“Obama considers fast appeal of gays-military order”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Fifth Circuit Upholds Texas Pledge of Allegiance; Federal appeals court rejects plaintiffs’ constitutional challenge to the State pledge”: The Texas Attorney General’s Office has issued this news release about a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued today.

“6 names on list for chief of SJC; Patrick decision could come soon”: Today’s edition of The Boston Globe contains an article that begins, “The short list of candidates to replace Margaret H. Marshall, the retiring chief justice of the state Supreme Judicial Court, includes a federal court judge, a state Appeals Court justice, and three associate justices of the SJC, people familiar with the selection process said yesterday.”

“Supreme Court hears convict’s appeal in DNA case”: The Associated Press has this report.

You can access the transcript of today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Skinner v. Switzer, No. 09-9000, by clicking here.

Oral versus verbal: The Associated Press reports that “Court grapples with verbal v. written complaints.”

You can access the transcript of today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp., No. 09-834, by clicking here.

Of course, written complaints can themselves be verbal when such complaints consist of written words.

“Vaccine Case Before Justices Turns on the Language of a Law”: Adam Liptak has this article today in The New York Times.

And The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports today that “Mt. Lebanon vaccine case heard by Supreme Court.”

“No jurors picked yet in ‘pizza bomber’ trial”: This article appears today in The Erie (Pa.) Times-News.

“Steven Hayes Defense Outlines High Cost Of Putting Someone To Death”: The Hartford Courant has this news update.

And The Associated Press reports that “Conn. judge hears arguments on death penalty cost.”

“The Appellate Safety Valve: When Courts of Last Resort Decide To Overrule Precedent Sua Sponte.” That’s the title of this month’s installment of my “Upon Further Review” column, which appeared in Monday’s edition of The Legal Intelligencer, Philadelphia’s daily newspaper for lawyers.

The column focuses on a decision that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued on September 29, 2010 following reargument in a case captioned Freed v. Geisinger Medical Ctr. That ruling conisted of a majority opinion, a concurring opinion, and two dissenting opinions (here and here).

“Lackawanna County doctor loses appeal in landmark malpractice case”: This article appears today in The Scranton (Pa.) Times-Tribune.

As very careful readers of this blog may recall, I briefed this case on behalf of the plaintiffs-appellees and presented oral argument on appeal in May 2010. Plaintiffs’ appellate brief and earlier news coverage can be accessed via this post.

You can access yesterday’s non-precedential ruling of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania at this link.

“Gore vs. the Supreme Court: The justices and the ‘CSI effect.'” Columnist Dana Milbank has this op-ed today in The Washington Post.

“Ternus decries anti-judge vote”: Today’s edition of The Des Moines Register contains an article that begins, “Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus on Tuesday said that efforts to unseat justices because of last year’s gay-marriage ruling are an attempt to intimidate judges and force the opponents’ political beliefs on the courts.”

“U.S. Supreme Court to hear Oneida Indian Nation foreclosure case”: The Utica Observer-Dispatch contains this article today.

“Supreme Court to hear Lansdale woman’s appeal of terrorism conviction in domestic dispute”: This article appears today in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Today’s edition of The Philadelphia Daily News contains an article headlined “Should Lansdale housewife have faced federal charge?”

And Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “Chemical weapon attack or domestic dispute? Supreme Court will decide.”

“9th Circuit upholds Washington’s campaign-disclosure laws”: The Associated Press has this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued yesterday.