“Judge vacancies are harming America’s justice system”: Timothy K. Lewis had this op-ed yesterday in The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

“News outlets back New York Times reporter James Risen in court fight”: At Politico.com, Josh Gerstein has a blog post that begins, “A broad coalition of news organizations and news industry groups are urging a federal appeals court to uphold a lower-court ruling rejecting prosecutors efforts to force New York Times reporter James Risen to identify his confidenial sources as part of the prosecution of a former Central Intelligence Agency officer accused of leaking secrets about U.S. efforts to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program.”

“Gay marriage ban supporters seek second review by circuit court of ruling”: Howard Mintz of The San Jose Mercury News has this update.

Maura Dolan of The Los Angeles Times has a blog post titled “California gay-marriage opponents launch a legal gambit.”

At “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Prop. 8: New plea in Circuit Court.”

And at the “Constitutional Law Prof Blog,” Ruthann Robson has a post titled “Prop 8 Proponents Petition for Rehearing En Banc in Ninth Circuit.”

You can access the petition for rehearing en banc at this link.

“Prop. 8 backers seek review of gay marriage case”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “The backers of California’s same-sex marriage ban petitioned a federal appeals court Tuesday to review a split decision by three of its judges that struck down the voter-approved law known as Proposition 8.”

“Colorado woman must turn over computer password”: The Associated Press has this report.

“High Court to Hear College Affirmative-Action Case”: Jess Bravin of The Wall Street Journal has this news update.

“At the Supreme Court, Odds Lie Against Affirmative Action; The justices will hear a case on whether universities can encourage diversity at the classroom level, but court conservatives may use it as an opportunity to set a new precedent”: Andrew Cohen has this essay online at The Atlantic.

“Supreme Court to Hear Case Challenging Stolen Valor Act”: Ariane de Vogue of ABC News has this report.

“Nevis man charged in armed robbery of US justice”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Supreme Court To Revisit Affirmative Action In University Of Texas Case”: Mike Sacks of The Huffington Post has this report.

Online at Slate, Richard D. Kahlenberg has a jurisprudence essay entitled “What Obama Should Say About the Texas Affirmative Action Case: He should support class-based preferences that help all low-income students.”

And at the “Just Enrichment” blog, Adam Chandler has a post titled “Navigating the Jurisdictional Thicket Around Fisher v. University of Texas.”

James Vicini of Reuters is reporting: He has articles headlined “Supreme Court: prisoner need not be told of rights“; “Supreme Court won’t hear grandparents visitation case“; and “Supreme Court rejects music producer Spector murder case.”

“Roberts says no to formal ethics rules”: The Associated Press has this report.

Mike Sacks of The Huffington Post has made the documents available online here and here.

“Appeals court says Gitmo suicide suit not allowed”: The Associated Press has this report.

And at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Mike Scarcella has a post titled “D.C. Circuit Rejects Suit Over Gitmo Detainees’ Deaths.”

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

“Court rejects case on grandparents’ rights”: The Associated Press has this report.

“University Affirmative Action Programs Attract U.S. Supreme Court Scrutiny”: Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News has this report.

Adam Liptak of The New York Times has a news update headlined “Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Affirmative Action Case.”

David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times has a news update headlined “Supreme Court will hear case on affirmative action at colleges.”

Robert Barnes of The Washington Post has a news update headlined “Supreme Court agrees to reconsider use of race in college admission decisions.”

Michael Doyle of McClatchy Newspapers reports that “Supreme Court to hear Texas affirmative action case.”

Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor reports that “Affirmative action in college admissions goes back before Supreme Court; US Supreme Court is taking an affirmative action case about the University of Texas admissions policy, which permits race to be a factor in deciding which applicants are admitted.”

James Vicini of Reuters reports that “Supreme Court to hear university race admissions case.”

At the “School Law” blog of Education Week, Mark Walsh has a post titled “Supreme Court to Revisit Race in College Admissions.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Affirmative action review due next Term.”

“High court to take new look at affirmative action”: The Associated Press has this report.

You can access today’s Order List of the U.S. Supreme Court at this link. The Court today granted review in two cases and called for the views of the Solicitor General in two cases.

The Court today also issued four opinions, two of which were in argued cases.

1. Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court in Howes v. Fields, No. 10-680. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg issued an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, in which Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor joined. You can access the oral argument via this link.

2. Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court in Kawashima v. Holder, No. 10-577. Justice Ginsburg issued a dissenting opinion, in which Justices Breyer and Elena Kagan joined. You can access the oral argument via this link.

3. The Court issued a unanimous per curiam opinion in Marmet Health Care Center, Inc. v. Brown, No. 11-391.

And the Court issued a per curiam opinion in Wetzel v. Lambert, No. 11-38. Justice Breyer issued a dissenting opinion, in which Justices Ginsburg and Kagan joined.

In other news coverage, The Associated Press has a report headlined “Court: Rights don’t have to be read to prisoners.”

Programming note: Due to a meeting with a potential new appellate client, my coverage of today’s Order List and any new opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court will be a bit delayed.

“Roggensack moves to close high court conferences”: The Capital Times of Madison, Wisconsin has this report.

“Roger J. Miner, 77, Dies; Judge Valued Neutrality”: This obituary appears today in The New York Times.

“Stolen Valor Act case: a checklist of things to watch.” Tony Mauro has this news analysis online at the First Amendment Center.

“Court action could prolong health care fight”: Joan Biskupic will have this article Tuesday in USA Today.

“Supreme Court to decide on right to lie about military honors; Justices will take up the case of Xavier Alvarez, who falsely told a California water board meeting that he had received the Medal of Honor”: David G. Savage will have this article Tuesday in The Los Angeles Times.

“Ecuador court rejects Chevron arbitration ruling”: Reuters has a report that begins, “A court in Ecuador has rejected an order by arbitrators that an $18 billion pollution ruling against Chevron should be frozen, but the judges referred an appeal by the U.S. oil company to the country’s Supreme Court.”

“Man held in robbery of Justice Breyer in Nevis”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Gay Marriage? Ruling May Hinge on How It’s Asked.” Adam Liptak will have this new installment of his “Sidebar” column in Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times.

“Why Stephen Breyer and Other Power Players Love Bridge”: Newsweek magazine has this report.

“Christie’s brash words on N.J. Supreme Court may be undermining state’s judicial branch”: This article appears today in The Newark Star-Ledger.

“Occupy the Super PACs: Justice Ginsburg knows the Citizens United decision was a mistake; Now she appears to be ready to speak truth to power.” Law professor Richard L. Hasen — author of the “Election Law Blog” — has this essay online at Slate.

“Lost in Interpretation: Japan Citizen Case Goes to Supreme Court.” Peter Landers has this post at WSJ.com’s “Japan Real Time” blog.

“Trust and the Supreme Court”: Monday’s edition of The New York Times will contain an editorial that begins, “The authority of the Supreme Court depends on the trust of the public.”

“Roger J. Miner, federal judge”: This obituary will appear Monday in The Washington Post.

“Is There a Right to Lie?” William Bennett Turner will have this op-ed Monday in The New York Times.

“Are judges’ ties to U the ones that bind?”: Monday’s edition of The Minneapolis Star Tribune will contain this article.

“Failed legal fight over video games costs California nearly $2 million”: This article appears today in The Sacramento Bee.

“High court dilemma: Can lie about medal be crime?” Mark Sherman of The Associated Press has this report.