“Sotomayor’s views on abortion rights are unknown”: The Associated Press has this report.

The Associated Press is reporting: Now available online are articles headlined “Conservatives, liberals take sides on Sotomayor” and “White House comfortable with nominee’s views.”

Available online from National Public Radio: Today’s broadcast of “Morning Edition” contained an audio segment entitled “How Obama’s Nomination Of Sotomayor Unfolded” (featuring Nina Totenberg).

Yesterday evening’s broadcast of “All Things Considered” contained audio segments entitled “Groups Prepare For Sotomayor Battle” and “Diabetes: Is It An Issue For The Supreme Court?”

And yesterday’s broadcast of “Morning Edition” contained audio segments entitled “Obama Picks Hispanic Woman For Supreme Court” (featuring Nina Totenberg); “Housing Project Part Of ‘Inspiring Life’s Journey’“; “Senate Will Debate Sotomayor’s Nomination“; and “Looking Back At Sotomayor’s 1995 Baseball Ruling.”

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In posts of note at “SCOTUSblog”: Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Sotomayor and the Second Amendment.”

And Kevin Russell has a post titled “Where Would Justice Souter’s Replacement Make A Difference? Part I.”

“Sampling Sotomayor on the First”: David L. Hudson Jr. has this news analysis online at the First Amendment Center.

“U.S. Manga Obscenity Conviction Roils Comics World”: At Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog, David Kravets has a post that begins, “In an obscenity first, a U.S. comic book collector has pleaded guilty to importing and possessing Japanese manga books depicting illustrations of child sex abuse and bestiality.”

“Pa. Justices: Internet Child Porn Search Constitutes ‘Knowing Possession.'” This article appears today in The Legal Intelligencer.

And The Philadelphia Daily News reports today that “Pa. high court backs ban on viewing kid-porn.”

My earlier coverage of Tuesday’s Pa. Supreme Court ruling appears at this link.

“Court says no First Amendment violation in church aid case”: Online at The Michigan Messenger, Ed Brayton has a post that begins, “The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the city of Detroit did not violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment by giving more than $700,000 to several churches downtown to reimburse them for exterior renovations prior to the city’s hosting of the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four.”

Circuit Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton wrote today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel.

Update: The Associated Press reports that “Atheists lose lawsuit over Detroit’s downtown aid.”

“Appellate court revives pit bull lawsuit”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “Opponents of a Denver ordinance that calls for euthanizing pit bulls found living in city limits have another chance at challenging the law in court. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday revived a lawsuit filed by three former Denver residents who moved out the city to avoid losing their dogs.”

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

“Prepping Sotomayor for hearings: Get your game face on.” CNN.com has this report.

“5th Circuit council backs judge’s impeachment”: This article appears today in The Houston Chronicle.

And The Galveston County Daily News reports today that “Judicial panel urges impeachment of Kent.”

You can access at this link yesterday’s order of the Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and at this link a letter communicating rejection of the judge’s disability claim.

“Sotomayor’s take-no-guff demeanor could alter court dynamics”: Michael Doyle and Marisa Taylor of McClatchy Newspapers have this report.

And The Charlotte Observer reports today that “Sotomayor’s comment at Duke could draw criticism.”

“On Sotomayor, Some Abortion Rights Backers Show Unease”: Charlie Savage will have this article Thursday in The New York Times. Tomorrow’s newspaper will also contain an article headlined “For Republicans, Court Fight Risks Losing Hispanics to Win Conservatives.” Today’s edition of The New York Times, meanwhile, contained articles headlined “Obama Hails Judge as ‘Inspiring’“; “Sotomayor, a Trailblazer and a Dreamer“; “Was a Hispanic Justice on the Court in the ’30s?“; “For Hispanics, Court Pick Sets Off Pride, and Some Concerns“; “On the Bench, With Fairness and Empathy“; “Sotomayor’s Baseball Ruling Lingers, 14 Years Later“; and “Health Spotlight Is on Diabetes, Its Control and Its Complications.” Today’s newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “The New Justice.” Linda Greenhouse has an op-ed entitled “Every Justice Creates a New Court.” And law professor Gerard N. Magliocca has an op-ed entitled “Scenes From Judge Sotomayor’s Courtroom.”

