“SG Won’t Disavow Bush Position in Controversial DNA Case”: Tony Mauro has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“Ban on violent video games thrown out”: Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle has this news update.

Three-judge Ninth Circuit panel affirms federal district court’s entry of summary judgment striking down a California law that imposed restrictions and a labeling requirement on the sale or rental of “violent video games” to minors: You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

In early news coverage, Reuters reports that “Court finds Calif. video game law unconstitutional.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Court strikes down California video game law.”

“Supreme Court Considers Hearing ‘Wardrobe Malfunction’ Case; The supposedly obscene flash of R&B singer Janet Jackson’s right breast during her half time performance led to what the Federal Communications Commission called an ‘unprecedented number’ of complaints about the broadcast”: FOXNews.com provides this report.

The en banc Sixth Circuit delivers bad news “to all adults who desire in any fashion to create, share, or disseminate non-obscene, sexually-explicit depictions of themselves, or other adults, without relinquishing their anonymity”: So warns one of the opinions dissenting from today’s 11-6 en banc ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Connection Distributing Co. v. Holder. Circuit Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton delivered the majority opinion for the en banc court.

In early coverage, the Adult Video News web site has a report headlined “Appeals Court Rules 2257 Constitutional in 6th Circuit” (images accompanying the article may not be safe for work).

Back on October 23, 2007, a divided three-judge Sixth Circuit panel issued a decision striking down the federal statute in question. My earliest coverage of that ruling appeared in a post titled “Majority on partially divided three-judge Sixth Circuit panel strikes down as facially unconstitutional the recordkeeping requirements federal criminal law places on producers of images of ‘actual sexually explicit conduct’ to verify the ages of those depicted in the images.”

A little added excitement in court: Yesterday’s edition of The Palm Beach Post contained an article headlined “Mice scamper, leap, fall from ceilings in the Palm Beach County Courthouse.”

In posts of note this morning at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.” David Ingram has a post titled “What Role Will ABA Have in Judicial Nominations?”

And Tony Mauro has a post titled “Justice Stevens and Marbury v. Madison.”

“The Southwest [Airlines] representative responded with alarm and declared ‘you said the “b” word, you said the “b” word.'” When an airline’s employee whose job it is to book travel reservations over the telephone concludes the call by asking whether the customer has any “comments, questions, or suggestions,” it’s probably best if the customer does not offer security-related advice on how airlines can reduce the risk of in-flight bombings. At least that seems to be the lesson of a ruling that a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued today.

The majority in today’s ruling reinstates a pro se litigant’s lawsuit claiming that, as a result of the call, he became the subject of unlawful government monitoring. Cassandra Sturkie Bernstein of Latham and Watkins argued the case as court-appointed amicus curiae in support of the plaintiff-appellant. We mention her because she has a cool name, she has apparently spent some time pursuing her education in Australia, and, in an obvious homage to “Boston Legal,” she has worked on litigation involving “mad cow” disease.

“Judge rules key Bonds evidence inadmissible”: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Lance Williams has an article that begins, “A federal judge has thrown out much of the ‘mountain of evidence’ that prosecutors say they accumulated to prove that former Giants star Barry Bonds lied when he denied knowingly using steroids.”

The New York Times reports today that “Judge Tosses Key Evidence Against Bonds.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Judge bars use of drug tests in Bonds’ trial.”

I have posted online at this link yesterday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California.

“Bury My Chance At Supreme Court: Study Shows Indian Tribes Face Long Odds In “Cert Pool” Process At High Court.” CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen has this new installment of his “CourtWatch” column today.

On February 3, 2009, I had this post noting the existence of the study.

“U.S. Justices Take Up Issue of ID Theft by Immigrants; Courts Disagree Over Whether It Matters if a Suspect Knows An ID Belongs to Someone Else”: Lawrence Hurley has this front page article today in The Daily Journal of California.

