“Federal prisons on lockdown in run-up to Biden inauguration”: Michael R. Sisak and Michael Balsamo of The Associated Press have this report.

“Merrick Garland may be the attorney general America needs; It is essential that the next attorney general be respected for his experience, intelligence, integrity, and impartiality”: Senior U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf (D. Mass.) has this op-ed in today’s edition of The Boston Globe.

“U.S. urges immunity for Trump from rape accuser’s lawsuit”: Jonathan Stempel of Reuters has this report.

Erik Larson of Bloomberg News reports that “Trump Asks Appeals Court to Let Him Dodge Rape Accuser Suit.”

Larry Neumeister of The Associated Press reports that “US lawyers ask 2nd Circuit to nix Trump from defamation suit.”

And Tal Axelrod of The Hill reports that “Justice Dept. argues Trump should get immunity from rape accuser’s lawsuit.”

“Harris to be sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor at inauguration; Justice Sonia Sotomayor is another historic female first”: Averi Harper and Beatrice Peterson of ABC News have this report.

“Trump Targeted the Mentally Ill With His Lame Duck Execution Spree”: Austin Sarat has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

Also online there, Mark Joseph Stern has a jurisprudence essay titled “Sonia Sotomayor Condemns Trump’s Execution Spree: ‘This Is Not Justice.’“

“Census due to count all immigrants”: Lyle Denniston has a blog post that begins, “A part of government anti-immigrant policy that President Trump and his aides pursued throughout their four years in office reached its end on Friday in a federal courthouse in California.”

“Business as usual for high court, despite riot, impeachment”: Mark Sherman of The Associated Press has this report.

“U.S. Carries Out Last Execution of Trump’s Term; Dustin Higgs, the 13th and final federal inmate to die before President Trump leaves office, was executed after the Supreme Court gave its approval”: Jess Bravin of The Wall Street Journal has this report.

Heather Yakin of The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that “Dustin Higgs, Poughkeepsie native, becomes 13th Trump execution after Supreme Court ruling.”

And Ariane de Vogue of CNN reports that “Supreme Court’s liberal justices lash out at unprecedented ‘rush’ of executions as Trump leaves office.”

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

“Crow man who won tribal hunting rights case at U.S. Supreme Court denies child porn charges”: Phoebe Tollefson of The Billings Gazette has this report.

Update: I updated this post on January 18, 2021 to reflect the publication’s revision of the article’s headline.

“Boston Marathon Bomber Appeal Is Early Biden Death-Penalty Test”: Jordan S. Rubin of Bloomberg Law has this report.

“Senate gives Connecticut Supreme Court justice Andrew McDonald final approval for 8 more years on high court”: Christopher Keating of The Hartford Courant has an article that begins, “Despite controversy and charges that he is an activist judge, Connecticut Supreme Court justice Andrew J. McDonald was approved Friday by the state Senate for another eight years on the state’s highest court.”

“Supreme Court, Other D.C. Courts Close Ahead of Inauguration”: Kimberly Strawbridge Robinson of Bloomberg Law has an article (subscription required for full access) that begins, “The Supreme Court and other federal courts in Washington are closing their doors to in-person business until after the presidential inauguration due to security concerns prompted by the Capitol riot.”

“How the rioters who stormed the Capitol came dangerously close to Pence”: Ashley Parker, Carol D. Leonnig, Paul Kane, and Emma Brown of The Washington Post have this report.

“After 2 Impeachments, Giuliani Vows to Continue His Fervor for Trump; White House officials are universally angry with Rudolph W. Giuliani and blame him for both of President Trump’s impeachments; But he remains one of few people still willing to join Mr. Trump in the foxhole”: Katie Rogers and Maggie Haberman have this article in today’s edition of The New York Times.

“What Commonwealth Court’s Decision to Scrap Victim Rights Amendment Could Mean for Judicial Districts Plan: The ripple effect of the decision on the ‘Marsy’s Law’ ballot question could be felt if the judicial district proposal is put before voters in the May primary.” Max Mitchell of The Legal Intelligencer, Philadelphia’s daily newspaper for lawyers, has this report.