Thursday in The Washington Post, Robert Barnes will have an article headlined “Battle Lines Are Drawn On Sotomayor Nomination; Ideology, Abortion and Remarks on Ethnicity Come to Fore.” Today’s newspaper, meanwhile, contained articles headlined “First Latina Picked for Supreme Court; GOP Faces Delicate Task in Opposition“; “Heritage Shapes Judge’s Perspective“; “Disparate Group United in Pride“; and “Riskiest Choice on Obama’s List Embodies His Criteria; President and Judge Cite Her Life Experience.” Today’s newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “The President’s Pick: Kudos, and some questions, for Judge Sonia Sotomayor.” Columnist George F. Will has an op-ed entitled “Identity Justice: Obama’s Conventional Choice.” Columnist Ruth Marcus has an op-ed entitled “An Easy Choice for Obama.” Dana Milbank’s “Washington Sketch” essay is headlined “But Will She Suit Up With the Washington Nine?” And Howard Kurtz’s “Media Notes” essay is headlined “Fighting To Win the Sotomayor Spin War.”

Thursday in The Los Angeles Times, David G. Savage and Peter Nicholas will have an article headlined “Abortion-rights groups concerned about Sotomayor’s stance; Obama’s Supreme Court nominee has little record on issues related to Roe vs. Wade.” Tomorrow’s newspaper will also contain articles headlined “GOP looks for alternate routes to block Sotomayor’s path; Facing long odds of defeating her nomination to the Supreme Court, Republicans are looking to gun rights and other wedge issues that could undermine her support“; “Bronx bursting with pride over Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor; Local officials say the judge gives the New York City borough a new ambassador to improve its image problems“; and “Diabetes shouldn’t affect Sotomayor’s ability to serve on Supreme Court; Potentially the first justice with Type 1, she can expect to live as long and productively as anyone else if she manages the disease well, experts say.” Today’s newspaper, meanwhile, contains articles headlined “Sotomayor’s record sets off few ideological alarm bells; Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court is like outgoing Justice Souter in many ways, experts say; She has made some controversial remarks, but observers say she’s not particularly liberal“; “Sotomayor nomination splits GOP; Conservative activists are outspoken in their opposition; But Republican senators who will vote on her nomination offer muted responses; Some think the party has a chance to reach Latino voters“; “Sotomayor rose from humble roots; Obama’s Supreme Court nominee grew up in a South Bronx housing project, excelled at Princeton and Yale, and was named a district court judge by President George H.W. Bush“; and “L.A. Latinos savor Supreme Court choice; It’s about time, some say, as President Obama nominates federal judge Sonia Sotomayor; She would be the court’s first Latina.” Today’s newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “Sotomayor, a sound choice: Judge Sonia Sotomayor would bring a compelling life story and sterling credentials to the Supreme Court.” And David Greenberg has an op-ed entitled “The rough road to the Supreme Court: Since the ’60s, most nominees have had to run a harrowing political gantlet in the Senate.”

The New York Post today contains articles headlined “Kid From Bronx Reigns Supreme“; “Ex-assistant DA Thrives In Heat Of Legal Battles“; “Historic Selection Fills Latinos With Pride“; and “Life Of Truth & Justice.”

And today’s edition of The New York Daily News contains articles headlined “Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s record gives liberals little to cheer about“; “Obama’s Supreme Court pick Sonia Sotomayor never forgot her Bronx roots“; “Sonia Sotomayor pays emotional tribute to her mother“; and “GOP realizes that it can’t stop U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor.”

“Court, cameras, action! Souter’s departure could clear the way for far more transparency at the Supreme Court.” Tony Mauro has this op-ed today in USA Today.

“No filibuster, but Sotomayor battle still looms”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “Republicans won’t try to filibuster Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court nomination, a key GOP senator conceded Wednesday, all but admitting there’s little chance of blocking her confirmation as the first Hispanic justice.”

“5th Circuit council backs impeachment for Houston judge”: The Houston Chronicle has a news update that begins, “The Fifth Circuit judicial council and Chief Judge Edith Jones dealt a double blow today to convicted U.S. District Court Judge Samuel Kent, 59, by formally recommending his impeachment for criminal misconduct and by rejecting his bid to be certified as disabled — a status that might have allowed Kent to collect judicial retirement benefits indefinitely even while in prison.”

