“Congress Demands DoJ Explain Prosecution of Aaron Swartz”: Kim Zetter has this post today at Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog.

And today at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Todd Ruger has a post titled “Congress Weighs in on DOJ’s Handling of Swartz Prosecution.”

“Senate committee backs bill to make cohabitation legal; Breaking 19th-century law is still a misdemeanor punishable by $500 fine”: Today’s edition of The Richmond Times-Dispatch contains an article that begins, “In 1877 in Virginia, it was considered ‘lewd and lascivious’ for two adults who were not married to cohabitate — and it was a crime. In 2013, it still is.”

“Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway pleads guilty to felony bank fraud”: The Detroit Free Press has this news update.

The Detroit News has an update headlined “Hathaway pleads guilty to bank fraud charge.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Ex-Mich. justice pleads guilty to bank fraud.”

“SCOTUSblog on camera — Adam Liptak interview part one.” “SCOTUSblog” has this post.

“Sonia Sotomayor talks affirmative action in San Francisco”: In today’s edition of The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has an article that begins, “Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in town Monday to promote her newly released memoir, said she couldn’t talk about affirmative action because of a pending court case. In the next breath, she talked about what it had meant to her — admission to Princeton and Yale Law School and the launching of a legal career.”

“Workers Griping by Facebook May Lose Jobs After Ruling”: Brian Wingfield of Bloomberg News has a report that begins, “Workers who gripe about the boss or their colleagues on Facebook may again be at risk of getting fired unless a U.S. appeals court decision is reversed.”

Available online from The New Republic: Law professor Jeffrey Rosen has an essay titled “The War Over Recess Appointments Is Not for the Supreme Court to Settle; Last week’s decision threatens to resurrect Bush v. Gore-style judicial activism with a vengeance.”

And Timothy Noah has an essay titled “Don’t Ban Recess Appointments! The D.C. Circuit presumes to know the original meaning of the Constitution better than the Founding Fathers.”

“A Judicial Atrocity”: Online today at The New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin has a blog post that begins, “Right-wing judicial activism has been ascendant in recent years.”

“Obama lawyers to argue recess appointments again in March”: David Ingram and Aruna Viswanatha of Reuters have this report.

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Spreading challenge to appointment power.”

“Supreme Court Justice Scalia offers perspective on the law at SMU lecture”: This article appears today in The Dallas Morning News.

“At Guantanamo, a minor mystery as audio, video feeds are cut at hearing”: Peter Finn has this article today in The Washington Post.

“Orie aide tells jury of work done for judicial sister; Campaign-related duties are detailed”: Paula Reed Ward has this article today in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports today that “Pavlot’s testimony addresses heart of case against Melvin.”

And The Associated Press has a report headlined “Sen. Orie chief: Orders from Melvin to be followed.”

“House panel demands answers regarding Swartz prosecution; Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder says committee has ‘many questions’ about the Justice Department’s handling of prosecution of the Internet activist, who committed suicide earlier this month”: c|net has this report.

The blog “Main Justice” has a post titled “White House Petition to Fire Boston AUSA over Swartz Probe Lags.”

In today’s edition of The Boston Globe, columnist Kevin Cullen has an essay titled “When judgment comes with wisdom” that begins, “Before there was Aaron Swartz, there was David LaMacchia.”

At “Boing Boing,” Cory Doctorow has a post titled “Aaron Swartz’s San Francisco memorial will make you stand up and salute.” That post provides access to video of the memorial, which you can also access here and here.

And The Huffington Post has an item headlined “Read Aaron Swartz’s Afterword From Cory Doctorow’s ‘Homeland.’”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s “My Beloved World” will debut at number one on the February 3, 2013 New York Times hardcover nonfiction best sellers list: You can view the list at this link.

“9/11 relatives, defense attorneys share emotional meeting; For 90 minutes, family members of 9/11 victims met with the lawyers who are defending the men accused of planning the attacks that killed almost 3,000 people”: Carol Rosenberg of The Miami Herald has this report, along with an article headlined “Strange censorship episode at Guantanamo enrages judge; Unseen monitor censors public’s view of war court, which surprises and angers the judge during hearings in the death-penalty case of accused 9/11 planners.”

Ryan J. Reilly of The Huffington Post reports that “Guantanamo Secret Censor Frustrates Judge In 9/11 Case.”

And Bloomberg News reports that “Terror Court Hearing Ends With Lawyer Trust Complaints.”

“Special court session held in honor of federal judge at Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse”: The Oregonian has a news update that begins, “The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a special session Monday in memory of Judge Otto R. Skopil Jr., described by his friends and colleagues as a charismatic man who worked diligently to improve the atmosphere of the courtroom.”

Today, the Public Information Office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a news release titled “Colleagues Gather to Remember Ninth Circuit Judge Otto R. Skopil, Jr.”

