“Shield law lets press do its job”: The St. Petersburg Times today contains an editorial that begins, “A small victory for press freedom occurred before Congress went on its summer break when a bill to create a federal shield law passed the House Judiciary Committee on a voice vote.”

“It’s Been A Wild Ride For AG’s Chief Aide”: Lynne Tuohy has this article today in The Hartford Courant.

“What the Constitution says about Iraq: Congress and the courts must recommit to the legislative branch’s sole authority to declare war.” Mario M. Cuomo has this op-ed today in The Los Angeles Times.

“Czech Bill On Child Porn Faces Resistance; Unlike Most of E.U., Possession Is Legal”: This article appears today in The Washington Post.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. rejects book’s account that he suggested President Bush nominate Harriet E. Miers to fill the vacancy created when Justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired: An updated version of today’s front page article published in The Washington Post can be accessed here.

“Court: Mexican Trucks Program to Proceed.” The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The Bush administration can go ahead with a pilot program to allow as many as 100 Mexican trucking companies to freely haul their cargo anywhere within the U.S. for the next year, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.”

Reuters reports that “Mexico trucks to roll on U.S. highways.”

And The Arizona Republic reports today that “Teamsters continue to battle Mexican trucks.”

You can access Friday’s order of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

“Whales get blown off: Federal court says Navy can do sonar testing.” Bob Egelko had this article Saturday in The San Francisco Chronicle.

The Los Angeles Times on Saturday reported that “Court gives Navy go-ahead to use sonar off coast; Appellate ruling gives the go-ahead for training off the Southland coast, despite concerns that whales may be harmed.”

And The Honolulu Star-Bulletin today contains an editorial entitled “Appeals court ruling on Navy sonar sits on fragile ground.”

You can access last Friday’s decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

“Roberts Suggested Miers, Book Says; Author Delves Inside Bush Controversies”: The Washington Post on Monday will contain a front page article that begins, “John G. Roberts Jr., now the chief justice of the United States, suggested Harriet Miers to President Bush as a possible Supreme Court justice, according to a new book on the Bush presidency.”

“With the Bench Cozied Up to the Bar, the Lawyers Can’t Lose”: Last Monday’s installment of Adam Liptak’s “Sidebar” column can be accessed here (TimesSelect temporary pass-through link).

The essay begins, “Dennis G. Jacobs, the chief judge of the federal appeals court in New York, is a candid man, and in a speech last year he admitted that he and his colleagues had ‘a serious and secret bias.’ Perhaps unthinkingly but quite consistently, he said, judges can be counted on to rule in favor of anything that protects and empowers lawyers.”

“New Terrorism Court: U.S. v. Omar Ahmed Khadr.” Speaking of appellate court oral argument audio available online (see my post immediately below), C-SPAN has posted online at this link (RealPlayer required) the recent oral argument held before the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review in United States v. Khadr.

I previously collected press coverage of this oral argument at this link.

“At 11th Circuit, What Happens at Oral Argument Stays at Oral Argument: A look at a federal appellate court’s rule denying access to oral argument audiotapes.” The brand new installment of my “On Appeal” column for law.com can be accessed here.

“The Mess He Left Behind: Gonzales’s successor will face daunting challenges at a scandal-plagued agency.” Emma Schwartz will have this article in the September 10, 2007 issue of U.S. News & World Report.

And in this upcoming week’s issue of Legal Times, Pedro Ruz Gutierrez and Tony Mauro will have an article headlined “DOJ Seeks to Recover From Gonzales’ Tenure; Many observers say the attorney general leaves behind a Main Justice in disarray.”