“Justices Are Long on Words but Short on Guidance”: Adam Liptak will have this article Thursday in The New York Times.

“Detainee Acquitted on Most Counts in ’98 Bombings”: The New York Times has a news update that begins, “The first former Guantanamo detainee to be tried in a civilian court was acquitted on Wednesday of all but one of more than 280 charges of conspiracy and murder in the 1998 terrorist bombings of the United States Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The case has been seen as a test of President Obama’s goal of trying detainees in federal court whenever feasible, and the result may again fuel debate over whether civilian courts are appropriate for trying terrorists.”

The Washington Post has a news update headlined “Ahmed Ghailani, Gitmo detainee, acquitted of all but 1 charge in NY.”

The Los Angeles Times has a news update headlined “Gitmo detainee Ahmed Ghailani acquitted of all but one charge in N.Y.”

Carol Rosenberg of The Miami Herald has a news update headlined “Jury convicts embassy bombing plotter on just one count.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Gitmo detainee acquitted of all but 1 charge in NY.”

“Egos on the Bench: The unexpected legacy of FDR’s court packing.” Online at Slate, Dahlia Lithwick has this review of law professor Noah Feldman‘s book “Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR’s Great Supreme Court Justices.”

Two Sundays ago, I linked to additional reviews of the book in a post you can access here.

“Teenage rapist Jose Walle re-sentenced to 65 years in prison”: The St. Petersburg Times has a news update that begins, “Circuit Judge Chet A. Tharpe didn’t agree with a U.S. Supreme Court decision forcing him to re-sentence teenage rapist Jose Walle, who was only 13 when he terrorized two Apollo Beach waitresses at gunpoint. But he obeyed the highest court in the land, which deemed life sentences unconstitutional for juveniles who didn’t kill. Walle hung his head as Tharpe sentenced him to 65 years in prison, which he will begin to serve after completing the 27 years he got in Pinellas for another rape. Taking into consideration credits prisoners get, he would be about 91 years old when he gets a chance at freedom.”

“Scholar Presses for More Supreme Court Diversity”: Tony Mauro has this post today at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“Court ends group’s challenge to Calif. law school”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A federal appeals court has shot down another attempt by a Christian student group to force a California law school to formally recognize it, despite the group’s refusal to allow gay members.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “CLS’s legal woes continue; The Ninth Circuit, ruling on a case returned by the Supreme Court, rejects a law student group’s second attempt to keep alive its case on campus privileges.”

You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

“Democrats Plan Votes on Controversial Nominees, Senator Says”: At “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” David Ingram has a post that begins, “President Barack Obama’s nominees for the federal judiciary have stalled for months in part because of heated disagreement over a handful of nominees. Now, Senate Democrats are looking at forcing votes on four of them.”

“Court weighs forced meds for mentally ill suspect”: The Associated Press has this report on a case that was argued today before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

“Judge Refuses To Delay Steven Hayes’ Sentencing; Lawyers Cited Need For ‘Extensive’ Investigation”: The Hartford Courant has this news update.

The New Haven Register has a news update headlined “Judge denies Hayes’ lawyers request for delay in death sentence.”

And, in related coverage, The Associated Press reports that “Jurors in Conn. home invasion trial get counseling.”

Programming note: I will be presenting an oral argument this afternoon in Philadelphia before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Additional posts will appear here later today.

Update: I will post here a link to the oral argument audio once the Third Circuit places it online. My argument begins approximately 12 minutes into the recording, as I represent the plaintiff-appellee.

“Culver says he’d appoint justices if given the chance”: Yesterday’s edition of The Des Moines Register contained an article that begins, “Gov. Chet Culver said Monday that if given the opportunity he will fill Iowa’s three Supreme Court justice vacancies before Republican Terry Branstad takes office on Jan. 14.”

“Simpson lawyers ask justices to reconsider denial of robbery appeal”: This article appears today in The Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“Listen to the Terminator: The Supreme Court should use a challenge to California’s law on extremely violent video games to adjust its severe approach to content-based regulations of speech.” Law professor Barry P. McDonald has this op-ed today in The Los Angeles Times.