“Feds want Ressam’s cooperation credit rescinded”: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a news update that begins, “Federal prosecutors — who proclaimed last week that they would seek yet another sentencing for would-be millennium bomber Ahmed Ressam — moved Tuesday to withdraw credit given Ressam for helping to convict a fellow terrorist.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Prosecutors seek yet another sentencing for Ressam.”

“Justices weigh concealed evidence in death case”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “A convicted killer on death row in Tennessee since 1984 could be spared execution following arguments Tuesday at the Supreme Court. The justices showed rare bursts of anger in discussing a local prosecutor’s failure to turn over key evidence to lawyers defending Gary Bradford Cone.”

You can access the transcript of today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Cone v. Bell, No. 07-1114, at this link.

Ninth Circuit decides copyright dispute involving eleven sculptures created between 1913 and 1917 by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir and one of his assistants, Richard Guino: You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

Back in 1968, Time magazine published this article about the sculptures.

“Attorneys conclude Supreme Court arguments in gay marriage case”: The Des Moines Register provides this news update. The newspaper also offers online access to a video replay of the oral argument at this link.

“In August 2003 a security guard with General Security Services Corporation stood on the roof of the Minton-Capehart Federal Building in Indianapolis, Indiana–inexplicably naked, alone, and locked out of the building.” So begins an opinion that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued today.

“Tennessee moves closer to executing first woman; Sixth Circuit denies appeal to woman convicted in murder for hire of husband”: The Nashville Post provides this news update.

And The Associated Press reports that “Court denies appeal by Tenn. woman on death row.”

You can access at this link today’s ruling of a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

“Court: Craig’s guilty plea to bathroom sex solicitation stands; The Court of Appeals rejected an appeal from Sen. Larry Craig who was nabbed in a sex sting in a restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune provides this news update.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press has a news update headlined “Appeals court: Craig ‘admitted’ guilt in airport sting case.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Sen. Craig loses appeal in airport sex sting case.”

You can access today’s unpublished ruling of the Court of Appeals of Minnesota at this link.

“Iowa Supreme Court readies for today’s gay marriage case”: The Des Moines Register provides a news update that begins, “Oral arguments in the Iowa Supreme Court’s landmark gay marriage case will begin at 10 a.m. as scheduled, starting with 30-minute arguments from Polk County. Lawyers for six same-sex Iowa couples will then present their case and answer questions from the seven justices.”

You can view the oral argument — scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. eastern time, just moments from now — live, online by clicking here (direct feed from the Supreme Court of Iowa; Windows Media Player required) or here (embedded video from The Des Moines Register).

“Former Governor Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy’s appeal nears; Defense says trial riddled with errors”: Yesterday’s issue of The Birmingham News contained an article that begins, “Gov. Don Siegelman and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy will ask three federal judges Tuesday to overturn their bribery convictions, arguing their 2006 trial was riddled with errors.”

The Associated Press provides reports headlined “Siegelman appeal hearing scheduled for Tuesday” and “Siegelman optimistic about court hearing.”

And AmLaw’s “Litigation Daily” blog has a post titled “Eleventh Circuit to Hear Scrushy/Siegelman Bribery Appeal.”

“Former Pembroke Pines student sues principal over Facebook suspension”: Today’s edition of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel contains an article that begins, “A former Pembroke Pines Charter High School student filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the school’s principal, alleging that he violated her first-amendment rights by suspending her for creating a Facebook page that criticized one of her teachers. Katherine Evans called her Advanced Placement English teacher ‘the worst teacher I’ve ever met!’ on a page she created on the popular social networking site in November 2007 when she was a senior in high school, said the suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.”

The ACLU of Florida has issued a news release titled “ACLU Sues to Protect Broward Student’s Free Speech in Web 2.0 World ; Off-Campus Facebook Posting Covered by First Amendment.” You can access the complaint filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida at this link.

“Naked Justice statue is unveiled in San Antonio”: The Associated Press provides this report.

“Supreme Court turns down Obama citizenship appeal; The plaintiff has argued that the president-elect is ineligible for the office because his father was born in Kenya”: David G. Savage has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

The New York Times reports today that “Justices Turn Back a Challenge on Obama.”