“Texas judge faces public hearing for conduct over 2007 death-penalty appeal”: Today’s edition of The Dallas Morning News contains an article that begins, “The top judge of Texas’ highest criminal court was told Thursday that she’ll have to publicly defend her 2007 decision to close the court at 5 p.m. rather than allow a last-minute appeal in the case of a man executed later that night. Sharon Keller, the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, will have to justify her conduct — and possibly fight for her job — in a rare public hearing ordered by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports today that “Texas’ top criminal judge’s job on the line for death penalty case.”

The Houston Chronicle reports that “State panel opens case over last-minute appeal.” In addition, columnist Rick Casey has an essay entitled “A judge who should hope for mercy.”

The New York Times reports that “Texas Judge May Lose Job Over Appeal in Death Case.”

And Chuck Lindell of The Austin American-Statesman reports that “Judge faces ethics trial; Trial to consider Keller’s role in after-hours death row appeal.”

“Recktenwald gets high court nod; Senate must approve governor’s nomination of appeals court judge”: Today’s edition of The Honolulu Advertiser contains an article that begins, “Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday nominated Mark Recktenwald, chief judge on the state Intermediate Court of Appeals, to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court.”

And The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports today that “Recktenwald likely headed to the state’s highest court; Gov. Lingle praises her former Cabinet member’s integrity.”

“When does the clock start? Supreme Court re-examines time limits on childhood sex abuse lawsuits.” The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger today contains an article that begins, “In a case closely watched by advocates for child sex abuse victims, the state Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday over whether a man can pursue a lawsuit filed 14 years after alleged abuse by his stepfather.”

“State panel opens case over last-minute appeal”: The Houston Chronicle has this news update.

And The New York Times today contains an editorial entitled “Investigating Judge Keller.”

“Obama Administration Mulling Constitutionality of Copyright Act”: David Kravets has this post today at Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog.

“Texas judge charged with blocking execution appeal”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A Texas judicial commission filed proceedings Thursday against the presiding judge of the state’s highest criminal court, charging her with improperly cutting off appeals for a condemned inmate on the night of his execution. The action by the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct against Sharon Keller, presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, could result in her removal from office.”

And at the “Austin Legal” blog of The Austin American-Statesman, Chuck Lindell has a post titled “Keller violated judicial canons, state agency charges.”

You can view the judicial misconduct charges at this link.

“Job-Discrimination Cases Tend To Fare Poorly in Federal Court”: Nathan Koppel has this article today in The Wall Street Journal.

“Election Law Litigation Has Doubled Since 2000”: Marcia Coyle of The National Law Journal has this article.

“Court Forces Obama to Move Quickly in Subpoena Case”: Joe Palazzolo has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“Rove testimony hangs in balance”: At Politico.com’s “44” blog, Josh Gerstein has a post that begins, “A federal appeals court has agreed to give President Barack Obama a little more time–but only a little– to decide whether to supportone of President Bush’s most controversial uses of executive privilege.”

“Obama’s past politics make bipartisan work difficult, attorney says”: This past Sunday’s issue of The Deseret News contained an article that begins, “If President Barack Obama is hoping for bipartisan support for his future Supreme Court nominees, he may have painted himself into a political corner, prominent conservative attorney Kenneth W. Starr told a crowd of LDS attorneys.”

And yesterday’s edition of The Christian Science Monitor contained an editorial entitled “Obama’s next test on bipartisanship: His drive to curb the rancor of Washington must continue with his picks for judges.”

“D.C. Circuit Sets New Briefing Schedule in House Lawsuit”: At the “Legal Beat” blog of CQ Politics, Keith Perine has a post that begins, “The D.C. Circuit has ordered two former Bush White House aides to file their opening brief on Feb. 25 in their appeal of a House Judiciary Committee lawsuit seeking enforcement of committee subpoenas.”

“Court Blocks Release Of 17 Uighurs Into U.S.” This article appears today in The Washington Post.

The New York Times reports today that “Appeals Court Stops Release of 17 Detainees in U.S.”

And The Los Angeles Times reports that “Chinese Muslims may remain at Guantanamo, court rules; The U.S. is allowed to hold the 17 Uighurs even though they are no longer considered dangerous, a federal appeals court says, reversing an earlier decision.”

