“The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz.” The Documentary Network has made freely available online at YouTube the entire documentary film.

“Mercury Rising — The coal industry and 22 states ask the Supreme Court to throw out new restrictions on toxic emissions.” Slate has posted online this “Amicus” podcast featuring Dahlia Lithwick.

“Oregon Supreme Court to consider: Is it ‘cruel and unusual’ to imprison public masturbator for life?” Aimee Green of The Oregonian has this report.

“Alabama Supreme Court says SCOTUS ruling on juvenile killers not retroactive”: Kent Faulk of The Birmingham News has this report.

You can access yesterday’s 7-to-2 ruling of the Supreme Court of Alabama at this link.

Chief Justice Roy S. Moore issued a dissenting opinion that begins by harshly criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court‘s decision in Miller v. Alabama prohibiting mandatory life sentences for juveniles and concludes by arguing that the Miller decision should nevertheless be applied retroactively on collateral review.

“State high court won’t hear arguments in John Doe cases”: Bruce Vielmetti and Patrick Marley of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have this report.

And Dee J. Hall of The Wisconsin State Journal has an article headlined “Supreme Court: No oral arguments in John Doe cases.”

You can access yesterday’s order of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, and the dissents therefrom, at this link.

“Is Advice Given Over The Internet Free Speech? Texas Veterinarian Heads to Federal Appellate Court Tomorrow With One Of First Amendment’s Most Important Unanswered Questions.” The Institute for Justice issued this news release earlier this year.

Today, a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued this ruling rejecting a Texas-licensed veterinarian’s First and Fourteenth Amendment challenges to certain aspects of Texas law regulating the practice of veterinary medicine.

“Catholics on Left and Right Find Common Ground Opposing Death Penalty”: Mark Oppenheimer will have this Beliefs column in Saturday’s edition of The New York Times.

“Diplomatic Assurances, Torture, and Judicial Review: The Bimenyimana Appeal.” Today at “Just Security,” Steve Vladeck has a blog post that begins, “Later this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will hear argument in one of the more quietly important torture cases to come before the federal courts in the past seven years (if not longer).”

“Gridlock and Purposivism in Statutory Interpretation”: Today at “Dorf on Law,” Michael Dorf has a post that begins, “On Monday, Justice Kennedy sent the blawgosphere into a bit of a tizzy when, in the course of testifying before the House Appropriations Committee, he answered a question about statutory interpretation.”

“Colorado officials defend marijuana legalization at U.S. Supreme Court”: John Ingold of The Denver Post has this news update.

And Reuters reports that “Colorado urges U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss interstate pot lawsuit.”

You can view at this link the brief in opposition that Colorado filed today in the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Scalia Fan Fiction: The lovable grouch is a lie.” Mark Joseph Stern has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“Makers of Generic Drugs Challenge F.D.A. Plan for Updated Warnings”: In Saturday’s edition of The New York Times, Sabrina Tavernise will have an article that begins, “The pharmaceutical industry mounted a new challenge on Friday to a federal plan that would require generic drug companies to take the initiative to update their labels to warn consumers whenever health risks were discovered, a shift that would expose the companies to legal liability.”

“Absurd Fourth Circuit ruling embodies everything that’s wrong with drug raids”: Radley Balko has this blog post today at “The Watch” blog of The Washington Post.

You can access at this link the unpublished opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit that is the subject of Balko’s post.

“Indiana Law Denounced as Invitation to Discriminate Against Gays”: Michael Barbaro and Erik Eckholm will have this article in Saturday’s edition of The New York Times.

And Tim Evans of The Indianapolis Star has an article headlined “Why were ‘religious freedom’ supporters mostly silent.”

“Review: ‘The Originalist,’ About Scalia, Opens in Washington.”
Charles Isherwood will have this theater review in Saturday’s edition of The New York Times.

“Amanda Knox Acquitted of 2007 Murder by Italy’s Highest Court”: The New York Times has this news update.

“A Tip From The Justices on Writing: Keep it Simple; An extraordinary disciplinary action concludes with an admonition to stick to ‘plain terms’ in briefs.” Tony Mauro of The National Law Journal has this report.

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

“Court upholds conviction of woman in Rwanda genocide case”: The Associated Press has this report.

My earlier coverage of Wednesday’s First Circuit ruling can be accessed here.

