A fickle parking ticket protest would have been far less objectionable: The Post-Bulletin of Rochester, Minnesota reports today that “Fecal parking ticket protest lands man in trouble.”

“Arguments Heard in Death Penalty Appeal for Mumia Abu-Jamal”: Shannon P. Duffy of The Legal Intelligencer provides this news update.

The Philadelphia Inquirer provides a news update headlined “Mumia Abu-Jamal’s case before federal court.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Abu-Jamal Lawyers Argue Trial Was Biased.”

Milwaukee Brewers 3, Philadelphia Phillies 2: This afternoon I attended my second Brewers victory of the season, although unlike last time today’s game was against my hometown Phillies.

Ben Sheets, opening day starter for the Brewers, was on the mound at the outset of both Brewers games that I attended, and today he recorded another tremendous outing.

Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell homered to give the Phillies the lead in the bottom of the second inning and then nearly tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a double off the top of the left field fence that was only inches away from being his second home run of the game. Brewers closer Francisco Cordero, who entered the game sporting an incredibly low 0.54 earned run average to record the final out of the eighth inning, thereafter obtained the remaining two outs in the bottom of the ninth to notch the save and lower his ERA to 0.50. Although the Phillies did not sweep the four-game series against what had been the National League’s hottest team, they did win their second series of the current homestand. The homestand concludes with the season’s first interleague games, as the Phillies will play three against the Toronto Blue Jays. My son and I will be at Sunday’s game.

You can access the box score of today’s game at this link, while wraps are available here and here.

Update: Lest I be accused of omitting an unusual detail from my game recap, in the late innings — I think it was between the bottom of the sixth and the top of the seventh, while the grounds crew was sweeping the infield dirt — a totally naked male streaker ran to second base, where he was tackled and placed under arrest by the Philadelphia Police. I did not observe the streaker until moments before he was knocked to the ground, but others near where I was sitting opined that he had jumped onto the field from somewhere in the outfield. [Insert your Miller Park sausage race joke here.] In any event, here’s hoping this will not become a regular feature at Citizens Bank Park.

Further update: As The Associated Press reports here: “[Pat Burrell’s second inning home run] was about the only excitement for Phillies fans until a streaker hopped the outfield fence and dashed onto the field entering the top of the seventh. The man was eventually dragged down by security on the infield dirt while the crowd of 31,553 went wild like the Phillies were rallying for the winning runs. ‘I was just real blushed,’ Phillies manager Charlie Manuel chuckled. ‘I wasn’t trying to look.'”

Programming note: A colleague who kindly got me involved to brief and argue a Third Circuit appeal for one of his clients (thankfully, with a mostly favorable result) and I will be attending an event this afternoon in South Philly (previews here and here).

Additional posts will appear online this evening.

“Looming Legal Fight Clouds Gay Marriage Milestone”: This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

Second Circuit rejects challenge to the constitutionality of the federal Partial–Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 pending before that court: Yesterday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued this Summary Order.

My earlier coverage of that panel’s original 2-1 ruling in the case can be accessed here. And my coverage of that panel’s request last month by a 2-1 vote for supplemental briefing can be accessed here.

I also discussed the Second Circuit’s original ruling in this case in a bit more detail in the February 27, 2006 installment of my “On Appeal” column for law.com, headlined “Congress Puts ‘Partial-Birth’ Abortion Back on the Supreme Court’s Agenda.”

“Google wins part of nude-photo suit”: The Los Angeles Times contains this article today.

My earlier coverage of yesterday’s Ninth Circuit ruling appears at this link.

“Legislative support slim for same-sex marriage ban; Efforts heat up to keep issue off 2008 ballot”: This article appears today in The Boston Globe, along with an article headlined “Same-sex nuptials validated for NY couples.” In addition, Monique Doyle Spencer has an op-ed entitled “OK, let’s vote on marriage.”

Bob Egelko is reporting: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, he has articles headlined “Top state court clears way for stem cell bonds” and “Roommate search site back in federal court.”

