“An elegant defense of Kagan from an unlikely source”: Eva Rodriguez has this entry at the “PostPartisan” blog of The Washington Post. Miguel A. Estrada‘s letter urging the confirmation of Elena Kagan can be accessed here.

“Asian judge nominee shows community’s progress”: The AP has this report.

“Conservative friends rise in support of Kagan”: Mark Sherman of The Associated Press has this report.

And in related news, “Justice questions way court nominees are grilled.”

“Castagana’s convictions arose from his sending threatening letters to various celebrities and political figures accompanied by a white powdery substance.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued this ruling today.

“Senators test Kagan questions during Matheson confirmation hearing”: Today’s edition of The Deseret News contains an article that begins, “The confirmation hearing of 10th Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Scott Matheson Jr. morphed Thursday into a pre-battle test of weapons that senators may use in upcoming hearings on new Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.”

And The Salt Lake Tribune reports today that “Senate judiciary panel heaps praise on Matheson nomination; Arizona’s Jon Kyl lobs the only tough questions at committee hearing.”

“High Notes at the High Court”: Tony Mauro has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“Tivo win vacated by appeals court; rehearing ordered; Federal Circuit vacates Tivo win in Echostar case”: Reuters has this report on an order that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued today.

Update: In other coverage, The Associated Press reports that “Appeals court grants Dish review of TiVo case.”

Divided three-judge Sixth Circuit panel denies panel rehearing in Grayson County, Kentucky Ten Commandments case: You can access today’s order denying rehearing, and the dissent therefrom, at this link.

“Softballs allowed in this Supreme Court debate”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Kagan opposed military stance on gays; It is one of the few times the Supreme Court nominee has expressed a deeply held view on a controversial legal matter”: David G. Savage and James Oliphant have this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

The New York Times reports today that “Nominee Scrutinized for Hiring on Race.”

The Washington Post contains articles headlined “Kagan’s firsthand White House experience is rare on Supreme Court” and “Is sexual identity our business, or are we a nation of busybodies?” In addition, columnist Ruth Marcus has an op-ed entitled “Elena Kagan: A smart woman with fewer choices?”

The Boston Globe reports that “Kagan makes rounds on Capitol Hill; Explains to Brown her position on military recruiters.”

And yesterday evening’s broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered” contained an audio segment entitled “Kagan On Senators’ Minds As Judiciary Panel Meets.”

“Nominee to federal bench in R.I. gains ground at hearing”: The Providence Journal contains this article today.

“In Robert Wone case, Lynn Leibovitz is judge and jury”: This article appears today in The Washington Post.

“UC Berkeley’s Goodwin Liu wins panel approval”: Bob Egelko has this article today in The San Francisco Chronicle.

In today’s edition of The New York Times, Charlie Savage reports that “Disputed Judicial Nominee Advances on Party-Line Vote.”

And The Washington Post reports that “Goodwin Liu appeals court nomination advances.”