“Gang of 14 Agreement Preserves Senate Filibuster of Judicial Nominations; ‘The nuclear option is gone for our lifetime,’ crowed Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid”: Ed Whelan has this post at his “Confirmation Tales” Substack site.

“Reactions to the Smith & Wesson Oral Argument”: Dan Epps has this post at the “Divided Argument” Substack site.

“Oklahoma’s ‘dirty political laundry’ on full display as U.S. Supreme Court takes interest in state”: Professors Emily Stacey and Christine Pappas have this essay online at Oklahoma Voice.

“Kansas Senate adopts plan to elect Supreme Court justices, a step toward overturning abortion rights”: Sherman Smith of Kansas Reflector has this report.

“Griffin opposes full Appeals Court hearing, Murry recusal in election dispute”: The Carolina Journal has this report.

“Arkansas Supreme Court orders chief justice to hand over HR report in dispute with administrator; Chief Justice Karen Baker has until noon Tuesday to give the court information about her actions in the Justice Building on Dec. 4-5, 2024”: Tess Vrbin of Arkansas Advocate has this report.

“The Assault on the Independent Judiciary”: Justice Clint Bolick of the Supreme Court of Arizona has this essay online at RealClearPolitics.

And in news coverage, Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services reports that “Arizona Supreme Court Justice Bolick says the independent judiciary ‘is under grave attack.’“

“US Insists Cryptocurrency Wallets Make Goldstein a Flight Risk; One wallet transacted $100 million since late 2022, US says; Goldstein denies ownership, seeks looser release conditions”: John Woolley of Bloomberg Law has this report.

You can access a redacted copy of the brief that the federal government filed yesterday at this link.

“In a first for South Carolina, Brad Sigmon is executed by firing squad”: Ted Clifford and Javon L. Harris of The State of Columbia, South Carolina have this report.

And Eduardo Medina of The New York Times reports that “South Carolina Executes Inmate by Firing Squad; The last time such an execution took place was 15 years ago, in Utah; The inmate in South Carolina chose the method because of his concerns about lethal injection, his lawyer said.”

“Impeach Judges, Say the Right’s AOCs; Articles of impeachment against judges who rule against Trump are a corrosive stunt”: This editorial will appear in Saturday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal.

“Lawyer Appointed in Adams Case Says Charges Should Be Dropped; Paul D. Clement also said a judge should not allow the Trump administration to use the court’s authority to compel Mr. Adams’s support in the White House’s mass deportation efforts”: Benjamin Weiser of The New York Times has this report.

You can view the amicus brief at this link.

“Veteran legal conservatives rush to Justice Barrett’s defense amid MAGA backlash”: John Fritze of CNN has this report.

“The One Question That Really Matters: If Trump Defies the Courts, Then What?” Law professor Erwin Chemerinsky has this guest essay online at The New York Times.

“Anti-DEI Attacks on Georgetown Law Violate the First Amendment; Interim DC US Attorney Ed Martin’s threats to the school also smack of McCarthyism”: Law professor Stephen L. Carter has this essay online at Bloomberg Opinion.

“The Justice from Fox News: Samuel Alito too often ventures into the trenches of the culture wars.” Reynolds Holding has this post at his “Better Judgment” Substack site.

“MAGA world turns against Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett; The Trump-appointed justice has shifted the court to the right, but she has angered some in MAGA world by voting against some of President Donald Trump’s priorities”: Lawrence Hurley of NBC News has this report.