“Supreme Court justices turn children’s books into big paydays; The trend is fueled by their status as political celebrities in a deeply divided country”: Julian Mark of The Washington Post has this report.

“Legal heavyweights duke it out at high court over federalism; Each with dozens of arguments under their belts, the two esteemed attorneys left the justices seemingly divided in an otherwise lower profile appeal”: Kelsey Reichmann of Courthouse News Service has this report.

“Court Leaks and Attorney-Journalists; The professional-ethics implications of making court confidences public”: Stephen E. Sachs has this post at the “Divided Argument” Substack site.

“The NYT and the ‘Shadow Papers’; Thoughts on the reporting”: Jack Goldsmith has this post at the “Executive Functions” Substack site.

“Trump Administration to Begin Refunding $166 Billion in Tariffs; The government will debut a system to repay importers two months after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs at the heart of the president’s trade policy”: Tony Romm and Ana Swanson of The New York Times have this report.

“The Cancer Victims Who Could Sink Bayer’s Roundup Settlement; With thousands of cases piling up in U.S. courts, the company’s relief plans still face hurdles”: Patrick Thomas and Erin Mulvaney of The Wall Street Journal have this report.

“F.B.I. Director Sues The Atlantic Over Article Claiming Excessive Drinking; Mr. Patel sued the publication for defamation, asking for $250 million in damages; A spokeswoman for The Atlantic called the suit ‘meritless’”: Katie Robertson of The New York Times has this report.

Scott Nover of The Washington Post reports that “FBI Director Kash Patel sues the Atlantic for $250M, alleging defamation; The magazine published a report alleging Patel engaged in ‘excessive drinking’ in work settings and had ‘unexplained absences.’”

And Isabella Simonetti of The Wall Street Journal reports that “FBI Director Kash Patel Sues the Atlantic for Defamation; Patel is seeking $250 million in damages after alleging an article from last week was malicious and inaccurate.”

You can access the complaint initiating suit at this link.

“Uncertainty reigns at DOJ in the aftermath of Bondi’s departure; Acting attorney general Todd Blanche has moved quickly to put his stamp on the department, but other Trump loyalists also appear to be vying for leading roles”: Jeremy Roebuck, Perry Stein, Salvador Rizzo, and Theodoric Meyer of The Washington Post have this report.

“Pa. court recognizes ‘reproductive autonomy’ as a right, strikes down ban on public funding for abortion; In a 4-3 ruling, the Commonwealth Court found that abortion access is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Pennsylvania Constitution”: Abraham Gutman of The Philadelphia Inquirer has this report.

You can access today’s 112-page, 4-to-3 decision of the en banc Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania at this link.

“221. Chief Justice Roberts and the Clean Power Plan: Remarkable reporting from the New York Times provides a peek behind the curtain of the February 2016 rulings that ushered in the modern emergency docket; And what it reveals is pretty discouraging.” Steve Vladeck has this post at his “One First” Substack site.

At the “Divided Argument” Substack site, William Baude has a post titled “The Non-Scandalous Clean Power Plan Memos.”

And at his Substack site, Chris Geidner has a post titled “The 2016 Supreme Court memos and the mess that John Roberts has made of his court; The New York Times scoop about the Clean Power Plan case SCOTUS memos highlights the conservative justices’ brazen disregard for their own rules — both then and now.”

“Will Trump Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell? Her Lawyer Thinks So. Florida attorney David Oscar Markus has made a career of representing controversial clients. His next challenge is trying to get Ghislaine Maxwell out of prison.” Hailey Fuchs has this report online at Politico Magazine.

“Last Branch Standing: Sarah Isgur; The conventional wisdom about the Supreme Court is just wrong, according to Isgur — Advisory Opinions host, SCOTUSblog editor, and well-known legal commentator.” You can access the new episode of David Lat’s “Original Jurisdiction” Substack via this link.

“SCOTUS Squabbles Go Public”: You can access today’s new episode of the “Strict Scrutiny” podcast via this link and on YouTube.

“Judicial Notice (04.19.26): Please Stop! A judge’s excited utterances against Trump, a sweeping verdict against Live Nation’s predations, a halt to a high-profile contempt inquiry, and an impressive new boutique.” David Lat has this post at his “Original Jurisdiction” Substack site.

“Father wants R.I. Supreme Court to see if state law allowing grandparent visitation is unconstitutional”: Amanda Milkovits of The Boston Globe has this report.

“In Washington’s culture of insults, Sotomayor’s apology stands out; In today’s political climate, personal attacks are routine; The Supreme Court operates by a different code, one where personal grievances are expected to stay separate from legal disagreement”: Columnist Dace Potas has this essay online at USA Today.

“What Clarence Thomas doesn’t understand about democracy; The Supreme Court justice’s insistence that rights come from God, not government, couldn’t be more wrong”: Paul Waldman has this essay online at MS Now.

“Supreme Court weighs phone searches to find criminals amid complaints of ‘digital dragnets’”: David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times has this report.