“Al-Arian documentary stirs lingering emotions; Supporters of Sami Al-Arian say he wasn’t treated fairly”: The St. Petersburg Times contains this article today.

“A move to expand buffers at clinics; Abortion opponents, ACLU blast bill”: This article appears today in The Boston Globe.

“Justice Weighed Firing 1 in 4; 26 Prosecutors Were Listed As Candidates”: The Washington Post today contains this front page article, along with articles headlined “No Dissent on Spying, Says Justice Dept.” and “Justice Dept. Search for Rove E-Mails Yields Little.” The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “The Gonzales Coverup: Congress must find out what the administration was doing that its own lawyers wouldn’t approve.”

The New York Times today contains an article headlined “Loyal to Bush but Big Thorn in Republicans’ Side” that begins, “For a loyal George W. Bush Republican, James B. Comey has made a remarkable amount of trouble for the White House.” The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “Mr. Gonzales’s Incredible Adventure.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that “Testimony sheds light on ex-Justice official’s departure; A former career prosecutor returns as a star witness in the Gonzales probe.”

The Boston Globe contains an editorial entitled “Unfit for chief law enforcer.”

USA Today contains an editorial entitled “In sickbed showdown, principle trumps power; Incident exposes Gonzales’ failings and the strengths of others.”

The Wall Street Journal contains an editorial entitled “Wiretap Tales: What you didn’t read about Jim Comey’s Senate testimony” (free access).

And Bloomberg News columnist Margaret Carlson has an essay entitled “Loyal, Liberated Gonzales Avoids the Noose.”

“Gun Ban Ruling Puts Fenty on the Spot; Going to High Court Would Be Risky”: This article appears today in The Washington Post.

“States Weigh Financing Judges’ Elections”: The Associated Press provides this report.

“Pakistan Judicial Crisis Adds to Pressure on Media”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “Legal and political wrangling over the suspension of the chief justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court by President Pervez Musharraf appears to be leading to new pressures on the media, news organizations and media advocacy groups say.”

“Plame Seeks Showdown With Cheney”: Today in The New York Sun, Josh Gerstein has an article that begins, “A lawsuit brought by a CIA agent whose cover was blown by Bush administration officials, Valerie Plame, is expected to face a withering attack this morning at a court hearing in Washington.”

“Making Law Enforcement a Political Enterprise: Key Examples from the U.S. Attorney Scandal and the So-Called ‘First Freedom Project.'” Marci Hamilton has this essay online today at FindLaw.

“Google Wins Appeal on Copyright of Nude Images”: This article will appear Thursday in The Washington Post.

The Associated Press reports that “9th Circuit says Google thumbnail images don’t infringe copyright.”

And law.com reports that “9th Circuit Hands Google a Copyright Victory in Dispute Over Nude Pictures.”

My earlier coverage of today’s Ninth Circuit ruling appears at this link.

McClatchy Newspapers are reporting: Now available online are articles headlined “2 additional prosecutors were considered for ouster” and “Justice Dept. produces little new evidence linking Rove to firings of U.S. attorneys.”

“Transcripts give a glimpse into many justices’ personalities”: Michael Doyle of McClatchy Newspapers provides this report.

“Analysis: An Additional Week of October Argument?” Tom Goldstein has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Breaking News: Plaintiffs to File Cert Petition in Crawford, the Indiana Voter ID Case; Why the Supreme Court Should Take the Case.” Law Professor Rick Hasen has this post today at his “Election Law” blog.

The Seventh Circuit‘s divided three judge panel’s ruling in that case can be accessed here, while my coverage of that ruling appears at this link. And the Seventh Circuit’s order denying rehearing en banc, over the dissent of four judges, can be accessed here, while my coverage appears at this link.

