“Appeals court tosses Austin housing lawsuit”: Mary Huber of The Austin American-Statesman has an article that begins, “A federal appeals court Wednesday tossed out a city of Austin lawsuit that fought to overturn a state law that limits housing options for poor people.”

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

“What the C.I.A.’s Torture Program Looked Like to the Tortured; Drawings done in captivity by the first prisoner known to undergo ‘enhanced interrogation’ portray his account of what happened to him in vivid and disturbing ways”: Carol Rosenberg of The New York Times has this report.

“Inslee appoints Raquel Montoya-Lewis as first Native American to sit on Washington Supreme Court”: Joseph O’Sullivan of The Seattle Times has this report.

Alexis Krell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports that “Governor appoints new justice to Washington State Supreme Court.”

Jim Camden of The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Washington reports that “Raquel Montoya-Lewis named as first Native American to Washington Supreme Court.”

And the Washington State Governor’s Office issued a news release titled “Inslee names first Native American to Washington State Supreme Court.”

“Judge Who Wouldn’t Say Brown Decision Correct Changes Mind”: Madison Alder of Bloomberg Law has this report on today’s U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing (view the video at this link) for Eleventh Circuit nominee U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Brasher (M.D. Ala.).

“Justices debate allowing state law to be ‘hidden behind a pay wall’; An open-government activist published Georgia law online; Then the state sued”: Timothy B. Lee of Ars Technica has this report.

You can access at this link the transcript of Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc., No. 18-1150.

“Senate confirms St. Louis County lawyer’s appointment as federal judge”: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an article that begins, “The U.S. Senate on a party-line vote of 49-44 on Wednesday confirmed lawyer Sarah E. Pitlyk as the next federal judge in St. Louis.”

Alex Swoyer of The Washington Times reports that “Ex-Kavanaugh clerk confirmed to judgeship over progressive opposition citing women’s rights.”

Madison Alder of Bloomberg Law reports that “Another ABA ‘Unqualified’ Trump Nominee Confirmed as Judge.”

Jordain Carney of The Hill reports that “Senate confirms Trump pick labeled ‘not qualified’ by American Bar Association.”

Tim Ryan of Courthouse News Service reports that “Missouri Court Pick Confirmed Despite Anti-Abortion Record.”

In commentary, online at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Amy Kuo Hammerman has an essay titled “Newly confirmed judge for Missouri lacks qualifications, deserved rejection.”

And online at Slate, Mark Joseph Stern has a jurisprudence essay titled “Senate Confirms Trump Judicial Nominee Who Fought Against Abortion, Surrogacy, and Fertility Treatment.”

Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Sarah E. Pitlyk to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri by a vote of 49-to-44.

“In many states, marriage is still a defense against rape”: Stephanie Ebbert of The Boston Globe has this report.

“”Your honor, can I tell the whole story?’ A murder in New Orleans, a trial that lasted less than a day, and the lives they entangled for the next three decades.” Nick Chrastil has this article online at The Atavist Magazine.

“How This Con Man’s Wild Testimony Sent Dozens to Jail, and 4 to Death Row. Paul Skalnik is a grifter and criminal. Now a man may be executed because of his dubious testimony. Why did prosecutors rely on him as an informant?” Pamela Colloff will have this article in this upcoming Sunday’s edition of The New York Times Magazine.

“They Pushed Hard This Year to Curtail Abortion. Wait for 2020. Another surge of stringent abortion limits is expected in state legislatures next year, highlighting a rift among conservatives about political strategy.” Timothy Williams of The New York Times has this report.

“I Oversaw Executions. We Cannot Resume the Federal Death Penalty. The system has too many flaws for the Trump administration to carry out the executions it has scheduled for Monday.” Online at The New York Times, Jim Petro has an essay that begins, “I have seen the death penalty up close. During my years as Ohio’s Republican attorney general, I oversaw 18 executions. Before that, I helped write the state’s death penalty law as a legislator. I’ve heard all the justifications — deterrence, support for victims, cost savings. And I know now they are all wrong, and those misguided arguments act as a smoke screen for the profound flaws that mark capital punishment.”

“Republicans To Confirm Lifetime Federal Judge Opposed To Fertility Treatments; Sarah Pitlyk argued that IVF and surrogacy have ‘grave effects on society’ and lead to ‘diminished respect for motherhood'”: Jennifer Bendery of HuffPost has this report.

“Trump’s Justice Department asks the Supreme Court to let it rush 4 executions; Attorney General Bill Barr wants to execute the first federal inmate in 16 years”: Ian Millhiser has this essay online at Vox.

“In Florida, ex-felons’ right to vote could depend on a comma”: Mark Schlakman has this essay online at The Miami Herald.

“Impeachment feels a lot like Kavanaugh 2.0”: Columnist Ruth Marcus has this essay online at The Washington Post.

“A dog collar bought on Amazon failed, now this Pennsylvania woman is blind in one eye. Who’s liable?” In today’s edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Harold Brubaker has this front page article about a case that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is scheduled to rehear en banc in early 2020.