage it.” Law Professors Noah Feldman and Samuel Issacharoff have this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

The Associated Press is reporting: Now available online are articles headlined “Detainees Ask for Legal Rights Guarantee” and “Court Settles Sinochem Jurisdiction Case.”

“Detainees seek May 7 hearing”: Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Political Questions Surround Prosecutor’s Firing”: This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

U.S. Supreme Court vacates Ninth Circuit‘s ruling in anti-gay T-shirt case known as Harper v. Poway: The blog “Constitutionally Correct” notes this development appearing on page one of today’s Order List.

My earlier coverage of the Ninth Circuit’s ruling can be accessed here. My coverage of the Ninth Circuit’s denial of rehearing en banc can be accessed here. And, even more recently, you can access my post from January 2007 titled “Harper v. Poway to go away? Federal district court dismisses anti-gay T-shirt case.”

“Ex-WorldCom Chief’s Appeal Denied”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The Supreme Court turned down an appeal Monday from former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud and conspiracy.”

And The AP is also reporting that “Court Denies Colo. Redistricting Challenge.”

Access online today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Sinochem Int’l Co. v. Malaysia Int’l Shipping Corp., No. 06-102: The Court has posted the opinion at this link. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the opinion on behalf of a unanimous Court.

The Court today also issued a unanimous per curiam decision in Lance v. Coffman, No. 06-641, an election law case on direct appeal from the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.The Court has posted the ruling at this link.

“Court will not speed Hamdan case”: Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has posted today’s Order List at this link. The Court today granted review in no new cases.

“‘Lawrence’ Fails to Open Floodgates to Unfettered Sexual Freedom”: Today’s installment of my “On Appeal” essay for law.com can be accessed here and also here.

Decisions forthcoming today from the Supreme Court of California: California’s highest court today is expected to issue two decisions of potential interest.

The first case raises the following issues: “May tax-exempt bond financing be provided to pervasively sectarian schools when the financing covenants provide that the financed facilities will not be used for any sectarian purpose, or is the provision of such financing to such entities barred by article XVI, section 5 of the California Constitution or the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution?”

And the second case raises the following issues: “(1) Did defendant forfeit his Confrontation Clause claim regarding admission of the victim’s prior statements concerning an incident of domestic violence under the doctrine of ‘forfeiture by wrongdoing’ because defendant killed the victim, thus rendering her unavailable to testify at trial? (2) Does the ‘forfeiture by wrongdoing’ doctrine apply where the alleged ‘wrongdoing’ is the same as the offense for which defendant is on trial?”

According to this notice of today’s forthcoming decisions, the rulings should be posted online at 1 p.m. eastern time.

This week’s installment of Tony Mauro’s Courtside column: Tony’s column this week focuses on the recent relocation of the Wilson-Epes Printing Co. and also on the recent successes of law school U.S. Supreme Court clinics.

“Judging prosecutors”: The Chicago Tribune today contains an editorial that begins, “Is the Bush administration carrying out a political purge in the offices of U.S. attorneys?”

“Judges don’t do justice to California’s diversity: The governor’s judicial appointments may be as diverse as they can be, but not as diverse as they should be.” This editorial appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

The St. Petersburg Times is reporting: Today’s newspaper contains an article headlined “Capital juries, appeals process criticized; More inmates could die of old age if Florida continues its pace of two executions a year.”

And an article headlined “Can court cases be hidden?” begins, “The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today about how to resolve issues surrounding the use of secret dockets.”

“HLS Group Gives Advocacy Award to Military Gay Rights Lobby”: This article appears today in The Harvard Crimson.

“For professional marshals”: The Boston Globe today contains an editorial that begins, “Most arms of government have made impressive efforts since 9/11 to improve the security of vulnerable targets. One glaring exception is protection of the federal courts, which has rested in the hands of regional US marshals whose appointments have been treated as political plums.”

My earlier, related coverage appears here.