“SEC’s Power to Recoup Illicit Profits Challenged at Supreme Court”: Greg Stohr and Nicola M White of Bloomberg News have this report.

“Chief Justice Roberts could learn from baseball great Ted Williams when it comes to leaks; The New York Times published internal memos from justices on the use of the shadow docket to issue rulings”: Law professor Jonathan Turley has this essay online at Fox News.

And at “The Volokh Conspiracy,” Josh Blackman has posts titled “The Chief Justice Behind The Curtains,” “The Substance of the Clean Power Plan Memos; The Chief Justice reminds us why he was the best lawyer of his time,” “Some Questions About The SCOTUS Leak On the Clean Power Plan Case; This story is only getting started,” and “February 9, 2016: A flashback to the grant of the emergency stay in the Clean Power Plan.”

“The Worst Justice Ever; His attack on progressivism last week was the last straw”: Robert Reich has this post at his Substack site.

“Supreme Court Justices Alito, Thomas not expected to retire this year: Sources; Alito intends to continue serving into at least 2027, sources said.” Devin Dwyer and Katherine Faulders of ABC News have this report.

“Did Trump Already Pardon the Alleged Jan. 5, 2021, Pipe Bomber? Cole’s lawyers claim he’s covered by the Jan. 6 pardons. The Trump administration has made it a more interesting question than it should be.” Eric Columbus has this post at the “Lawfare” blog.

“Kagan screamed so loudly at liberal ally after Dobbs leak the ‘wall was shaking,’ book claims; Mollie Hemingway’s book ‘Alito’ details the confrontation as conservative justices faced assassination threats in 2022”: Ashley Oliver of Fox News has this report.

“Supreme Court’s Internal Tensions Spill Into Public View; Three justices recently delivered charged remarks ahead of the court’s busiest season”: James Romoser of The Wall Street Journal has this report.

“The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court; Secret memos obtained by The New York Times illuminate the origins of the court’s now-routine ‘shadow docket’ rulings on presidential power”: Jodi Kantor and Adam Liptak of The New York Times have this report.

You can access the memos via this link.

“Today’s Guest Speaker: The Chief Justice.” Cooper Allen of the University of Virginia School of Law has this report.

“Alito not expected to retire this term, cooling Supreme Court vacancy speculation: sources; President Trump said amid SCOTUS retirement speculation he is ‘prepared’ to appoint up to three Supreme Court justices.” Alec Schemmel, Ashley Oliver, and Shannon Bream of Fox News have this report.

“Supreme Court Sides With Oil Companies in Louisiana Coastal Lawsuits; The companies had asked the justices to clear the way to move environmental lawsuits out of state courts, to friendlier federal venues”: Abbie VanSickle of The New York Times has this report.

Julian Mark of The Washington Post reports that “Supreme Court hands win to Chevron, Big Oil in environmental damage case; The case holds particular relevance in Louisiana, where the oil and gas industry remains a major employer and the coastal region has steadily vanished in recent decades.”

And in commentary, Saturday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal will contain an editorial titled “Trial Lawyers Lose at the Supreme Court; The Justices reject a Louisiana shakedown attempt on oil drillers.”

“Prosecutor Withdraws From Trump Team’s Investigation of Ex-C.I.A. Chief; A career Justice Department lawyer, Maria Medetis Long, in Miami is said to have raised concerns about whether the evidence justified moving forward with a bid to prosecute John O. Brennan”: Charlie Savage, Alan Feuer, and Glenn Thrush of The New York Times has this report.

“Liberal Judge Lyndsey Brunette announces 2027 Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign; Brunette is the first candidate to announce for the race, which will take place next April”: Anya van Wagtendonk of Wisconsin Public Radio has this report.

“Trump reveals he has multi-pick SCOTUS plan ready as retirement speculation heats up; Speculation about the 76-year-old justice’s retirement has grown amid concerns about the GOP Senate majority before midterms”: Ashley Oliver of Fox News has this report.

“Federal Appeals Court Opens Door to Moving Trans Inmates Under Trump Gender Order; A three-judge panel gave a group of 17 transgender women a few weeks to seek further recourse in court before their transfer to men’s facilities could take effect”: Mattathias Schwartz of The New York Times has this report.

Stephen Dinan of The Washington Times reports that “Appeals court sides with Trump on transgender prisoners.”

And Daniel Wiessner of Reuters reports that “US court allows transfer of transgender women to men’s prisons, for now.”

You can access today’s decision of a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit at this link.

“Samuel Alito’s Disdain Helped Make Him Donald Trump’s Reliable Ally; A new biography examines how the Supreme Court justice’s sense of cultural loss and distrust of elites parallels Trump-era politics”: Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News has this book review.

“Trump Is Attacking the Supreme Court. That Only Makes It Stronger. The Court’s role isn’t to be popular — it’s to resist power. Trump’s attacks are giving it ample opportunity to do just that.” Sarah Isgur has this essay online at The Free Press.