“U.S. Supreme Court to decide if Pa. school district can punish cheerleader over profane SnapChat post”: Matt Miller of The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has this report.

“On guns, abortion and voting rights, Trump leaves lasting mark on U.S. judiciary”: Lawrence Hurley of Reuters has this report.

“Does the Chief Justice Preside over an Ex-President’s Impeachment Trial? Conflicting signals from the Belknap impeachment.” Will Baude has this post at “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

“When Exactly Do Democrats Take Control in Washington?” Laura Litvan, Laurence Arnold, and Steven T. Dennis of Bloomberg News have this report.

“A $38 million injury verdict is in limbo after the court reporter — and trial transcript — go missing”: Bruce Vielmetti of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has this report, along with an updated report headlined “Judge says missing court reporter is hospitalized; state will try to extract needed transcripts from her equipment.”

“Pennsylvania’s Last 2020 Election Mess: A mail-vote fiasco comes to an end, 70 days after the election.” The Wall Street Journal has published this editorial.

“Abortion drug ruling highlights Trump’s wins on the Supreme Court ‘shadow docket'”: Joan Biskupic of CNN has this report.

“Trump is understandably tempted to pardon himself. It won’t work.” Law professor William N. Eskridge Jr. has this essay online at The Washington Post.

“Lawmakers who conspired with Capitol attackers in legal peril; If any members of Congress are proven to have colluded with the rioters, their position likely won’t save them from criminal liability”: Josh Gerstein of Politico has this report.

“Cory Johnson, facing execution Thursday for Richmond murders, is appealing to U.S. Supreme Court”: Frank Green of The Richmond Times-Dispatch has this report.

“A $6,300 Bus. A $33 Last Meal. What New Documents Tell Us About Trump’s Execution Spree. Feds spent millions to restart the death penalty and in the process revealed much about how they do it.” Keri Blakinger and Maurice Chammah of The Marshall Project have this report.

“Trump Struggles to Find Lawyers as Impeachment Trial Nears”: Tom Schoenberg, Jennifer Jacobs, and Jordan Fabian of Bloomberg News have this report.

And Edvard Pettersson of Bloomberg News has an article headlined “Insurrection? Sedition? Unpacking the Legal Issues From the Capitol Riot.”

“Why Trump Can Be Convicted Even as an Ex-President: He is the poster child for why such accountability is not just constitutionally permissible but necessary.” Law professor Stephen I. Vladeck has this essay online at The New York Times.

“The Supreme Court Won’t Explain Why It Just Greenlit New Abortion Restrictions; The court issued its first abortion decision since Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed”: Law professor Leah Litman has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“The Supreme Court After Trump: Now that his presidency has disintegrated into mayhem, how are the conservative justices processing his tenure?” Linda Greenhouse has this essay online at The New York Times.

“Trump considering lawyer who spoke at rally for impeachment defense — sources”: Karen Freifeld of Reuters has this report.

“Controversial law professor John Eastman retires from Chapman University; School President Daniele Struppa said the negotiated exit ends a ‘challenging chapter'”: Brooke Staggs and Andre Mouchard of The Orange County Register have this report.

Nina Agrawal and Matthew Ormseth of The Los Angeles Times report that “Chapman professor will retire after uproar over his speaking at Trump rally.”

Andrea Salcedo of The Washington Post has an article headlined “Law professor John Eastman spoke at rally before Capitol riots. Facing outrage, he won’t return to his university.”

Today, John C. Eastman issued a statement titled “John Eastman’s Statement on His Retirement from Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law.”

Access today’s ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in an argued case: Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court, Justice Amy Coney Barrett not participating, in Chicago v. Fulton, No. 19-357. And Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a concurring opinion. You can access the oral argument via this link.

“Trump is isolated and angry at aides for failing to defend him as he is impeached again”: Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey, and Ashley Parker of The Washington Post have this report.

“Harvard Law School Organizations Petition to Denounce Professor Adrian Vermeule’s ‘Highly Offensive’ Online Rhetoric”: Emmy M. Cho and Isabella B. Cho of The Harvard Crimson have this report.