“Patent Fights Are a Legacy of MP3’s Tangled Origins”: This article appears today in The New York Times.

“Terror Case Prosecutor Assails Defense Lawyer”: From Australia, The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “The chief prosecutor for the American military commissions that will try suspected terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has lashed out at the military lawyer for one of the detainees, a newspaper here reported in its weekend edition.”

“A Record of Failure at Center for Sex Offenders”: This article appears today in The New York Times.

“We Eat Horses, Don’t We?” Today in The New York Times, Christa Weil has an op-ed in which she writes, “Until the late 1970s, the Harvard Faculty Club served horse steaks as a regular menu item.”

“Risking Testy Justices and Faulty Justice”: Today in The New York Times, Adam Liptak‘s “Sidebar” column (TimesSelect temporary pass-through link) begins, “What the Supreme Court says, goes. Usually. But in a defiant decision two weeks ago, a federal appeals court in Washington conceded that it was ignoring parts of a 2004 Supreme Court decision on the rights of the men held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That can make the Supreme Court testy, and it may help the detainees. Their lawyers plan to ask the court today to hear the case.”

“The Ruling on Jose Padilla’s Competence to Stand Trial: The Judge May Have Been Right, But Legal and Moral Questions Persist.” Elaine Cassel has this essay online today at FindLaw.

“‘Bong Hits 4 Jesus’ goes to the Supreme Court; Teen suspended for banner gets his day in nation’s highest court”: This article appears today in The Anchorage Daily News.

“Zarella says high court isn’t dysfunctional”: From Connecticut, The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The man whose nomination as chief justice of the state Supreme Court was derailed last year discounted speculation by state lawmakers Friday that the state’s highest court is dysfunctional, with justices battling one another.”

“The infamous decision: St. Louis takes note of Dred Scott’s momentous bid for freedom.” This article appears today in The Chicago Tribune.

And The St. Louis Post-Dispatch yesterday contained an article headlined “One man’s case and how it changed a nation.”

“Senator Sought Dismissal of New Mexico Prosecutor”: The New York Times on Monday will contain an article that begins, “Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, said Sunday that he had urged the Justice Department to dismiss the state’s top federal prosecutor, who in December was one of eight United States attorneys ousted from their jobs.”

The Washington Post on Monday will contain a front page article headlined “Domenici Says He Contacted Prosecutor.”

And McClatchy Newspapers report that “Senator apologizes for calling U.S. attorney about federal probe.”

“The Case of the Missing Movie: The government made a secret video of its interrogations of ‘enemy combatant’ Jose Padilla; But now that he’s on trial, the Feds claim they don’t know where it went.” Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball have this web exclusive online at Newsweek.

“A Mass Firing Puts Justice on the Hot Seat”: Michael Isikoff will have this article in the March 12, 2007 issue of Newsweek.

“‘Don’t ask’ rule’s serious tradeoffs”: Steve Chapman has this op-ed today in The Chicago Tribune.

“Dig deep into death penalty: Nichols trial zooms in on risky and costly statute; it’s time for Georgia to take a look.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today contains an editorial that begins, “So far, the costs associated with defending Brian Nichols — charged with murdering four people in a crime rampage that began at the Fulton County Courthouse on March 11, 2005 — have surpassed $1.2 million. And the trial hasn’t even started yet.”

Editorials published today in The St. Petersburg Times: The newspaper contains editorials headlined “Lethal injections are horribly flawed” and “Put court openness atop docket.”

“Habeas corpus: It’s not just a Latin phrase; It’s at the core of who we are — or should be in a nation governed by law, not whim.” Columnist Robyn E. Blumner has this op-ed today in The St. Petersburg Times.

“A call for separation of school and state”: Today in The Boston Globe, columnist Jeff Jacoby has an op-ed that begins, “Whatever else might be said about it, US District Judge Mark Wolf’s decision in Parker v. Hurley is a model of clear English prose.”

My earlier coverage appears at this link.