Fifth Circuit affirms the dismissal of lawsuit against the owner of The San Antonio Express-News seeking damages for invasion of privacy based on public disclosure of private facts: We haven’t heard the last of the married Texas attorneys who engaged in a scheme whereby the wife had extra-marital affairs with other men, after which the husband extorted money from the men by threatening to tell their wives and employers of the affairs. According to today’s Fifth Circuit opinion:

The San Antonio Express News, a Hearst subsidiary, published an article describing a blackmail scheme carried out by two married attorneys, Ted and Mary Roberts. The article alleged that Mary had engaged in a series of extramarital affairs and that Ted had then extorted thousands of dollars from Mary’s lovers by sending them draft Rule 202 petitions naming them as defendants. The 202 documents proposed to seek information on whether Ted had legal grounds for a variety of claims, including divorce and obscenity. These documents also mentioned Ted’s intent to contact the men’s wives and employers as witnesses. Under threat of litigation, as many as five men entered into settlement agreements with Ted, who received between $75,000 and $155,000 in total as a result. The article also contained the perspectives of five legal scholars as to the merits of the causes of action raised by Ted against Mary and her lovers and the ethics of Ted’s behavior. Additionally, the story revealed details of the Roberts’ domestic life, including their purchase of a $655,000 house in a San Antonio suburb, the fact that they had an eight-year-old son, and the fact that Mary was the daughter of a Lutheran minister. Ted Roberts has since been tried and convicted on charges of theft related to the allegations in the article.

Today’s appeal arises from a lawsuit in which the trustee for the bankruptcy estate of Ted and Mary Roberts sued the owner of the Express-News for damages on a claim of invasion of privacy based on public disclosure of private facts. Today’s ruling affirms the dismissal on the pleadings of the bankruptcy trustee’s claim.

The article in question was headlined “Sex, lawyers, secrets at heart of sealed legal case,” and it appeared in the Sunday, June 13, 2004 issue of The Express-News. I linked here to the article that morning.

Update: In March 2007, columnist Rick Casey of The Houston Chronicle covered the criminal trial of attorney Ted Roberts in columns headlined “A sexy story of lawyers misbehaving“; “A big grin, a big cigar“; “A novel legal tool of terror“; “Giving back, or taking?“; “Sex, lies and lawyer jokes“; and “Lessons from a lurid trial.”

And more recent coverage from The San Antonio Express-News appeared in articles headlined “New indictments shine more light on charges against lawyer pair“; “Extortion case a tale of money, adultery“; “Adultery blackmail trial starts“; “Roberts trial: Score: 60-15, defense?“; “E-mails take stage in blackmail trial“; “Blackmail trial a tale of two CFOs“; and “For better, for worse, but richer iffy in court.” And public editor Bob Richter had an essay entitled “Is this newspaper correct to name alleged blackmail victims?”

“The majority’s decision is, in effect, a breathtaking revision of securities class action procedure that eviscerates Basic‘s fraud-on-the-market presumption, creates a split from other circuits by requiring mini-trials on the merits of cases at the class certification stage, and effectively overrules legitimately binding circuit precedents.” So writes Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, dissenting from a decision that a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued today.

“Who fired the US attorneys? Attorney General Gonzales cites a ‘consensus’ of top Justice officials, but few have acknowledged listing any names.” This article will appear Thursday in The Christian Science Monitor.

Available at National Review Online: Robert Alt has an essay entitled “Would Rudy Be Good for the Courts? Well, Meese was good for the courts, and Giuliani didn’t think much of him.”

And Edward Whelan has a review of the book “Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas,” by Kevin Merida and Michael Fletcher.

“Court ends ruling halting Google sex thumbnails”: Reuters provides this report.

And at his “Technology & Marketing Law Blog,” Eric Goldman has this related post.

My earlier coverage of today’s Ninth Circuit ruling appears at this link.

“A pivotal hearing on case of Abu-Jamal”: This article appeared Sunday in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

And The Associated Press reports that “25 years later, Abu-Jamal’s case to be argued in appeals court.”

