“The Use of Legal Scholarship by the Federal Courts of Appeals: An Empirical Study.” Law professors David L. Schwartz and Lee Petherbridge have posted this paper online at SSRN (via “Legal Theory Blog“).

“Chief justice nominee avoids hot-button issues; In her first interview since the nomination, Tani Cantil-Sakauye acknowledges that she has much to learn and expresses optimism about leading the California Supreme Court”: Maura Dolan has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

“La. Chief Justice to return; Kimball has new appreciation for what matters most”: The Advocate of Baton Rouge, Louisiana contains this front page article today.

“Governor defies stereotypes, party labels in shaping California judiciary”: Howard Mintz has this article today in The San Jose Mercury News.

“Under the U.S. Supreme Court: Opening prison doors for healthcare.” Michael Kirkland of UPI has this report.

“When a Justice and a Case Are Too Close”: Adam Liptak has this article today in the Week in Review section of The New York Times.

“Court Under Roberts Is Most Conservative in Decades”: Adam Liptak has this lengthy front page article today in The New York Times. The article is the first in a series that the newspaper will publish about the first five years of the Roberts Court.