“Ex-cops convicted in Pa. cover-up case lose appeal”: The Associated Press has this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued today.

“Court extends NYC church access to public schools”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected an attempt by New York City to keep churches out of its public schools while a judge decides whether a city law banning them from its school buildings can be enforced.”

And Bloomberg News reports that “New York City’s Bid to Halt Worship in Schools Rejected by Federal Court.”

“Federal Circuit Nominee Faces Tough Questions During Senate Hearing”: At “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Todd Ruger has a post that begins, “D.C. lawyer Richard Taranto, nominated for a slot on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, handled some tough questioning during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday over his views on the Defense of Marriage Act and whistleblower litigation.”

“Supreme Court appears split on Indy sewer tax case”: The Indianapolis Star has a news update that begins, “The U.S. Supreme Court appeared split Wednesday over whether Indianapolis treated some homeowners fairly when it forgave the outstanding debt their neighbors owed for sewer hookups.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Argument recap: That old slippery slope — again.”

You can access the transcript of today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Armour v. Indianapolis, No. 11-161, at this link. Mark T. Stancil argued for the petitioners, and Paul D. Clement argued for the respondents.

“Chief U.S. District Judge sends racially charged email about president”: The Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune has this news update.

“Court OKs warrantless cell phone search”: Terry Baynes of Reuters has this report.

And at “The Volokh Conspiracy,” Orin Kerr has a post titled “Judge Posner on Searching a Cell Phone Incident to Arrest.”

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

“Constitutional Showdown Voided: Feds Decrypt Laptop Without Defendant’s Help.” David Kravets has this post at Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog.

“Minority groups object to new Texas political maps”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Panel Upholds $17 Mil. Judgment in Warehouse Accident”: Amaris Elliott-Engel has this front page article, in which I am mentioned, in today’s edition of The Legal Intelligencer, Philadelphia’s daily newspaper for lawyers.

My earlier coverage of the Pa. Superior Court’s recent ruling in this case, in which I wrote the Brief for Plaintiff/Appellee, can be accessed here.

“Bad Marriage: Why the Supreme Court should stay out of affirmative action.” Richard Thompson Ford has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

This blog’s earlier Bad Marriage coverage — from 2006 and 2004 — can be accessed here and here.

“EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Rules Are Illegal, Opponents Tell Appeals Court Panel”: Bloomberg News has this report.

“Judge Grants Summary Judgment to Tobacco Companies in Graphic Labels Case”: At “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Zoe Tillman has this post reporting on an opinion and order that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued today.

In other coverage, The Associated Press reports that “Judge blocks graphic images on cigarette packages.”

And Reuters has a report headlined “U.S. judge-Tobacco health labels violate free speech.”

“Court Wary of Torture Cases; Conservative Justices Suggest Foreign Organizations Can’t Be Sued in the U.S.” Jess Bravin has this article today in The Wall Street Journal.

“Alabama’s immigration policy heads to court”: Terry Baynes of Reuters has this report on a case to be argued tomorrow in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

And The Associated Press reports that “Challenges to AL and GA immigration laws in court.”

“NY lawyer Lynne Stewart asks court to reconsider sentence”: Reuters has a report that begins, “Comments made by New York lawyer Lynne Stewart should not have been used to increase her prison term, Stewart’s attorneys told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday.”

And Bloomberg News reports that “Lawyer Stewart Claims Terror Sentence Punishes Free Speech.”

“This appeal requires us to consider the circumstances in which the search of a cell phone is permitted by the Fourth Amendment even if the search is not authorized by a warrant.” So begins an interesting opinion that Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner issued today on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

And in somewhat related news, you can now access online via this link video from the 2012 symposium of the Stanford Law Review, titled “The Privacy Paradox: Privacy and Its Conflicting Values.” Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski delivered the keynote address, which you can view online via this link.

“Obama makes a play for Scalia”: Politico.com has a report that begins, “The Obama administration needs to win over at least one conservative Supreme Court justice to save its health care reform law and it’s pulling out the stops to get one.”

Access online today’s ruling in an argued case of the U.S. Supreme Court: The Court issued one opinion today in an argued case.

Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court in Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products Corp., No. 10-879. Justice Elena Kagan issued a concurring opinion. And Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, in which Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer joined. You can access the oral argument via this link.

“Supreme Court Debates Rights Case Aimed at Corporations”: Adam Liptak has this article today in The New York Times.