“With gay marriage case pending, religion bills gain ground”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “With the nation’s highest court set to hear arguments next month over the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans, legislation is advancing in several states that critics say gives businesses license to deny services to gays and lesbians on religious grounds.”

“States defend gay marriage bans as democratic actions”: Richard Wolf of USA Today has an article that begins, “The four states seeking to maintain bans against same-sex marriage told the Supreme Court Friday that the democratic process should decide the issue, not judicial dictate.”

“Court: Obligation to Make Sense May Not Be Delegated to Client.” Kevin Underhill had this post Tuesday at “Lowering the Bar.”

“DeWine defends state’s ban on same-sex marriage”: Jack Torry of The Columbus Dispatch has this news update.

And Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed reports that “Four States Set To Defend Marriage Bans At The Supreme Court.”

Via The Washington Blade, you can access at this link a copy of Ohio’s merits brief filed today in the U.S. Supreme Court.

And Michigan’s merits brief can be accessed here.

Update: Also now available online are the merits briefs of Kentucky and Tennessee.

“Harry Reid Saved Obamacare — but at a Price That Could Still Kill It; The Senate leader rescued the bill when it looked doomed; But the messy legislative process gave its opponents new life in court”: Dylan Scott has this article online today at National Journal.

“Campaign Money Tests Wisconsin Justices’ Impartiality”: Monica Davey will have this article in Saturday’s edition of The New York Times.

“In The Originalist, Theater Tries to Interpret Antonin Scalia: Jeffrey Rosen and Garrett Epps discuss a new play by John Strand, whose hero is the longest-serving justice currently on the Supreme Court.” Jeffrey Rosen and Garrett Epps have this essay online at The Atlantic.

In today’s mail: U.S. Senator Mike Lee‘s (R-UT) new book, “Our Lost Constitution: The Willful Subversion of America’s Founding Document.” The book’s official on-sale date is April 7, 2015.

“Chief Justice Roberts to visit Japan after term ends”: Robert Barnes of The Washington Post has this report.

“How Harry Reid Changed the Federal Courts”: Jeffrey Toobin has this post online today at The New Yorker.

“Argument preview: Mental disability and death sentencing.” Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Ottawa free to destroy Quebec’s gun-registry data, top court rules”: Sean Fine of The Toronto Globe and Mail has a news update that begins, “The federal government has the right to destroy Quebec records in the now-abolished federal gun registry, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Friday morning — with all three Quebec judges in the minority.”

And in related coverage, The Montreal Gazette has a news update headlined “Quebec says it will move ahead with its own long-gun registry.”

You can access today’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada at this link.

“He then hired his current attorney, Scott Yu”: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit today issued its ruling in a case captioned Shaohua He v. Eric H. Holder, Jr.

A petitioner with the last name He causes the Seventh Circuit’s ruling to contain some interesting factual exposition:

He testified that he entered the United States in 2007 in circuitous fashion through Indonesia and Canada before arriving in New York. He came to Chicago a year later, he said, to retain an attorney to apply for asylum based on mistreatment . . . .

Eventually, as the excerpt from the opinion quoted in the title of this post explains, He hired Yu to serve as his attorney.

Although today’s ruling somehow avoids turning into an Abbott & Costello routine, before concluding the decision not only rules against He but also contains some bad news for Yu.

Second Circuit rejects federal preemption and constitutional challenges to state Wage Parity Law, requiring that New York City-area home health care aides receive a so-called “living wage”: You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit at this link.

“Supreme Court Cases on EPA Emissions Regulations: Jeremy Jacobs talked about three consolidated cases heard before the Supreme Court to decide whether the Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act by requiring power plants to meet strict emissions standards.” C-SPAN has posted online this video segment from today’s broadcast of “Washington Journal.”

“Moore, Nelson Named to Board of Overseers Leadership”: The Harvard Crimson has an article that begins, “Karen Nelson Moore ’70, a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, will lead the Harvard Board of Overseers — the University’s second-highest governing body — as its new president for the 2015-2016 academic year, the University announced on Thursday.”

And the Harvard Gazette reports that “Karen Moore to lead Board of Overseers; Diana Nelson will become vice chair of executive committee.”

You can access a list of the people serving on Harvard University’s Board of Overseers at this link.

“‘Terrified’ Fed. Circ. Will Follow High Court, Michel Says”: Ryan Davis of Law360.com has this report (via Orin Kerr).