“Accelerant Was on Girls’ Beds, Witness Tells a Connecticut Jury”: This article appears today in The New York Times.

The Hartford Courant reports today that “Michaela Petit, 11, Doused With Accelerant, Detective Testifies; As Hayes Trial Continues, Lawyer For Co-Defendant Angers Victims’ Family With Courthouse Press Conference.” In addition, columnist Helen Ubinas has an essay entitled “Steven Hayes: Then And Now, The Face Of Evil.”

And The New Haven Register reports that “Petit family wants attorney held in contempt of court for violating gag order.”

“Wal-Mart Gets Backing From 19 Companies at U.S. Supreme Court”: Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News has this report.

“Fraud Cases Get Rehashed After Court Ruling”: In today’s edition of The Wall Street Journal, Michael Rothfeld has an article that begins, “Federal lawmakers and Justice Department officials are weighing new legislation to salvage a fraud statute used to pursue corporate and public corruption, as prosecutors grapple with the fallout of a Supreme Court ruling that weakened the law.”

“Cigarette Makers Get Stay by Top Court on $270 Million Award”: Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News has this report.

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Scalia blocks tobacco ruling.”

Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court issued this in chambers opinion yesterday.

“White House Defends Targeted Killing Program”: Today in The Wall Street Journal, Evan Perez has an article that begins, “The Obama administration sought Friday to block a lawsuit over the scope of its targeted killing program for suspected terrorists, in a case that challenges the government to define the limits of its global battlefield against extremists.” The newspaper has posted the federal government’s court filing online at this link.

In today’s edition of The New York Times, Charlie Savage reports that “State Secrets Cited in Effort by White House to Block Suit.”

The Washington Post has a news update headlined “Obama invokes ‘state secrets’ claim to dismiss suit against targeting of U.S. citizen al-Aulaqi.”

Pete Yost of The Associated Press has an article headlined “WH: lawsuit for cleric would reveal state secrets.”

Reuters reports that “U.S. urges judge to toss lawsuit over target killings.”

And CNN.com reports that “Obama administration seeks to dismiss al-Awlaki lawsuit.”

“Voters Moving to Oust Judges Over Decisions”: In today’s edition of The New York Times, A.G. Sulzberger has a front page article that begins, “After the State Supreme Court here stunned the nation by making this the first state in the heartland to allow same-sex marriage, Iowa braced for its sleepy judicial elections to turn into referendums on gay marriage.”

And The Des Moines Register reported yesterday that “Spending climbs on ads to vote out state judges.”