“Federal Agency Urges Court To Include Sexual Orientation Under Sex Discrimination Ban”: Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed News has this report.

“When Is A Useful Item Copyrightable? Warner Norcross Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Decide.” Warner Norcross & Judd LLP issued this news release today. You can view the cert. petition at this link.

“Ducey appoints Goldwater Institute’s Clint Bolick to Arizona Supreme Court”: Howard Fischer of The Arizona Daily Sun has this report.

The Arizona Republic reports that “Ducey appoints independent to Supreme Court.” In addition, columnist EJ Montini has an essay titled “Ducey’s new Arizona Supreme ‘Goldwater’ Court.”

The Associated Press reports that “Longtime attorney for Goldwater Institute chosen to be next justice on Arizona Supreme Court.”

You can access at this link today’s news release from Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.

And in commentary, at “The Volokh Conspiracy,” Jonathan H. Adler has a blog post titled “Institute for Justice co-founder named to Arizona Supreme Court.”

At ThinkProgress, Ian Millhiser has a post titled “The Most Chilling Political Appointment That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.”

And at Reason.com’s “Hit & Run” blog, Damon Root has a post titled “Libertarian Lawyer Clint Bolick Appointed to Arizona Supreme Court; Gov. Doug Ducey makes his first appointment to the state’s highest court.”

“Moore: Probate judges have ‘duty’ to follow SSM bans.” Brian Lyman of The Montgomery Advertiser has a report that begins, “Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore Wednesday morning said probate judges have a ‘ministerial duty’ to comply with state bans on same-sex marriage, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June striking down such restrictions.”

Mike Cason of AL.com reports that “Roy Moore says probate judges have duty to enforce same-sex marriage ban.”

The Associated Press has a report headlined “Alabama justice: Judges should refuse gay marriage licenses.”

And Reuters reports that “Alabama chief justice orders halt to same-sex marriage licenses.”

You can view the administrative order that Chief Justice Roy S. Moore of the Supreme Court of Alabama issued today at this link.

“A look at a changing Pennsylvania Supreme Court as its newest justice takes oath of office”: The Associated Press has this report.

And NewsWorks reports that “New Pa. Supreme Court Justice Dougherty vows fairness, independence.”

“Time to get Pa. judges out of the campaign, fundraising business”: Lynn A. Marks had this essay recently in The Morning Call of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

“In thwarted move, Justice Eakin tried to install new leaders in city courts”: Craig R. McCoy and Mark Fazlollah have this front page article in today’s edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

And in last Friday’s edition of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Eileen Colianni had a letter to the editor titled “Justice Eakin’s email mess calls his fairness into question.”

“The Central Question in the Bill Cosby Criminal Case”: Jeffrey Toobin had this post yesterday online at The New Yorker.

“Do we need a constitutional convention on campaign finance?” Law professor Richard L. Hasen — author of the “Election Law Blog” — has this op-ed in The Los Angeles Times.

“The Death Penalty’s Last Stand: Capital punishment is collapsing under the weight of its own corruption and cruelty.” Law professor Charles Ogletree has this jurisprudence essay online today at Slate.

“U.S. discounts constitutional issue on immigration”: Lyle Denniston has this post today at “SCOTUSblog.”

“How Ted Cruz Became Ted Cruz: In just a few years, he turned an obscure Texas legal post into a national platform for red-meat conservative causes.” Michael Kruse has this article online at Politico Magazine.

According to the article, “In the middle of his stretch as solicitor general, Cruz actually had been approached about becoming a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, according to Don Willett, who worked with Cruz at the time and is now a justice of the Supreme Court of Texas.”

“Seidel’s Suckhole Death Not Fault of Rafting Company, Judge Rules”: Westword had this report back in November 2014.

Today, the majority on a partially divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit — in a characteristically well-written opinion by Circuit Judge Neil M. Gorsuch — affirmed the trial court’s ruling.

“Laid-off Vanderbilt employees may get $285,000”: Stacey Barchenger of The Tennessean had this article back in May of 2015.

Today, a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued this ruling in favor of Vanderbilt reversing the district court’s judgment.

“Abortion case at Supreme Court gets personal”: Richard Wolf of USA Today has this report.