And The St. Petersburg Times reports that “Supreme Court can’t shake faithful skeptics on Obama citizenship.”

“Supreme Court’s punitive damage clarity: Lower courts may have tried a legal end run around the high court in a tobacco case, but the justices have indicated that may be coming to an end.” This editorial appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

“Md. Court Weighs Internet Anonymity; Case Pits Free Speech Against Redress for Defamation”: The Washington Post today contains an article that begins, “In a First Amendment case with implications for everything from neighborhood e-mail lists to national newspapers, an Eastern Shore businessman argued to Maryland’s highest court yesterday that the host of an online forum should be forced to reveal the identities of people who posted allegedly defamatory comments. It is the first time the Maryland Court of Appeals has confronted the question of online anonymity, an issue that has surfaced in state and federal courts over the past few years as blogs and other online forums have increasingly become part of the national discourse.”

And The Maryland Daily Record reports that “Top court grapples with online anonymity.”

You can access some of the appellate briefs filed in the case here and here.

You can view yesterday’s oral argument before the Court of Appeals of Maryland — that State’s highest court — by clicking here (Windows Media Player required).

“Five offer guilty pleas in 9/11 plot; A chaotic day at the Guantanamo war court featured an effort by five 9/11 attack suspects to enter guilty pleas in the death-penalty case”: Carol Rosenberg has this article today in The Miami Herald.

The New York Times reports today that “Alleged 9/11 Plotters Offer to Confess at Guantanamo.”

The Washington Post contains articles headlined “Five 9/11 Suspects Offer to Confess; But Proposal Is Pulled Over Death Penalty Issue” and “Offer of Plea Serves Mohammed and Bush; Both Sides Seem to Want Quick Conclusion.”

In The Los Angeles Times, Carol J. Williams has an article headlined “Chaos at Guantanamo tribunal; Five alleged Sept. 11 plotters offer to plead guilty, then three decline; One pledges loyalty to Bin Laden.”

In The Wall Street Journal, Jess Bravin reports that “Key Sept. 11 Defendants Want to File Guilty Pleas.” In addition, William McGurn has an op-ed entitled “Now for an Honest Debate on Gitmo.”

The Boston Globe reports that “Five try to plead guilty in 9/11 attacks.”

USA Today reports that “Five accused in 9/11 ask to plead guilty; Defendants seek to end tribunal at Guantanamo.”

Newsday contains articles headlined “9/11 families have mixed emotions on confessions” and “9/11 confessions wouldn’t mean swift executions.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Accused 9/11 plotters say they want to confess.”

“Influence on the Supreme Court Bench Could Be an Inside Job”: Today in The New York Times, Adam Liptak’s “Sidebar” column focuses on a new study published in the DePaul Law Review that claims to show that the political leanings of law clerks do influence the votes of U.S. Supreme Court Justices.

“Nichols’ sentencing trial ends on a somber note”: This article appears today in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

And The Associated Press reports that “Prosecutors urge death for Atlanta court gunman.”

“Court to hear Davis’ plea for new trial; Familiar place: Man condemned to die for the 1989 murder of a Savannah police officer has received 3 stays of execution in 17 months.” Today in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rhonda Cook and Bill Rankin have an article that begins, “Those who love convicted killer Troy Anthony Davis and those who loved slain Savannah police Officer Mark MacPhail find themselves in a familiar, painful place again: preparing for a court hearing on the 19-year-old murder case. Is Davis innocent? Should recanting or backtracking witnesses be heard? Or has too much time passed? Have there been too many unnecessary legal contortions in a death penalty case that has come close to finality with executions scheduled three times in the past 17 months? Today the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear Davis’ request for a new trial on the basis that he didn’t do it, an appeal called a ‘stand-alone innocence’ claim.”

“Court weighs jury-selection survey lawsuit”: The Providence Journal today contains an article that begins, “The Providence Journal yesterday told the Rhode Island Supreme Court that the public should be able to see written questions during jury selection just as if the same questions had been asked out loud in open court.”

Some en banc developments from here and there: This afternoon at 3 p.m. eastern time, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is scheduled to hear en banc oral argument in the case captioned Maher Arar v. John Ashcroft. C-SPAN is planning to broadcast the oral argument live. The Center for Constitutional Rights provides background on the case and access to court filings via this link.

