“Court says it can’t force vote on chief justices; Federal panel said it had no jurisdiction over claims Pawlenty’s appointments circumvented right to vote”: The Minneapolis Star Tribune has this news update.

My earlier coverage of today’s Eighth Circuit ruling appears at this link.

“Appeals court to expedite Virginia healthcare challenges”: Reuters has this report.

The Virginian-Pilot has a news update headlined “Va.’s health care lawsuit hearing to be expedited.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Health care appeal moved up.”

“President Obama Nominates Judge Henry F. Floyd for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit”: The White House issued this news release today.

The Associated Press reports that “SC’s Floyd picked for 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.”

And at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” David Ingram has a post titled “Obama Nominates Judge Who Ruled in Padilla Case.”

“Prop. 8 opponents ask California high court to reject federal court’s request for ruling; The request involves initiative supporters’ right to defend a ballot measure when state officials refuse to do so”: Maura Dolan has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

“Appeals court rejects judicial elections challenge”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A federal appeals court has rejected a challenge to Minnesota rules for electing judges and its mandatory retirement age for judges.”

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

“Be bold, justice candidates told”: In today’s edition of The Des Moines Register, Grant Schulte has an article that begins, “The three new justices who are appointed to the state’s highest court should be able and willing to challenge other justices’ legal arguments, Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins said Tuesday.”

“McKenna is named to state’s high court; The state judge garners praise for her people skills and competence”: Ken Kobayashi has this article today in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The article reports, among other things, that “McKenna would be the first openly gay member of the Hawaii Supreme Court.”

“Emanuel back on ballot — for now”: Abdon M. Pallasch and Fran Spielman have this article today in The Chicago Sun-Times. Pallasch also has a profile of the Justices serving on the Supreme Court of Illinois.

The Chicago Tribune reports today that “State Supreme Court gives Emanuel a reprieve; Justices order his name on the ballot for now, agree to expedited review.”

The New York Times reports that “Emanuel Back on Ballot; Court Will Hear Case.”

And The Washington Post reports that “Emanuel’s mayoral bid gets boost from Obama.”

“Senate nears approval of filibuster changes”: Today’s edition of The Washington Post contains an article that begins, “The Senate edged closer Tuesday to resolving a standoff over the chamber’s arcane rules after leaders presented a set of modest changes designed to satisfy a group of junior Democrats who are pushing to dramatically revamp the filibuster process.”

“Rights groups back Sikh man in fight over his beard”: This article appears today in The Sacramento Bee. The article reports that “U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, then on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled in 1999 that a New Jersey fire department was required to accommodate Muslim firefighters who wore beards for religious reasons.”

“Guantanamo detainee’s sentence renews debate about civilian trials; The first civilian trial of a Guantanamo detainee prompted questions about whether civilian court is the best place for alleged terrorists”: The Christian Science Monitor has this report.

“New seatfellows might have made the speech more appealing to justices”: That’s the headline of Al Kamen’s “In the Loop” column in today’s edition of The Washington Post.