Judge Posner on sealing settlement agreements on appeal: Seventh Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner issued this ruling today.

“A Work Still in Progress”: Linda Greenhouse has this essay online at The New York Times.

“Mass. SJC bars no-parole life terms for youths; Says brains of juveniles not yet fully developed”: Today’s edition of The Boston Globe contains a front page article that begins, “The state’s highest court struck down life sentences without parole for juveniles on Tuesday, saying scientific research shows that lifelong imprisonment for youths is cruel and unusual because their brains are ‘not fully developed.'”

The Boston Herald reports that “Teen killers could walk; Ruling makes some eligible for parole.”

And WBUR Radio has an audio segment titled “In Juvenile Parole Ruling, Mass. High Court Goes Step Beyond US Supreme Court.”

On Tuesday, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts issued two separate related rulings on this issue, which you can access here and here.

“Gay marriage’s latest frontier: state courts.” Brady McCombs and Mark Sherman of The Associated Press have this report.

“Utah marriage case on way to the Court”: Lyle Denniston has this post today at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Warrantless Search of Hotel Records Unconstitutional”: At her “Trial Insider” blog, Pamela A. MacLean has this post reporting on an 11-judge en banc ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued yesterday.

“Appeals Court Refuses to Halt Same-Sex Marriages in Utah”: This article appears today in The New York Times.

The newspaper also contains a front page article headlined “Indiana Finds It’s Not So Easy to Buck Gay Marriage Trend.”

“Amended Reply Brief in United States v. Auernheimer“: Orin Kerr has this post at “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

“BP Loses Bid to Require Proof of Losses in Spill Accord”: Jef Feeley and Laurel Brubaker Calkins of Bloomberg News have a report that begins, “BP Plc lost a bid to require businesses to provide proof their economic losses were caused by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill under a $9.2 billion settlement over the disaster.”

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans reports that “Some business claimants shouldn’t be required to prove damage from the BP oil spill, judge rules.”

Jonathan Stempel of Reuters reports that “Court rejects BP bid to require proof of Gulf oil spill losses.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Judge rules against BP in spill-settlement dispute.”

I have posted online at this link today’s ruling of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

“Having considered the district court’s decision and the parties’ arguments concerning the stay factors, we conclude that a stay is not warranted.” A two-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit this evening issued an order denying the State of Utah’s motion for an emergency stay of a federal district judge’s recent decision allowing same-sex marriage in that state. The panel did, however, direct the clerk of court to issue an expedited appellate briefing schedule.

In early news coverage, The Salt Lake Tribune reports that “10th Circuit Court denies same-sex marriage stay; Court ruling gives OK for gays to keep getting marriage licenses in Utah.”

And The Associated Press has a report headlined “Federal court: No halt to gay marriages in Utah.”

“Same-Sex Marriage, The Legal Deluge”: Jeffrey Toobin has this blog post online today at The New Yorker.

“New Fair Housing Case Moves Forward…..With Judge Leon”: At WSJ.com’s “Law Blog,” Brent Kendall has this post.

“Ohio gay marriage ruling may just be beginning”: Amanda Lee Myers of The Associated Press has this report.

The Green Bag Almanac & Reader has posted online its 2013 Honorees for Exemplary Legal Writing: You can view the list by clicking here.

“Will An Appeals Court Stop Same-Sex Couples In Utah From Marrying On Christmas Eve? With no decision from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals at the end of the day Monday, more same-sex couples will be heading to clerks’ offices Tuesday to get married.” Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed has this report.

The Deseret News seeks to answer the question “What comes next for Utah marriage law?” A related article is headlined “About 700 marriage licenses issued in Utah since judge’s ruling; 1,500 rally to celebrate unexpected decision that led to gay weddings in Utah.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Utah turns to higher court to halt gay marriage.”

“The Constitution in 2014: The war on terrorism.” Lyle Denniston has this post, part one in a five-part series, today at the “Constitution Daily” blog of the National Constitution Center.

“Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling ripples through lower courts; Gay marriage activists are winning more cases in lower courts since the Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act”: This article appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

“Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission’s accomplished”: Barton Gellman will have this lengthy article in Tuesday’s edition of The Washington Post.