Today in The Los Angeles Times, David G. Savage reports that “Supreme Court appears to back corporations in torture cases; Conservative justices indicate that multinational firms and political groups should be shielded from lawsuits in the U.S. over atrocities overseas.”

And yesterday evening’s broadcast of The PBS NewsHour contained a segment entitled “Supreme Court Weighs Corporate Liability in Human Rights Cases” featuring Marcia Coyle.

“Lawyer Stewart Claims 10-Year Terror Sentence Punishes Her Free Speech”: Bloomberg News has this report.

“Court skeptical about overseas corporate abuse suits”: Robert Barnes of The Washington Post has this news update.

Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “Can foreigners sue international corporations in US courts? A 223-year-old law says foreigners can file lawsuits in American courts for alleged violations of international law; But whether they can sue corporations remains a question for the Supreme Court.”

Marcia Coyle of The National Law Journal reports that “Court skeptical of using U.S. laws in foreign human rights cases.”

The Voice of America reports that “Nigerian Activists Press US Supreme Court Case Against Shell.”

Lawrence Hurley of Greenwire reports that “Justices weigh Shell’s liability in Nigeria case.”

Ariane de Vogue of ABC News has a blog post titled “Justices Divided on Corporate Liability for Human Rights Violations.”

And online at Slate, Dahlia Lithwick has a Supreme Court dispatch entitled “Justice on the High Seas: The Supreme Court says corporations have a right to free speech; But can they get away with murder?”

“Feds drop porn-trial subpoena for Salon writer”: Josh Gerstein has this post at Politico.com. My most recent earlier coverage appears here.

“House acts against high court on eminent domain”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “The House sought Tuesday to undercut a 2005 Supreme Court ruling that gives state and local governments eminent domain authority to seize private property for economic development projects.”

“Court releases new set of redistricting maps”: The San Antonio Express-News has this update.

And The Associated Press reports that “Federal court issues new Texas political maps.”

“Jury Selection Begins in Latest Ira Isaacs Obscenity Trial”: Yesterday, Mark Kernes of AVN News had a report that begins, “Jury selection in the second obscenity trial of producer Ira Isaacs began today, more than a year after the agreed-upon retrial date, and more than four years after Judge Alex Kozinski declared a mistrial in Isaacs’ original prosecution because the Los Angeles Times had revealed that Kozinski, who also serves as Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, had maintained a private website containing humorous sexually oriented photos and videos.”

In related coverage, XBIZ.com reports today that “Salon Reporter May Testify at Isaacs Obscenity Trial.”

And today at Salon.com, Tracy Clark-Flory has an essay entitled “My obscenity trial subpoena: I’ve been called to testify in a federal trial against a pornographer; Here’s why this case really matters.” Her interview with the defendant, which Salon published last April, was headlined “An obscene filmmaker defends himself: As senators push for more porn prosecutions, we talk to the man at the center of the next federal obscenity trial.”

“Shell Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Bar Human-Rights Suit”: Bloomberg News has this report.

Bill Mears of CNN.com reports that “Justices debate corporate responsibility for human rights abuses.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Argument recap: Downhill, from the start.”

“Supreme Court skeptical of U.S. lawsuits over abuses abroad”: David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times has this news update.

And James Vicini of Reuters reports that “Supreme Court hears corporate human rights case.”

“EPA Greenhouse Gas Limits Face Appeals Court Challenge Over Public Danger”: Bloomberg News has this report.

“Corporate Immunity Looks Likely: Supreme Court Seems Ready To Side With Shell In Human Rights Suit.” Mike Sacks of The Huffington Post has this report.

You can access the transcript of today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., No. 10-1491, at this link.

“McKesson $23.9 Million Interest Award in Iran Dairy Case Tossed on Appeal”: Bloomberg News has this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued today.

“Justices hear case over suits for overseas abuses”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Argument preview: Tax forgiveness and equality.” Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Lawyers descend en masse for arguments on greenhouse gas rules”: Lawrence Hurley of Greenwire has this report.

“2nd Circuit greenlights novel vehicle for BofA’s MBS settlement”: Alison Frankel’s “On the Case” from Thomson Reuters News & Insight has this report.

“Human Rights Victims Seek Remedy At High Court”: This audio segment featuring Nina Totenberg appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

And Ariane de Vogue of ABC News has a blog post titled “Can Corps Accused of Abetting Torture Abroad Be Sued in U.S. Courts?”