“Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on Why Judges Wear Black Robes; The Supreme Court icon breaks down the tradition”: Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor had this essay in the November 2013 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

“Federal judge hears arguments on Kansas same-sex marriage ban”: Brad Cooper of The Kansas City Star has this news update.

Bryan Lowry of The Wichita Eagle has a news update headlined “Federal court doesn’t immediately rule on Kansas’ same-sex marriage ban.”

The Topeka Capital-Journal has a news update headlined “Judge questions arguments against same-sex marriage during hearing; Judge promises to issue ruling soon.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Kansas urges judge not to rule on gay marriage.”

“Why Some People See Ghosts at the Federal Circuit”: Jenna Greene has this post today at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.” You can freely access the full text of the post via Google.

“Artist royalties case asks en banc 9th Circ.: Can Calif. regulate whole U.S.?” Alison Frankel’s “On the Case” from Thomson Reuters News & Insight has this report today.

And at the “Hollywood, Esq.” blog of The Hollywood Reporter, Eriq Gardner has a post titled “Why Chuck Close’s Legal Fight Over Art Resale Royalties Might Impact Climate Change; An appeals court decides to give extra attention to an almost forgotten California law entitling artists to five percent of resale royalties.”

“Lousy Judgment: This year’s scary election ads will destroy any lingering confidence in the judicial branch.” Richard L. Hasen and Dahlia Lithwick have this jurisprudence essay online today at Slate.

“Why Innocent People Plead Guilty”: Senior U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff (S.D.N.Y.) has this essay in the November 20, 2014 issue of The New York Review of Books.

“Apple’s Cook signals front line of new gay rights battle”: Dan Levine and Fiona Ortiz of Reuters have an article that begins, “In his essay coming out as gay, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook criticized an Arizona proposal that would have given private business owners the ability to deny services to gay people on religious grounds.”

Update: The “Opening Remarks” section of the current issue of Bloomberg Businessweek is titled “Tim Cook Speaks Up.”

“Husband’s Arrest in India Tests Colonial-Era Sex Law”: This article appears in today’s edition of The New York Times.

“GOP Senate would alter Judiciary panel’s agenda”: USA Today has this report.

“Idaho Governor Vows To Keep Fighting Supreme Court Ruling Allowing Same-Sex Marriage”: Jennifer Bendery of The Huffington Post has an article that begins, “Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) vowed Thursday to keep fighting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriage in his state, even as that effort costs Idaho tens of thousands of dollars.”

“Is Your Judge for Sale? Thanks to Karl Rove and Citizens United, judicial elections have been overtaken by secretive interest groups, nasty ads, and the constant hustle for campaign cash.” Andy Kroll has this article online at Mother Jones.

“In Colorado, It’s not your mom’s women’s lib: Birth control and abortion are front and center in a Senate race between two men, and it’s driving some women crazy.” CNN.com has this report.

“Should We Really Save the Devils Hole Pupfish? They’re an inch long; There are fewer than 100 left; Is it worth the effort?” on Earth, the magazine of the Natural Resources Defense Counci, has this article. According to the article, “The whole hubbub went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1976 ruled in favor of the fish, the hole, and the environment.”

Additional information is available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and from a New York Times article published in 2008.

“Argument preview: How much control do agencies have over what whistleblowers may disclose?” Steve Vladeck has this post today at “SCOTUSblog.”

“New York Police Unions Can’t Challenge Stop-Frisk Accord”: Bloomberg News has this report.

And The Associated Press reports that “Union appeal denied in NY stop and frisk case.”

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

“If You Thought the Legal Challenges to the Affordable Care Act Were Over, You’d Be Wrong”: Ariane De Vogue of ABC News has this report today.

“Appellate Court: Unredeemed Borders Gift Cards Are Still Worthless.” Today at WSJ.com’s “Bankruptcy Beat” blog, Sara Randazzo has this post about a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued Wednesday.

“Who Controls Foreign Policy: The President or Congress? A Supreme Court case over whether passports for people born in Jerusalem should read ‘Israel’ or not could have a surprisingly big effect on the balance of power in the United States.” Law professor Garrett Epps has this essay online today at The Atlantic.

“There’s Only 1 Thing at Stake in the Senate Race”: Jonathan Chait has this post today at New York Magazine’s “Daily Intelligencer” blog.

“Ohio Supreme Court candidate John O’Donnell broke ‘clean campaign’ pledge with negative ad, Ohio State Bar Association says”: The Cleveland Plain Dealer has this report.

And The Columbus Dispatch has a blog post titled “Bar calls on O’Donnell to remove ‘false’ ad against French.”

“Michigan Supreme Court race is friendlier, less costly”: The Detroit Free Press has this report.

“UBS cannot arbitrate with Nasdaq over Facebook IPO: court.” Jonathan Stempel of Reuters has this early report on the ruling that a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued today.

“SCOTUS for law students: Rearguments.” Today at “SCOTUSblog,” Stephen Wermiel has an interesting post that begins, “Few procedures at the Supreme Court are more mysterious than the decision to reargue a case.”

Bill Mears of CNN.com is reporting: He has articles headlined “Air marshal whistleblower gets high court hearing over leaks to media” and “Supreme Court justices imagined as dogs.”

“Washington state court says accused rapists cannot bear burden of proving consent”: Reuters has this report.

And The Associated Press reports that “Washington Supreme Court shifts burden in rape cases.”

You can access yesterday’s 6-to-3 ruling of the Supreme Court of Washington State at this link.

“Affordable Care Act opponents are cherry-picking their history”: Tom Harkin, Ron Wyden, Sander M. Levin, George Miller, and Henry A. Waxman have this essay online at The Washington Post.

“Transparency for thee, but not for me?” Today at Politico.com, Josh Gerstein has a blog post that begins, “While Attorney General Eric Holder is calling for the Senate and the Obama Administration to lay bare the alleged abuse of detainees in Central Intelligence Agency custody, his Justice Department is going to unusual lengths to impose a complete black-out on details about the investigations he supervised into those same incidents.”

“VanDyke’s background: Conservative ties and practicing appellate law in Texas, D.C. and Montana.” This article appears in today’s edition of The Billings Gazette.

And yesterday’s newspaper contained an article headlined “Wheat’s Supreme Court record under attack; what’s actually in the record?”

“Nine judges eye three state Supreme Court seats”: Chris Brennan has this article in today’s edition of The Philadelphia Daily News.