“Branstad to announce Iowa Supreme Court picks by Saturday”: The Sioux City Journal has this news update.

“High court to hear case against Ashcroft”: Joan Biskupic will have this article Tuesday in USA Today.

“Supreme Court hears soap opera story of interest to the tea party”: Robert Barnes will have this article Tuesday in The Washington Post.

And Bill Mears of CNN.com reports that “High court to hear case of woman convicted of chemical weapon crimes.”

The Ninth Circuit‘s web site is reporting that Senior Circuit Judge David R. Thompson has died: Judge Thompson was scheduled to preside over an oral argument tomorrow at the University of San Diego School of Law, but the Ninth Circuit’s online announcement of that oral argument now contains a watermark notice that it has been cancelled due to Judge Thompson’s death. The cancellation of the oral argument can also be noted here.

In addition, the University of San Diego School of Law’s web site confirms “the sudden death over the weekend of the Honorable David R. Thompson” at this link.

“A domestic dispute, gone global: The Court on Tuesday will hear one hour of oral argument on whether a private individual, facing federal criminal charges, may challenge the law at issue by claiming it unconstitutionally intrudes on states’ rights protected by the Tenth Amendment; Will the outcome be sweeping or narrow?” Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

“From a Book Review to a Criminal Trial in France”: Adam Liptak will have this new installment of his “Sidebar” column in Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times.

“The justices’ junkets”: This editorial appears today in The Washington Post.