And this morning at “The Volokh Conspiracy,” Orin Kerr has a post titled “An Analysis of United States v. Comprehensive Drug Testing” that begins, “On December 18th, the en banc 9th Circuit will hear oral argument on an important case involving how the Fourth Amendment applies to the search and seizure of computers.”

“The Friendless 9th Circuit”: Tony Mauro has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

You can access today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Pacific Bell Telephone Co. v. linkLine Communications, Inc., No. 07-512, at this link.

“Wilkinson and Posner, Dissenting: Two conservative judges challenge Justice Scalia.” Adam J. White has this essay in the December 15, 2008 issue of The Weekly Standard.

“Nuts and Deadbolts: A blueprint for the closure of Guantanamo Bay.” Jack Goldsmith and Benjamin Wittes have this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“L.A. Times Publishes Article About Kozinski’s Joke E-Mail List”: Patterico has this post today at “Patterico’s Pontifications.”

And Ann Althouse has a post titled “The L.A. Times goes after 9th Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski again.”

You can access the article in question (originally published by The Los Angeles Times before its owner declared bankruptcy this afternoon) at this link.

“September 11 defendants ask to plead guilty”: Reuters provides this report.

And The Associated Press reports that “9/11 suspects ask to make ‘confessions’ at Gitmo.”

“Court won’t review Obama’s eligibility to serve”: The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “U.S. views sought on misspent federal funds.”

You can access today’s Order List of the U.S. Supreme Court at this link.

“Finding Fault: The standard must be high for holding federal officials personally culpable for how detainees are treated.” This editorial appears today in The Washington Post.

“Supreme Court likely to dismiss lawsuits over Obama’s citizenship; Lower courts have rejected claims that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen and thus cannot hold the office of president”: David G. Savage has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

“Laptop searches at border might get restricted”: The Associated Press provides this report.

“The Politics of the Federal Bench: GOP-Appointed Majorities Winning Ideological Battles at Appellate Level.” R. Jeffrey Smith has this front page article today in The Washington Post. Accompanying this article is a sidebar headlined “A Bench More White, Male and Conservative” and a graphic headlined “Courts of Last Resort.”

And Jerry Markon has a front page article headlined “Obama’s Appointments Are Expected To Reshape the U.S. Legal Landscape.”

“Tortured Justice”: The New York Times today contains an editorial that begins, “The nation’s courts continue to grapple with the abuses committed by President Bush’s administration in the name of fighting terrorism. The extent of the damage to American liberties, and how lasting it will be, will be told in part by the outcome of two cases that are to be heard by the federal courts.”

“Our Mutual Joy: Opponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture; But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side.” This cover story appears in the December 15, 2008 issue of Newsweek.

The magazine also contains an article headlined “Mrs. Kramer Vs. Mrs. Kramer: It’s an old story–parents split and fight for custody; But when both are women, and one says she is no longer gay, it gets complicated” about the Miller v. Jenkins custody battle.

“Special Kaye: Judge Judith Kaye steps down from New York’s Supreme Court.” Jeffrey Toobin has this “Talk of the Town” article in the December 15, 2008 issue of The New Yorker.

Of course, New York State’s “supreme” court is known as the Court of Appeals.

“Guantanamo Proceedings Subject System to More Scrutiny”: Today in The Wall Street Journal, Jess Bravin has an article that begins, “Military-commission proceedings resume Monday against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other accused al Qaeda conspirators, but the spotlight, once again, is likely to shine more on the offshore justice system the Bush administration has struggled to erect for their trials.”

Today in The Miami Herald, Carol Rosenberg has an article headlined “Closing detainee camp a minefield of critical steps; To find a formula to close the Guantanamo prison camps, the incoming Obama administration will have to work through a thicket of questions.”

And The Associated Press reports that “9/11 suspects face Gitmo court, victims’ families.”

“Why Columbia Should Welcome ROTC: Bad policy on gays is not a good reason for a ban.” Learned Foote — yes, that’s apparently his real name — has this op-ed today in The Wall Street Journal.