“Judges’ procedural questions hint at skepticism on California death penalty ban”: Maura Dolan of The Los Angeles Times has this report.

Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that “Federal judges hint they’ll bow out of challenge to death penalty.”

Howard Mintz of The San Jose Mercury News reports that “California death penalty under court microscope.”

In Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times, Erik Eckholm will have an article headlined “California Defends Its Review Process in Appeal to Preserve Death Penalty.”

Reuters reports that “Appeals court looks reluctant to overturn California death penalty.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Court considers challenge to California death penalty.”

You can view the video of today’s oral argument before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

“Supreme Court Says Kentucky Clerk Must Let Gay Couples Marry”: Adam Liptak of The New York Times has this report.

Sandhya Somashekhar and Robert Barnes of The Washington Post report that “Supreme Court rejects county official’s request in gay-marriage case.”

David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times has an article headlined “Kentucky clerk who refused to issue gay marriage licenses is out of luck: Supreme Court rejects her case.”

Richard Wolf of USA Today reports that “Supreme Court says Kentucky clerk can’t deny same-sex marriage licenses.”

Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News reports that “Clerk Must Issue Gay-Marriage Licenses After High Court Rebuff.”

Reuters reports that “U.S. Supreme Court denies Kentucky clerk request on gay marriage licenses.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Kentucky clerk loses on same-sex marriage plea.”

“Supreme Court rules against clerk in gay marriage case”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against a Kentucky county clerk who says her Christian faith should exempt her from having to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.”

You can access this evening’s order of the U.S. Supreme Court at this link.

And in related coverage, The Louisville Courier-Journal has a news update headlined “Rowan clerk could face criminal prosecution.”

“In the Execution Business, Missouri Is Surging; Defense lawyers call it a crisis; the state says it’s just doing its job”: Maurice Chammah has this article online today at The Marshall Project.

“US Supreme Court: Ex-Virginia gov to remain free for now.” The Associated Press has this report.

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Former governor to remain free during appeal.”

You can access today’s order of the U.S. Supreme Court at this link.

“[T]he government’s continued authorization of the [“Big Mountain Jesus”] statue on federal land does not violate the Establishment Clause.” So holds the majority on a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a non-precedential ruling issued today (via “Mirror of Justice“).

“U.S. appeals court rules for Argentine central bank in bond case”: Nate Raymond of Reuters has this report.

And Bloomberg News reports that “Argentine Central Bank Assets Can’t Be Seized by Bondholders.”

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

“Court to rule if California death penalty is cruel, unusual”: The Associated Press has this report.

The death penalty in early America: In the September 7, 2015 issue of The New Yorker, Stacy Schiff has an “Annals of Terror” article titled “The Witches of Salem: In 1692, the Massachusetts Bay Colony executed fourteen women, five men, and two dogs for witchcraft.”

Schiff’s new book — “The Witches: Salem, 1692” — is scheduled for publication on October 27, 2015.

“Marshall Rothstein muses on nine years in Canada’s Supreme Court; ‘I do not view the court as being any opposition to the government,’ retiring judge tells the Star; ‘We’re just trying to do our job'”: Tonda MacCharles has this front page article in today’s edition of The Toronto Star.

“Supreme Court’s ‘Long Conference’: Where Appeals ‘Go to Die.'” Adam Liptak will have this new installment of his “Sidebar” column in Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times.

Liptak’s report discusses, among other things, an article recently posted online at SSRN titled “Seasonal Affective Disorder: Clerk Training and the Success of Supreme Court Certiorari Petitions.”