“Russian Vodka Dispute Sent Back to Lower Court”: Courthouse News Service has a report that begins, “Claims over Stolichnaya vodka trademarks must be reconsidered because a federal judge improperly considered whether a transfer of the marks was valid under Russian law, the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday.”

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

“Prosecutors getting tough on ‘ambulance chasing’; Prosecutors zero in on lawyer who solicited clients”: Cindy Horswell of The Houston Chronicle has this report. You can freely access the full text of the article via Google.

“The Absurdly Harsh Penalties That Sparked the Oregon Rancher Protest: A federal judge rejected mandatory minimums for Dwight and Steven Hammond as unconstitutional; an appeals court disagreed.” Jacob Sullum has this post at Reason.com’s “Hit & Run” blog.

“Texas’ top criminal court halted far more executions in 2015”: Brandi Grissom of The Dallas Morning News has this report.

“How the High Court Could Shake Up the 2016 Campaign: From immigration to abortion to the power of unions, the Supreme Court is entering this election year with a full plate of politically charged cases.” Sam Baker of National Journal has this report.

“Still no nominee for circuit”: The Forum of Fargo, North Dakota today posted online an editorial that begins, “Judge Kermit Bye of Fargo announced more than a year ago he would take senior status on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. He did so early in 2015. Yet, there still is no nominee to fill his position.”

“Objections raised as courtrooms go digital”: The Boston Globe has this report.

“Court: Stores don’t have to pay for right to sell books on Rosa Parks.” Kent Faulk of The Birmingham News has this report.

At the “THR, Esq.” blog of The Hollywood Reporter, Eriq Gardner has a post titled “Rosa Parks Heirs Lose Legal Battle Over Movie, Books Sold at Target.”

And at “The Volokh Conspiracy,” Eugene Volokh has a blog post titled “Target has right to sell Rosa Parks biographies, commemorative plaque.”

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

“Obama Administration Opposes Texas Abortion Restrictions; Solicitor general urges Supreme Court to strike down regulations”: Jess Bravin of The Wall Street Journal has this report.

Update: In other coverage, Joan Biskupic of Reuters reports that “Obama administration asks U.S. top court to reject Texas abortion law.”

“Christian pharmacists appeal ‘conscience’ case to Supreme Court; Oppose Wash. law that says they must dispense Plan B, other products”: Cheryl Wetzstein of The Washington Times has this report.

This post from earlier today contains a link to the petition for a writ of certiorari.

“This Boy’s Life: At 16, Taurus Buchanan threw one deadly punch — and was sent away for life; Will the Supreme Court give him, and hundreds like him, a chance at freedom?” Corey G. Johnson and Ken Armstrong have this article online today at The Marshall Project.

“The First Amendment, the right of publicity, video games and the Supreme Court”: Eugene Volokh has this blog post today at “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

“Unions, Abortion, Obamacare: 3 Supreme Court Cases to Watch in 2016; The 2015-2016 SCOTUS term heats back up.” Damon Root has this post today at the “Hit & Run” blog of Reason.com.

“As Justices Weigh Affirmative Action, Michigan Offers an Alternative”: Anemona Hartocollis will have this article in Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times.

“Ninth Circuit Judge Richard R. Clifton Announces Intention to Take Senior Status”: The Public Information Office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued this news release today.

“The Supreme Court’s next big class action controversy: ascertainability.” Alison Frankel’s “On the Case” from Thomson Reuters News & Insight has this report today.

“Argument preview: New threat to public-employee unions.” Lyle Denniston has this post today at “SCOTUSblog.”

Cert. petition filed today: You can access at this link the petition for a writ of certiorari that I filed today in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of a criminal defendant client in a case arising from the Third Circuit that presents a split among the circuits on an issue of federal statute of limitations law.

“‘Citizens United’ advisory measure can go on ballot, California high court says”: Maura Dolan of The Los Angeles Times has this news update.

And Howard Mintz of The San Jose Mercury News reports that “California Supreme Court backs advisory ballot measures.”

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

“Pharmacists to Supreme Court: Protect our religious conscience.” The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty issued this news release today. You can view the petition for a writ of certiorari at this ink.