“Same-Sex-Marriage Supporters Applaud Ohio and Utah Rulings”: This article will appear in Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times.

“Federal Court Alters Rules on Judge Assignments”: In Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times, Benjamin Weiser and Joseph Goldstein will have an article that begins, “Following public debate over how a federal judge in Manhattan came to oversee a 2008 lawsuit challenging the city’s stop-and-frisk policy, the Federal District Court in Manhattan announced on Monday new rules to make the assignment of cases more random and transparent, and to offer a means for parties to object to assignments.”

“Obama’s Ga. supporters protesting his court nominees; Obama’s African American supporters in Georgia are protesting his nominees to federal courts in the state; They say the list of nominees lacks diversity, ask that the process be re-started”: USA Today has this report.

And this evening’s broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered” contained an audio segment titled “An Unusual Call To Quash Ga. Judicial Nominees.”

Remarks by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg honoring Justice Elena Kagan on the occasion of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists Pursuit of Justice Award, December 16, 2013: Available online at this link.

“Judge Richard Arnold’s conversations with a ‘regular’ lawyer about citation to ‘unpublished’ opinions”: Attorney Elaine Mittleman had this guest post yesterday at Senior U.S. District Judge Richard G. Kopf‘s blog, “Hercules and the Umpire.”

“Supreme Court Cuts Down Tax Book; List of once-respected sources grows”: Tony Mauro of The National Law Journal has this report (registration required).

“How Sotomayor undermined Obama’s NSA”: Adam Serwer has this report online at MSNBC.

“Narrow ruling rejects Ohio gay marriage ban”: The Cincinnati Enquirer has this news update.

And The Associated Press reports that “Ohio gay marriage ban is rejected in narrow ruling.”

I have posted online at this link today’s ruling of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

“Judge denies Utah AG’s request to halt same-sex marriages; Utah AG’s Office files third request for a stay”: Marissa Lang and Brooke Adams of The Salt Lake Tribune have this report.

The Deseret News reports that “Judge declines to issue stay in same-sex marriage ruling; Hundreds obtain marriage licenses; attorney says decision leaves Utah in ‘chaos.’”

And The New York Times reports that “Judge Allows Same-Sex Weddings to Continue in Utah.”

“Another GSK Venue Question Sent to Third Circuit”: Saranac Hale Spencer has this front page article in today’s edition of The Legal Intelligencer, Philadelphia’s daily newspaper for lawyers.

According to the article, “The plaintiffs in [the first of two cases certified to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for interlocutory appeal by permission] plan to submit their petition for permission to appeal to the Third Circuit today, according to Howard Bashman, who is representing them for the appeal.”

My clients’ petition for permission to appeal filed today has now been docketed by the Third Circuit in that case, and you can access a copy at this link.

“Supreme Court preview: Recess appointments and Anna Nicole Smith’s legacy.” Scott Bomboy has this post today at the “Constitution Daily” blog of the National Constitution Center.

“After nearly a year, state Supreme Court Justice Loughry loves everything about job”: The Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail has this report.

“Utah tries again Monday to halt same-sex marriages; Monday hearing set on request to stay ruling as couples line up for licenses”: Brooke Adams of The Salt Lake Tribune has this report.

“1979 Supreme Court Ruling Becomes Focus Of NSA Tactics”: This audio segment appeared on yesterday evening’s broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

“Central alumna to serve on state Supreme Court”: The Daily Herald of Columbia, Tennessee has this report.

And in somewhat related news, The Tennessean reports that “Supreme Court justice Koch to retire in 2014; He’ll be dean of Nashville School of Law.”

“With four justices retiring, control of state Supreme Court could become election issue for next governor”: This article appears today in The Miami Herald.

“Reach of unanimous ruling extends beyond prostitution issue”: Sean Fine of The Toronto Globe and Mail has this article, along with an article headlined “The victor: Terri-Jean Bedford spent 20 years fighting prostitution laws.”

The newspaper also contains a related article headlined “The political options: Parliament has a year to respond to prostitution ruling.”