“‘Judicial icon’ had wide impact”: The front page of today’s edition of The Richmond Times-Dispatch contains an obituary that begins, “Harry L. Carrico was known as a gentleman and expected the same from those who came through his court. His service on the bench spanned nearly eight decades, including a 50-year-plus career as a justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia, including 22 years as chief justice until his retirement in 2003.”

And The Washington Post has an obituary headlined “Harry L. Carrico, Virginia Supreme Court justice, dies at 96.”

“Ex-chief of staff for Jane Orie takes stand in corruption trial of Justice Joan Orie Melvin”: Paula Reed Ward of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has this news update.

“Courts? Who Listens to Courts? The NLRB tells the D.C. Circuit to take a hike.” This editorial will appear Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal.

You can freely access the full text of the editorial via Google News.

“Homebuyer Appeals to Pa. Supreme Court on Her Home’s Bloody Past”: ABC News has a report that begins, “A Pennsylvania woman has appealed to the state Supreme Court in her suit against a home seller and real estate agent who failed to disclose that a murder-suicide had taken place in the home she purchased.”

My earlier coverage of the case appears at this link.

“Aaron Swartz Case Draws Letter To Eric Holder From Darrell Issa, Elijah Cummings”: The Huffington Post has this report.

The Hill has a blog post titled “House panel demands briefing over prosecution of Web activist Swartz.”

And at “The Volokh Conspiracy,” Stewart Baker has a post titled “A dubious proposal for amending the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.”

“4th Cir. orders hearing for inmate seeking sex change”: The Associated Press has this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued today.

“More Thoughts on the Six CFAA Scenarios About Authorized Access vs. Unauthorized Access”: Orin Kerr has this post at “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

“Ex-judge says he was bribed by Ecuadorians’ suing Chevron; A former Ecuadorian judge says that he and a colleague let plaintiffs lawyers write their own $18.2 billion judgment against the oil company in exchange for a promise of $500,000”: Roger Parloff has this blog post online at Fortune.

Update: At a blog Chevron operates called “The Amazon Post,” today’s entry is titled “Former Ecuadorian Judge Admits Role in Orchestrating Fraudulent Judgment Against Chevron.” That blog entry contains a link to the former judge’s sworn declaration.

And in other coverage, Reuters reports that “Former Ecuador judge on Chevron case says plaintiffs bribed court.”

“State Dept. Closes Office Working on Shutting Guantanamo Prison”: Charlie Savage of The New York Times has this news update.

“After Landmark Supreme Court Win, Drug Defendant Represents Himself at Retrial”: Mike Scarcella has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“Madoff Victims Can’t Sue SEC for Failed Oversight”: At her “Trial Insider” blog, Pamela A. MacLean has this post reporting on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued today.

Update: In other coverage, Jonathan Stempel of Reuters reports that “Appeals court shields SEC from Madoff investor lawsuit.”

“Supreme Court weighs whether Virginia can deny public records to noncitizens”: David L. Hudson Jr. will have this article in the February 2013 issue of ABA Journal magazine.

“How Congress Could Defend DOMA in Court (and Why the BLAG Cannot)”: Law professor Matthew I. Hall has this essay at the SLR Online web site of the Stanford Law Review.

Listen live to Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s appearance on KQED Public Radio’s “Forum” with Michael Krasny: You can listen live via this link. Justice Sotomayor is scheduled to appear today at 1 p.m. eastern time, 10 a.m. pacific time.

“D.C. Circuit’s Astounding Decision on Recess Appointments”: Kenneth Jost has this post at his blog, “Jost On Justice.”

“State’s star witness in Melvin corruption trial takes the stand”: Bobby Kelik and Adam Brandolph of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review are providing updated reports on today’s trial proceedings at this link.

“ACS Issue Brief Offers Suggestions to Reform Dysfunctional Judicial Nomination Process”: The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy issued this news release today linking to an issue brief titled “Is Our Dysfunctional Process for Filling Judicial Vacancies an Insoluble Problem?” written by Russell Wheeler of The Brookings Institution.

“Obama Defeat on NLRB Picks a Rare Loss on Recess Power”: Tom Schoenberg of Bloomberg News has a report that begins, “A court ruling that President Barack Obama’s recess appointment of labor board members was illegal in part because the Senate was in session stands against rulings by three sister courts supporting the power, one of which warned that ‘executive paralysis’ would result otherwise.”

“Top Guantanamo Prosecutor Says He Hasn’t Gone Rogue”: Ryan J. Reilly has this blog entry at The Huffington Post.

And Charlie Savage of The New York Times has posted a related document online.

In other coverage, The Associated Press reports that “Sept. 11 defendants won’t respond to Gitmo judge.”

And Bloomberg News reports that “Sept. 11 Defense Seeks Torture Evidence at Cuba Hearing.”