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

“Ex-Grace Officials on Trial in Asbestos Poisoning”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “A reckoning in one of American history’s worst industrial disasters, which unfolded here over seven decades as an asbestos-tainted mineral was dug from the ground and processed, begins Thursday when five former mine executives go to trial on federal criminal charges.” The “here” mentioned in the article is Libby, Montana.

Bloomberg News reports that “Grace Prosecution Over Montana Poisoning May Disrupt Bankruptcy.”

On Monday, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer published an article headlined “Judge: Asbestos sufferers aren’t victims; Witnesses affected by related diseases barred from trial.” The newspaper says it first exposed the problems with W.R. Grace & Co.’s asbestos mining in Libby, Mont., in a series published in 1999.

And The Missoulian is providing extensive local coverage of the case. Recent articles are headlined “W.R. Grace & Co. trial: Molloy rules witnesses must stay away from courtroom“; “Defense request to move Grace trial out of Missoula denied“; “W.R. Grace: The trial – Libby bar undergoes cleansing“; “Cleanup crews have big effect on Libby’s economy“; and “Libby’s tremolite asbestos a different kind of monster.” The newspaper also has this web page devoted to the case.

“Family awarded $8 million in Broward tobacco suit; Philip Morris USA vowed to appeal a Broward jury’s decision to award $8 million to the widow and son of a Cooper City man who died from lung cancer”: This article appears today in The Miami Herald.

And The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports today that “Tobacco jury orders $8 million in damages to Cooper City widow.”

“Guns-in-vehicle law ruled valid; The appeals court overturns a Tulsa judge’s order on firearms at a job site”: The Tulsa World today contains an article that begins, “Oklahoma’s law requiring employers to allow workers to have guns in their locked vehicles at work is valid, an appeals court decided Wednesday. The decision by the Denver-based court overturns a court order by a judge in Tulsa who in 2007 barred enforcement of the law. A panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided 3-0 that U.S. District Judge Terrence Kern erred in concluding that the law is pre-empted by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act.”

You can access yesterday’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit at this link.

“Welcome Back Khadr? Obama’s Canada trip is a perfect opportunity to repatriate Gitmo’s youngest detainee.” Dahlia Lithwick has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“Study Says Death Penalty Costs the State Big Bucks”: Lawrence Hurley has this article in the Baltimore City Paper.

“Kaye, Ex-Chief Judge in New York, Joins Skadden, Arps”: Jonathan D. Glater has this article today in The New York Times.

“The Unfinished Case of Maher Arar”: This editorial appears today in The New York Times.

“Apache heirs sue Skull and Bones over remains”: The Yale Daily News today contains an article that begins, “The descendants of the Apache Geronimo, a warrior chieftain whose remains are rumored to be held inside Yale’s oldest secret society, filed a lawsuit Tuesday demanding the return of their ancestor’s skull. Twenty members of the legendary warrior’s family are suing senior federal government officials, the University and the society Skull and Bones in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to seek the return of Geronimo’s remains as well as punitive damages.”

The Washington Post reports today that “Geronimo Descendant Pursues Spirited Fight.”

And The Hartford Courant has a news update headlined “Geronimo’s Heirs Sue Yale, Demand Return Of Skull.” You can view a copy of the complaint initiating suit, filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, at this link.

“California’s Prop. 8 legal challenge harkens back to 1966 housing measure”: Today’s edition of The Sacramento Bee contains a front page article that begins, “As Derald Granberg follows the legal challenge to Proposition 8 now before the California Supreme Court, he thinks back to 1966. That year, in a case that divided Californians as much as same-sex marriage does today, the court overturned a voter-approved measure that had allowed housing discrimination based on race.”

“Civil rights in court spotlight; Discrimination, voting cases awaiting justices in second half of term”: Joan Biskupic has this article today in USA Today.

“White House lawyer visiting Guantanamo prison camps”: The Miami Herald has this news update.

And The Associated Press reports that “Obama urged to create special detainee commission.”