“NY top court to consider gay marriage benefits”: The Associated Press has this report about an oral argument that the New York State Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear this afternoon.

When that court’s oral arguments are underway, you can watch them live, online by clicking here.

“Sotomayor Misses Supreme Court Case After Failing To Get Out Of Jury Duty”: The Onion has this report.

“‘Water War’ case goes before Supreme Court Tuesday”: This article appears today in The Lake Wylie (S.C.) Pilot.

“You’ve Got Mail: Why is it illegal to blackmail David Letterman?” Lizzie Widdicombe has this law-related Talk of the Town essay in the October 19, 2009 issue of The New Yorker.

“U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear libel suit filed against The Courier; Suit previously dismissed by circuit, state supreme courts”: This article appeared yesterday in The Courier of Russellville, Arkansas.

“Penn Law students participate in Supreme Court case”: Penn Current has a report that begins, “Eight Penn Law students and their professor will be at the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 13, watching their work in action as the case Padilla v. Kentucky goes before America’s highest court.”

“NY court to hear challenge to planned arena land”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “New York’s top court will soon decide if the state has the power to seize private property to build the Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn, which includes a planned new arena for the New Jersey Nets.”

The case is scheduled to be argued Wednesday before the New York State Court of Appeals.

“Proposition 8 case headed back to court”: Today in The San Jose Mercury News, Howard Mintz has an article that begins, “The legal showdown over California’s ban on gay marriage heats up again this week as a federal judge considers an attempt to short-circuit the challenge to Proposition 8, the voter-approved law putting a halt to same-sex weddings in this state.”

“Pa. court rules trademark law ‘too vague'”: This article appears today in The Collegian, the student newspaper of Penn State University.

My earlier coverage of the ruilng appears at this link.

“A Question of When Dishonesty Becomes Criminal”: Adam Liptak will have this new installment of his “Sidebar” column in Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times.

“On Judicial Elections and Judicial Recusal”: Tony Mauro has this post today at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“Diversity on the federal bench: The Obama administration deserves credit for nominating large numbers and percentages of highly qualified, diverse candidates.” Law professor Carl Tobias has this op-ed in this week’s issue of The National Law Journal.

“Top German court receives Demjanjuk appeal”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Merits, Pitfalls of the Adversarial Method of Appendix Preparation on Appeal”: That’s the title of this month’s installment of my “Upon Further Review” column, which appears today in The Legal Intelligencer, Philadelphia’s daily newspaper for lawyers.

C-SPAN’s “Supreme Court Week” has posted online the video and transcripts of its interviews with the other two active U.S. Supreme Court Justices: The following video clips and transcripts are now available online —

Originally aired Sunday, October 11, 2009:

Interview with Chief Justice Roberts — Video | Transcript; and

Interview with Justice Stevens — Video | Transcript.

In earlier posts that you can access here and here, I provided links to the video and transcripts of the previously aired segments of this broadcast.

“Restoring judicial restraint: Running roughshod over GOP precedents would only diminish court’s moral authority.” This interesting editorial appears today in The Detroit Free Press.

“Bergen Record case could hold fate of how courts are covered”: The Cliffview Pilot web site has a report today that begins, “The state Supreme Court this week could well determine the future of media in New Jersey when it reviews a lower court ruling that the Bergen Record can be sued for reporting allegations from a lawsuit before the case has gone to trial.”

In earlier coverage, The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reported on January 14, 2009 that “N.J. newspaper wins round in lawsuit-libel case.”

“Justice in gun case ruling is a gun dealer; Some legal scholars cry foul, while others say ruling’s relevance too narrow to present any conflict of interest”: The Charlotte Observer today contains an article that begins, “The N.C. Supreme Court drew national attention a few weeks ago as the country’s first court to rule that a convicted felon has a right to own a gun. What got little notice is that Edward Thomas Brady, the justice who wrote the 5-2 decision in August, is a federally licensed gun dealer and gun maker who has earned more than $5,000 a year from gun sales since 2007.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Justice in gun case sells weapons.”

You can access the ruling — which the Supreme Court of North Carolina issued on August 28, 2009 — at this link.

“Cruelty in the Court: Crush videos and foie gras.” Columnist George F. Will will have this essay in the October 19, 2009 issue of Newsweek.

“Ohio Death Penalty Case May Influence Lethal Injection Protocols”: The Washington Post has this news update.

