“N.J. lawsuit over severed fingers leads to U.S. Supreme Court case on product liability”: The Newark Star-Ledger has this news update.

“McEwen sees justice in tell-all”: Today’s edition of The Washington Post contains an article that begins, “Four months after Lillian McEwen broke a two-decade silence about her longtime relationship with Clarence Thomas, the retired administrative law judge has written a book.”

“U.S. Supreme Court considers Louisville man’s crack-cocaine sentence”: The Louisville Courier-Journal has this news update.

“Professors ask Congress for an ethics code for Supreme Court”: This article will appear Thursday in The Washington Post.

“Branstad’s Supreme Court choices: Edward Mansfield, Thomas Waterman and Bruce Zager.” The Des Moines Register has a news update that begins, “Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad this afternoon appointed two judges and an attorney to the Iowa Supreme Court.”

And in related news, IowaStateDaily.com reports that “House seeks to alter Supreme Court nominations.”

Access online the audio of the Third Circuit en banc oral argument in which I participated this morning: You can download the oral argument via this link (81.5MB Windows Media audio file).

“Supreme Court Allows Lawsuit Over Rear Seat Belts”: Adam Liptak will have this article Thursday in The New York Times.

Robert Barnes of The Washington Post has a news update headlined “Court says Mazda can be sued over seat-belt death.”

In Thursday’s edition of The Los Angeles Times, David G. Savage will have an article headlined “Supreme Court OKs lawsuits over cars’ lack of best safety equipment; The ruling reverses California court decisions in the case of a man’s claim against Mazda that his wife would have survived a crash if her seat had a lap and shoulder belt, not just a lap belt.”

The Detroit News has an update headlined “Court: Family can sue Mazda over seat belt death.”

Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor reports that “Supreme Court allows lawsuits against automakers over seat belt design; Federal law does not shield automakers from potential lawsuits filed on behalf of passengers injured while wearing lap-only seat belts, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday.”

Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News reports that “Auto Industry Can Be Sued Over Seatbelt Design, U.S. Supreme Court Rules.”

James Vicini of Reuters reports that “Supreme Court allows lawsuits over seat belts.”

And at her “Crossroads” blog, Jan Crawford of CBS News has a post titled “In twist, Supreme Court allows seatbelt lawsuit.”

“Supreme Court upholds California’s loose rules for inmate appeals”: Michael Doyle of McClatchy Newspapers has this report.

Betty Boop, on appeal: A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued this ruling today.

“Work for Utah’s federal judges piling up while D.C. stalls out”: This article appears today in The Salt Lake Tribune.

“Court: Family can sue Mazda over seat belt death.” Jesse J. Holland of The Associated Press has this report on one of the two argued cases in which the U.S. Supreme Court issued rulings this morning.

Justice Stephen G. Breyer delivered the opinion of the Court in Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., No. 08-1314, reversing a California-based appellate court other than the Ninth Circuit. All non-recused Justices joined in the ruling except for Justice Clarence Thomas, who issued an opinion concurring in the judgment. Justice Elena Kagan did not take part in the decision. You can access the oral argument via this link.

And Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court in Walker v. Martin, No. 09-996, reversing the Ninth Circuit in a habeas case. You can access the oral argument via this link.

“Gov’t drops defense of anti-gay marriage law”: Pete Yost of The Associated Press has a report that begins, “In a major policy reversal, the Obama administration said Wednesday it will no longer defend the constitutionality of a federal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage.” The AP also has a related report headlined “WH: Obama still ‘grappling’ with gay marriage.”

In other coverage, Charlie Savage of The New York Times has a news update headlined “Obama Orders End to Defense of Federal Gay Marriage Law.”

David G. Savage and James Oliphant of The Los Angeles Times have a news update headlined “Gay marriage: Obama administration won’t defend part of marriage act; In a key shift on gay rights, the administration says a section of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional as applied to gay couples who are legally married under state law; The administration vows not to defend the law against two lawsuits brought by same-sex couples.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “U.S. says DOMA ban invalid.”

The U.S. Department of Justice has posted online the “Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act.”