“‘Torture Memo’ Author Yoo Gets Private Lawyer for Appeal of Detainee Lawsuit”: law.com has an article that begins, “John Yoo, author of some of the Bush administration’s war-on-terror memos, has hired Washington, D.C., lawyer Miguel Estrada to appeal a ruling that allowed an allegedly mistreated detainee’s suit against Yoo.”

“Gitmo closure angers families of Sept. 11 victims”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Senate Likely to Vote on Sotomayor in August”: Neil A. Lewis will have this article in Friday’s edition of The New York Times. Tomorrow’s newspaper will also contain a news analysis headlined “A Nominee on Display, but Not Her Views.” Today’s newspaper, meanwhile, contains an article headlined “Queries on Abortion and Guns Fail to Break Judge’s Stride,” a news analysis headlined “Future Nominations Are at Stake in Hearings,” and an op-ed by columnist Gail Collins entitled “3 Days of the Sotomayor.”

In Friday’s edition of The Washington Post, Paul Kane, Robert Barnes, and Amy Goldstein will have an article headlined “Senate Republicans Won’t Block Vote on Sotomayor; Decision All but Ensures Confirmation to Supreme Court.” Today’s newspaper, meanwhile, contains an article by Amy Goldstein, Paul Kane, and Robert Barnes headlined “Sotomayor Avoids Pointed Queries; Supreme Court Nominee Is Elusive About Abortion and Other Issues,” an article headlined “As Questioner, Lawmaker Is Man on Own Mission; Specter Well Prepared to Grill Sotomayor,” a news analysis by Robert Barnes headlined “Republicans Unable to Pin Her Down; With Democrats’ Help, Sotomayor Has Blunted GOP Senators’ Best Efforts,” and an op-ed by columnist David S. Broder entitled “Battle Lines — for Another Day.”

In today’s edition of The Los Angeles Times, David G. Savage and James Oliphant report that “Sotomayor is grilled on abortion and gun rights; GOP senators press the Supreme Court nominee for her views on controversial subjects; But Sotomayor avoids engaging with her questioners and sticks to her judicial record.” The newspaper also contains an article headlined “Sotomayor’s stance on business is moderate; The Supreme Court nominee is far from an ideologue on business matters, many legal experts say.”

In Friday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal, Naftali Bendavid and Jess Bravin will have an article headlined “Sotomayor Nears Confirmation After Testimony; Firefighter in Controversial Case Speaks, but No Bombshells Emerge on Final Day; Full Senate Vote Likely in Early August.” Today’s newspaper, meanwhile, contains an article headlined “Nominee’s Testimony Avoids Advocating Liberal Stands” and an editorial entitled “Defining Activism Down: A liberal vote cast in conservative judicial rhetoric.”

In USA Today, Joan Biskupic and Kathy Kiely have an article headlined “‘Perry Mason’ helped ‘mold’ Sotomayor; No promises on abortion, nominee says.” In addition, law professor Jonathan Turley has an op-ed entitled “Retire the ‘Ginsburg rule’: Supreme Court nominee hearings are most noteworthy for what they don’t reveal.”

David Lightman of| McClatchy Newspapers reports that “Firefighter Ricci, GOP can’t halt Sotomayor confirmation drive.”

And Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “Firefighters on Sotomayor: We did not ask for empathy; Sotomayor had ruled against them in a controversial reverse-discrimination case; In Senate testimony Thursday, they vented their displeasure.”

“Student must repay $350,000, court says; A Grand Marais lawyer tried to discharge his loan debt through bankruptcy, but an appeals court says no way”: This article appeared yesterday in The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

You can access last week’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit at this link.

“Why We Endorsed Warrantless Wiretaps: The inspectors general report ignores history and plays politics with the law.” Law professor John Yoo has this op-ed today in The Wall Street Journal.

Available online at Slate: Dahlia Lithwick has jurisprudence essays entitled “What We Didn’t Learn: We know less about Sonia Sotomayor now than we did a week ago” and “What a Waste: The Sotomayor hearings were a mass of missed opportunities for Republicans and Democrats alike.”

And Brian Palmer has an explainer essay entitled “Do Judges Really Have To Follow Precedent? Not unless they mind being reversed.”

“GOP envisions August Senate vote on Sotomayor”: The Associated Press has this report, along with an article headlined “Firefighter denounces Sotomayor ruling.”

“Americans United Commends Appellate Court Decision Against Bible Distribution In Mo. Public School”: The organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued this news release about a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued today.

“Sotomayor testimony completed”: The Associated Press has this report, along with articles headlined “Democrats to set first Sotomayor vote next week“; “Firefighter next witness in Sotomayor hearing saga“: and “Sotomayor can get by on justice’s pay.”

“Sotomayor draws praise from GOP critic”: Mark Sherman of The Associated Press has this report.

And Jesse J. Holland of The Associated Press has an article headlined “How Sotomayor’s comments compare to Roberts, Alito.”

“Sotomayor learned the ropes on ‘Tarzan’ case”: CNN.com has an article that begins, “Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor graduated with honors from Ivy League schools. But she may have learned some of her most memorable lessons as a young prosecutor, following police into abandoned tenements and tracking down witnesses on the grimy streets of New York.”

Day four of the confirmation hearing is now underway, and you can view the hearing live, online via C-SPAN by clicking here.