“Lawyers, Looking to Launch a Blog? Read This First.” At WSJ.com’s “Law Blog,” Ashby Jones has this post about an article that Mark Herrmann (co-founder of the “Drug and Device Law” blog) has in the Winter 2010 issue of the ABA’s Litigation magazine.

“Governor nominates Indeglia to R.I. high court”: The Providence Journal has this blog post.

“High Court Finds Lawyers and Their Advice Covered by Bankruptcy Reform Law”: Marcia Coyle of The National Law Journal has this report.

“Alabama Supreme Court rules against Hoover store and upholds ban on sale of sex toys”: Last Friday, The Birmingham News had an update that begins, “The Alabama Supreme Court today again upheld the state’s ban on the sale of sex toys like those at the Hoover store Love Stuff. The court, still divided 7-2, again ruled that the 1988 law prohibiting the sale of sex toys does not violate the U.S. and Alabama constitutions.”

“In a Polarized Court, Getting the Last Word”: In Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times, Adam Liptak will have this new installment of his “Sidebar” column.

It begins, “A few times a year, Supreme Court justices go out of their way to emphasize their unhappiness by reading a dissent from the bench out loud, supplementing the dry reason on the page with vivid tones of sarcasm, regret, anger and disdain. The practice is on the rise, and it is suggestive of an increasingly polarized court.”

An interesting study that Liptak discusses in his article can be accessed here.

“Are There Too Many, or Too Few, Separate Opinions on Appeal?” You can access today’s installment of my “Upon Further Review” column published in The Legal Intelligencer, Philadelphia’s daily newspaper for lawyers, at this link.

“After setbacks, Obama looks to deal on Gitmo”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Justices reject First Amendment challenges to bankruptcy law”: David L. Hudson Jr. has this analysis online at the First Amendment Center.

Law professor Eugene Volokh opines on today’s cert. grants relating to speech and privacy: At “The Volokh Conspiracy,” he has posts titled :

“New Supreme Court Case on the Constitutional Right to Informational Privacy“;

“Funeral Picketing/Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Case Going to the Supreme Court“;

“The Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Tort and the Freedom of Speech“;

“The Phelpsians’ Speech, the Mohammed Cartoons, and the Slippery Slope“;

“Where’s the State Action in Tort Awards Based on Speech?“;

“Jury Discretion, Viewpoint Discrimination, and the Size of the Snyder v. Phelps Compensatory Damages Award“;

“Funeral Picketing and Residential Picketing“;

“The Phelpsians’ Picketing and Fighting Words“;

“Invasion of Privacy and the Freedom of Speech“;

“The Overbreadth Doctrine and the Funeral Picketing Case.”

It’s nice to see that Eugene is putting his extensive knowledge about the law of free speech and privacy to good use.

Brent Kendall of Dow Jones Newswires is reporting: He has articles headlined “US Supreme Court Restores Bankruptcy Provision On Debt Advice” and “US Supreme Court To Weigh Lawsuits For Vaccine Injuries.”

“Court to rule in military funeral protest case”: Robert Barnes of The Washington Post has this news update.

David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times has a blog post titled “‘Thank God for dead soldiers’: Supreme Court to rule on free speech in case of soldier’s funeral.”

And Bill Mears of CNN.com has a report headlined “Justices to hear case over protests at military funerals.”

“Supreme Court to hear Phelps case; Justices to rule whether First Amendment protects military funeral protests”: The Topeka Capital-Journal has this news update.

And Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News reports that “Anti-Gay Protest at Marine Funeral Gets Court Review.”

“Supreme Court Rules on Bankruptcy Advice, Takes Funeral Protest Case”: Tony Mauro has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“Court to rule on funeral pickets”: Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

James Vicini of Reuters is reporting: He has articles headlined “Court to decide if vaccine makers can be sued” and “Court to consider NASA employee background checks.”

Access today’s opinions in argued cases and Order List of the U.S. Supreme Court: You can access today’s Order List at this link. The Court granted review in three cases and requested the views of the Solicitor General in two cases.

The Court today also issued two opinions in argued cases.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered the opinion of the Court in Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz, P.A. v. United States, No. 08-1119. You can access the oral argument transcript at this link.

And Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court in Bloate v. United States, No. 08-728. You can access the oral argument transcript at this link.

In early news coverage, The Associated Press reports that “Court to rule in military funeral protest case“; “Court will hear case about vaccine side effects“; and “Court will decide if NASA checks can continue“; “Court won’t disturb ban on death row interviews“; and “Court rejects Texas appeal in murder case.”

“UK justices hear detainees’ torture appeal”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Graham to Obama: scrap New York terror trial, I’ll stand with you; Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday outlined his plan to help President Obama close Guantanamo if the administration agrees to abandon a civilian New York terror trial for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in favor of a military tribunal.” The Christian Science Monitor has this report.

The Associated Press reports that “GOP senator urges Obama to shift on terror trials.”

And today’s edition of The New York Times contains an editorial entitled “Are You or Have You Ever Been a Lawyer?”

“Concord police told to arrest high court”: The Concord (N.H.) Monitor today contains a newsbrief that begins, “A Plymouth justice of the peace was arrested last week after he asked the Concord police to arrest the five justices of the state Supreme Court, according to the state attorney general’s office.”

“Chief justice to speak at UA”: Today’s edition of The Crimson White contains an article that begins, “Chief Justice John Roberts will make a rare public speech Tuesday during a visit to the University. Roberts, who will speak at the Law School Tuesday at 2 p.m., will be the ninth Supreme Court justice to visit Tuscaloosa since 1996 as a part of the Albritton Lecture Series. Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the most recent lecture back in October.”

“A bipartisan push to clean up the Supreme Court’s mess”: Columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. has this op-ed today in The Washington Post.

“High Court: Does religion still matter?” In today’s edition of The Washington Post, Robert Barnes has an article that begins, “Here’s the kind of question that might violate the rules you learned about proper dinner conversation: Does President Obama’s next Supreme Court nominee need to be a Protestant?”

“Job offers dwindle for MBA and law school grads”: This front page article appears today in The Sacramento Bee.

“[W]hile Supreme Court Justice David Souter’s dour response on the subject of his favorite McDonald’s food seems fitting, I was surprised that Clarence Thomas was so effusive in his praise of the Egg McMuffin.” So states Bill Geerhart, as quoted in the “Political Bookworm” column published in the Book World section of yesterday’s edition of The Washington Post (via Jess Bravin’s Twitter feed).

Tomorrow is the publication date of Geerhart’s new book, “Little Billy’s Letters: An Incorrigible Inner Child’s Correspondence with the Famous, Infamous, and Just Plain Bewildered.”

“Filibuster Threat? Start Talking; Democrats Say Obstructing Republicans Should Have to Stick It Out on Senate Floor.” Naftali Bendavid has this article today in The Wall Street Journal. You can access the full text of the article via Google News.