“Returning civility to Arizona government”: Sandra Day O’Connor has this op-ed today in The Arizona Republic.

“Judge’s ruling nudges Texas back into gay marriage fight; Decision based on U.S. Constitution unsettles some gay rights activists while rallying opponents”: Chuck Lindell has this article today in The Austin American-Statesman.

C-SPAN’s “Supreme Court Week” has posted online the video and transcripts of its interviews with seven active and one retired U.S. Supreme Court Justices: The following video clips and transcripts are now available online —

Originally aired Friday, October 9, 2009:

Interview with Justice Kennedy — Video | Transcript;

Interview with Justice Ginsburg — Video | Transcript;

Interview with Justice Scalia — Video | Transcript; and

Interview with Retired Justice O’Connor — Video | Transcript.

Originally aired Saturday, October 10, 2009:

Interview with Justice Sotomayor — Video | Transcript;

Interview with Justice Breyer — Video | Transcript;

Interview with Justice Thomas — Video | Transcript; and

Interview with Justice Alito — Video | Transcript.

Tomorrow evening, C-SPAN will broadcast its interviews with the Chief Justice and with Justice John Paul Stevens. I will link to those videos and transcripts once they become available online.

“California chief justice criticizes initiative process; The moderate Republican says it has made ‘state government dysfunctional’; he signals a sense of urgency and willingness to push for reforms”: Maura Dolan of The Los Angeles Times has this news update.

Sunday’s edition of The New York Times will contain an article headlined “Top Judge Calls Calif. Government ‘Dysfunctional.’”

The Sacramento Bee reports today that “California chief justice criticizes initiative process.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Calif. top justice slams state referendum process.”

Available online from law.com: David Ingram has an article headlined “Despite Drumbeat About Departure, White House Counsel Vows to Stay.”

And Shannon P. Duffy reports that “Ohio Death Penalty Case Might Determine Abu-Jamal’s Fate.”

“The Supreme Court Faces the Question of Who Can Sue to Challenge a Religious Display”: Vikram David Amar has this essay online at FindLaw.

“Suit Alleging Wiretaps, Surveillance Heard–Again”: At “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Mike Scarcella has this post about a case reargued yesterday before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

My earlier coverage of the three-judge panel’s now-vacated original ruling from February 2009 appears at this link and includes mentions of mad cow disease, Australia, and a Latham associate with a cool-sounding name.

“Judge hears argument to drop charges against Supreme Court justice’s husband”: Today’s edition of The Des Moines Register contains an article that begins, “A Polk County judge will decide next week whether the husband of Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus must stand trial for allegedly interfering with a deputy investigating a beer party on Ternus’ property.”

“O’Connor Leaves Court Then Gripes About the Result”: Bloomberg News columnist Ann Woolner has this essay today.

“Sotomayor Puts Stamp on a Court Day”: Adam Liptak will have this article Saturday in The New York Times.

“A Conversation with Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.-Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, Ann Arbor, Mi.” The University of Michigan Law School has posted this video online.

Available online from law.com: Shannon P. Duffy reports that “$567 Million Fee Award Upheld in Fen-Phen Litigation.” You can access yesterday’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit at this link.

And in other news, “11th Circuit Bounces Attorney’s Contempt Sentence Back to Florida Federal Judge; Question of whether criminal contempt is a felony or a misdemeanor called a case of first impression for 11th Circuit.”

“Attorneys Who Have Argued Before The Court”: You can access last night’s installment of C-SPAN’s “Supreme Court Week” program by clicking here. This installment features Drew Days III and Maureen Mahoney.

Last night, I linked here to the earlier installments of the program.

C-SPAN is now offering online access to its “Supreme Court Week” television programs: You can access the video via this link.

The installments that are now available online are titled “The Supreme Court: Home To America’s Highest Court“;

“Journalists On The Workings Of The Supreme Court” (featuring Lyle Denniston and Joan Biskupic);

“Clerk Of The Supreme Court William Suter“; and

“Historians On The Supreme Court Building” (featuring Jim O’Hara and Frank Gilbert).

Update: Thursday night’s installment was titled “Attorneys Who Have Argued Before The Court” (featuring Drew Days III and Maureen Mahoney).

The Oyez Project has now posted online the audio of all oral arguments and opinion announcements from the U.S. Supreme Court‘s 2008 Term: So advises Jerry Goldman, the creator and director of the Oyez Project.