Another day, another important internet-related ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: Today, a unanimous three-judge Ninth Circuit panel issued its ruling in Perfect 10, Inc. v. Amazon.com.

Circuit Judge Sandra S. Ikuta‘s opinion begins:

In this appeal, we consider a copyright owner’s efforts to stop an Internet search engine from facilitating access to infringing images. Perfect 10, Inc. sued Google Inc., for infringing Perfect 10’s copyrighted photographs of nude models, among other claims. Perfect 10 brought a similar action against Amazon.com and its subsidiary A9.com (collectively, “Amazon.com”). The district court preliminarily enjoined Google from creating and publicly displaying thumbnail versions of Perfect 10’s images, Perfect 10 v. Google, Inc., 416 F. Supp. 2d 828 (C.D. Cal. 2006), but did not enjoin Google from linking to third-party websites that display infringing full-size versions of Perfect 10’s images. Nor did the district court preliminarily enjoin Amazon.com from giving users access to information provided by Google. Perfect 10 and Google both appeal the district court’s order.

And the lengthy opinion concludes with the following summary of the Ninth Circuit’s rulings:

We conclude that Perfect 10 is unlikely to succeed in overcoming Google’s fair use defense, and therefore we reverse the district court’s determination that Google’s thumbnail versions of Perfect 10’s images likely constituted a direct infringement. The district court also erred in its secondary liability analysis because it failed to consider whether Google and Amazon.com knew of infringing activities yet failed to take reasonable and feasible steps to refrain from providing access to infringing images. Therefore we must also reverse the district court’s holding that Perfect 10 was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its secondary liability claims. Due to this error, the district court did not consider whether Google and Amazon.com are entitled to the limitations on liability set forth in title II of the DMCA. The question whether Google and Amazon.com are secondarily liable, and whether they can limit that liability pursuant to title II of the DMCA, raise fact-intensive inquiries, potentially requiring further fact finding, and thus can best be resolved by the district court on remand. We therefore remand this matter to the district court for further proceedings consistent with this decision.

Thanks to the web site of Electronic Frontier Foundation, you can access many of the documents filed in the case via this link. And the federal district court’s decision that the Ninth Circuit had under review can be accessed here. Finally, my coverage of yesterday’s Ninth Circuit ruling in another important internet-related appeal can be found at this link.

Wisconsin’s highest court agrees that pornographic images on public school teacher’s computer are public records and orders their release to a newspaper: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports today that “Court clears release of teacher’s porn images.”

You can access yesterday’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin in both HTML and PDF formats.

“Senate can short-circuit assault on appeals bench”: Today in The Houston Chronicle, columnist Cragg Hines has an op-ed that begins, “If you liked Don Imus, you’re going to love Leslie Southwick. Fortunately, Imus has not been nominated to a seat on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But Southwick has been.”

And yesterday in The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi, columnist Eric Stringfellow had an op-ed entitled “It’s time for diversity on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.”

On today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition“: The broadcast contained audio segments entitled “Raid on Rep. Jefferson’s Office Yields Legal Mess“; “Ex-Justice Official: Spy Plan Sparked Threats to Quit“; and “Cyclist Landis Points to ‘Broken’ Testing System” (RealPlayer required).

Fruit by the Foot and online oral argument audio by the minute and second: Now that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit posts online the audio of its oral arguments, it is possible for that court’s decisions to cite to those online audio files, as demonstrated by this ruling issued today involving a patent infringement dispute between General Mills and Kraft Foods Global over the process for making that inscrutable food known as Fruit by the Foot.

Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor issues another opinion while sitting by designation with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit: You can access today’s ruling at this link.

“Gonzales: Paul McNulty was major figure in firings.” This article appears today in The Hill.

And today in The Washington Post, columnist Harold Meyerson has an op-ed entitled “The Cost of a GOP Myth” that begins, “If Attorney General Alberto Gonzales clings to his job much longer, he may end up as the only remaining employee of the Justice Department.”