You can access at this link today’s order of the Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

“Bad Test: Sonia Sotomayor rejected the New Haven firefighters’ claim because it threatened to burn down civil rights law.” Law professor Richard Thompson Ford has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“GOP should question pick”: Today in The Boston Globe, law professor William K. Kelley has an op-ed that begins, “Now that the president has nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, attention turns to the confirmation process.”

Available at CNN.com: Elizabeth Landau reports that “Sotomayor ‘always willing to speak up’ at Yale Law.”

Ruben Navarrette Jr. has an essay entitled “Sotomayor made it on her own.”

And Ilya Shapiro has an essay entitled “Sotomayor pick not based on merit.”

Available online from Bloomberg News: Greg Stohr reports that “Sotomayor’s Record Suggests Similarities With Retiring Souter.”

James Rowley and Kim Chipman report that “Obama High Court Choice Poses Political ‘Peril’ for Republicans.”

Catherine Dodge and Justin Blum report that “Sotomayor Draws on Life Experience in Legal Thinking.”

Peter Robison reports that “Sotomayor Gives ‘Exploding’ Hispanic Population a Role Model.”

And columnist Ann Woolner has an essay entitled “Sotomayor Opens the Season on Obama’s Court Picks.”

“Just Looking: Should Internet Ignorance Be a Defense to Child Porn Charges?” That was the title of the December 4, 2006 installment of my “On Appeal” column for law.com. Therein, I criticized the ruling of a three-judge panel of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania setting aside a criminal conviction in a case captioned Commonwealth v. Diodoro.

Thereafter, the Pa. Superior Court granted rehearing en banc, and later the en banc court affirmed the defendant’s conviction by means of a 7-2 ruling.

In late December 2007, as I originally reported in this post, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued an order granting the defendant’s petition for allowance of appeal to decide “[w]hether accessing and viewing child pornography over the internet constitutes ‘control’ of such pornography under 18 Pa.C.S. sec. 6312(d)?”

Yesterday, a unanimous Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, by a vote of 4-0, affirmed the en banc Superior Court’s decision upholding the defendant’s conviction. You can access yesterday’s ruling at this link.

The Associated Press has coverage of yesterday’s ruling in an article headlined “Pa. court: Just viewing child porn’s a crime; based on Delco case.” And in earlier coverage of the case, The Delaware County (Pa.) Times has previously published articles headlined “Superior Court rules Ridley man ‘possessed’ child porn” and “State appeals court to review conviction in child porn case.”

“Posner & Easterbrook in Action During Oral Argument on Incorporation of a Right to Arms”: Randy Barnett has this post today at “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

Yesterday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit heard oral argument in National Rifle Assoc. v. City of Chicago. You can download the oral argument audio via this link (5.86MB mp3 audio file).

“Sotomayor would be part of court’s Catholic shift”: CNN.com has this report.

And online at The National Catholic Reporter, law professor Douglas W. Kmiec has an essay entitled “Judge Sotomayor’s experience trumps all.”

“Sotomayor’s Rulings Are Exhaustive but Often Narrow”: Adam Liptak will have this news analysis Wednesday in The New York Times.

“Hard-luck Montana town pushes to house Gitmo detainees”: CNN.com has this report.

“Becoming Nominee Sotomayor”: ABC News correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg has this post at her “Legalities” blog.

And at Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog, David Kravets has a post titled “Obama’s Supreme Court Pick is Schooled in Cyber Law.”

The Associated Press is reporting: Now available online are articles headlined “Private Oval Office chat sold Obama on Sotomayor“;

“Sotomayor has pragmatic record in business cases“;

“Sotomayor maintains Puerto Rican roots“;

“First Hispanic justice? Some say it was Cardozo“;

“As judge, Sotomayor called baseball dispute“; and

“Sonia Sotomayor, The Movie: Who would star?”

Available online from National Public Radio: This evening’s broadcast of “All Things Considered” contained audio segments entitled “Obama Picks Sotomayor For High Court” (featuring Nina Totenberg); “Sen. Grassley Pledges Open Mind On Sotomayor“; “Was Cardozo First Hispanic On Supreme Court?“; “High Court Nominee’s Success Against Odds“; “Latinos Welcome Sotomayor Pick“; and “Former Classmate Recalls Sotomayer.”

Today’s broadcast of “Talk of the Nation” contained an audio segment entitled “Conservatives React To Sotomayor Nomination.”

And today’s broadcast of “Morning Edition” contained audio segments entitled “Obama To Name Supreme Court Nominee” (featuring Nina Totenberg); “Senate Will Have To Confirm Court Choice“; “Obama Picks Sotomayor For High Court“; “Sotomayor Has Long Record As Lawyer, Judge“; and “Assessing Sotomayor’s Experience On The Bench” (featuring law professor Jeffrey Rosen).

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In commentary available online at Slate: Dahlia Lithwick has a jurisprudence essay entitled “The Rational Hysterics: Republicans won’t beat Sonia Sotomayor by attacking her as too darn human.”

And John Dickerson has an essay entitled “When Barry Met Sonia: What Obama’s Supreme Court pick says about him.”

The Associated Press is reporting: Now available online are articles headlined “Sotomayor: A liberal record — but not entirely so“;

“Analysis: Ethnic politics boost Sotomayor chances“;

“Sotomayor made a law firm apologize“;

“For Sotomayor, discrimination case likely issue“;

“Diabetes and the Supreme Court nominee“; and

“Court nominee urged special rights for Puerto Rico.”

“Obama Picks Sotomayor, Citing Intellect”: The New York Times has this news update, along with a “Woman in the News” profile written by Neil A. Lewis headlined “‘Kid From the Bronx’ With Hopes and Doubts.”

The Washington Post has news updates headlined “Obama Chooses Sotomayor for Supreme Court“; “For Sotomayor, Humble Beginnings to High Court Pick“; and “GOP Senators Withhold Criticism of Sotomayor.”

The Los Angeles Times has news updates headlined “Sonia Sotomayor is Obama’s Supreme Court nominee; Federal jurist Sotomayor would become the first Latino member of the high court; The president calls his nominee ‘inspiring’ and says he wants a justice with ‘a common touch‘” and “Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor rose from humble roots; Obama’s pick started out in a South Bronx housing project, excelled at Yale Law School and was named to the federal bench by George H.W. Bush; Conservatives prepare for a fight.”

From McClatchy Newspapers, David Lightman reports that “Sotomayor likely to get gentle scrutiny from Congress,” while Michael Doyle has an article headlined “A compelling personal story, but mixed reaction from lawyers.”

And Linda Feldmann and Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor report that “Obama picks first Hispanic Supreme Court justice; In nominating Sonia Sotomayor, the president cited both her judicial experience and her compelling personal story.”

“California Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Same-Sex Marriage”: John Schwartz of The New York Times has this news update.

“Lawyer challenging reported Pfizer settlement”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A Connecticut attorney is fighting a reported settlement by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. over a meningitis drug study in Nigeria, saying it would send millions of dollars to Nigerian officials and lawyers while shortchanging alleged victims.”

“Is Sotomayor an Activist? Not by my Measure.” Law professor Corey Rayburn Yung has this post at his “Sex Crimes” blog. The post is based on the results of an empirical project that measures judicial activism of appellate court judges.

And at “The Daily Beast,” law professor Stephen L. Carter has a post titled “The Sonia I Know.”

Breaking news — “Court upholds Prop. 8 but lets marriages stand”: Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle has a news update that begins, “California voters legally outlawed same-sex marriage when they approved Proposition 8 in November, but the constitutional amendment did not dissolve the unions of 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who wed before the measure took effect, the state Supreme Court ruled today.”

Maura Dolan of The Los Angeles Times has a blog post titled “California Supreme Court upholds Prop. 8; gay marriage remains banned in state.”

Howard Mintz of The San Jose Mercury News has an update headlined “California Supreme Court upholds same-sex marriage ban; lets stand existing gay unions.”

And The Associated Press reports that “California Supreme Court upholds gay marriage ban.”

You can access today’s ruling of the Supreme Court of California at this link. I have also uploaded a back-up copy of the ruling, and you can access it by clicking here.