“Passion for social justice leads Bridget McCormack to Michigan Supreme Court; McCormack rises from humble roots, faces conservative majority on panel”: The Detroit News has this report (link fixed).

“Atheists ask U.S. Supreme Court to hear case on ‘God’ in Kentucky law”: This article appears today in The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky.

“Supreme Court justices as after-dinner speakers”: Michael McGough has this essay online at The Los Angeles Times.

“The Supreme Court and the Obama Administration: Jeffrey Toobin with Alan Dershowitz.” This past Friday evening, the 92nd Street Y hosted this event. You can view the video of that very interesting conversation online, on-demand by clicking here.

“Video and Recap: Randy Barnett, Neil Katyal, & Paul Clement on Federalist Society Panel on Obamacare.” “Josh Blackman’s Blog” has this post.

And “FedSoc Blog” has a post titled “Scalia Talk Concludes FedSoc’s 2012 National Lawyers Convention.”

“Under the U.S. Supreme Court: Gutting the Civil Rights Act?” Michael Kirkland of UPI has this report.

“Supreme Court notebook: Alito takes on critics.” Mark Sherman of The Associated Press has this report.

“Michigan schools weigh affirmative action ruling”: The Associated Press has this report.

“Beth Jay, Principal Attorney to 3 Chief Justices, to Retire”: Scott Graham has this post at the “Legal Pad” blog of The Recorder.

“Ten Commandments monument is installed at Oklahoma state Capitol; The Ten Commandments monument is near the north entrance of the Oklahoma state Capitol; Private money paid for the cost of the monument and developing its base”: The Oklahoman today contains an article that begins, “A Ten Commandments monument is up on the grounds of the state Capitol, but it didn’t pass spell check.”

The Tulsa World reports today that “Ten Commandments monument installed at Capitol.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Lawsuits possible over Oklahoma state Capitol Ten Commandments monument.”

“Boyce ’12 selected as 2013 Bristow Fellow in U.S. Department of Justice”: Duke Law News has a report that begins, “Sarah Boyce ’12 has been awarded a one-year Bristow Fellowship in the U.S. Department of Justice following the completion of her current clerkship with Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.” An earlier Duke Law News item about Sarah can be accessed here.

“The judicial vacancy crisis”: Law professor Carl Tobias has this essay today at Politico.com.

“Court sympathetic to enviros’ challenge to Bush-era ozone standards”: Lawrence Hurley of Greenwire has this report.

“On the retirement of the incomparable Emily Spadoni”: Irv Gornstein has this post today at “SCOTUSblog.”

“Alito Defends ‘Citizens’ in Speech to Federalist Society”: Todd Ruger has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

“Obama’s Supreme Choices: Some of the country’s leading court watchers weigh in with their picks for who Obama will appoint to a vacant Supreme Court seat.” Chris Geidner has this report at BuzzFeed Politics.

“Execution After Death Penalty Repeal ‘Unprecedented,’ State Supreme Court Told”: Alaine Griffin has this article today in The Hartford Courant.

“Disciplinary administrator: Multiple reasons to disbar Kline; Former A.G. responds: Disbarment action is ‘stunning.'” The Capital-Journal of Topeka, Kansas contains this article today.

And The Associated Press reports that “Kline argues ethics case to Kansas Supreme Court.”

“In rare move, Pfizer asks Supreme Court to reconsider ruling that killed Viagra patent”: Kirk Makin of The Toronto Globe and Mail has this report.

“Recap of Federalist Society 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner with Remarks by Justice Alito”: This post appeared early this morning at “Josh Blackman’s Blog.”

Available online from Slate: Katie Mesner-Hage has a jurisprudence essay entitled “Why Donald Rumsfeld Can’t Be Sued for Torture: His latest and biggest court victory.”

Ryan McCartney has a jurisprudence essay entitled “Suing Girls Gone Wild: Should a girl who bared her breasts at 14 win her lawsuit against the video company?”

And Eliot Spitzer has a blog post titled “The Supreme Court’s Threat to the Voting Rights Act.”

“Affirmative Action Ban in Michigan Is Rejected”: This article will appear Friday in The New York Times.

Warren Richey of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “US appeals court strikes down Michigan ban on affirmative action; While the 8-7 ruling did not address the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions, the majority said Michigan’s prohibition on the policy ‘places special burdens on racial minorities.’”

The Detroit News has an update headlined “Michigan’s affirmative action ban unconstitutional, federal appeals court rules.”

AnnArbor.com reports that “Appeals court strikes down ban on affirmative action in university admissions.”

And at the “School Law” blog of Education Week, Mark Walsh has a post titled “Michigan Ban on College Affirmative Action Struck Down.”

“At long last, battle over Bush ozone standard heads to court”: Lawrence Hurley and Jeremy P. Jacobs of Greenwire have this report.

“Software Speech”: At Stanford Law Review Online, Andrew Tutt has a Note that begins, “When is software speech for purposes of the First Amendment?”

“The courts and public opinion: Klarman examines the legal fight for same-sex marriage.” This article appears in the Fall 2012 issue of the Harvard Law Bulletin.

Sixth Circuit issues its en banc ruling in Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action v. Regents of the University of Michigan: You can access the ruling at this link. A majority on the en banc court has ruled that “those provisions of Proposal 2 affecting Michigan’s public colleges and universities [are] unconstitutional.”

The majority opinion explains that Proposal 2 “eliminated the consideration of ‘race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin’ in individualized admissions decisions” at Michigan’s public colleges and universities.

The en banc court’s vote was 8-to-7 in favor of invalidating Proposal 2. Five of the seven dissenting judges issued dissenting opinions.

Update: In early news coverage, The Associated Press reports that “US court strikes down Mich. affirmative action ban.”

Terry Baynes of Reuters reports that “Michigan affirmative action ban unconstitutional, court rules.”

Paul Egan of The Detroit Free Press has a news update headlined “Court: Michigan’s ban on affirmative action is unconstitutional.”

The Michigan Daily reports that “Court rules Michigan’s ban on affirmative action unconstitutional.”

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “Michigan affirmative action ban nullified.”

“Appeals court upholds Diehl-Armstrong’s conviction”: The Erie Times-News has an update that begins, “A federal appeals court today affirmed the conviction and life sentence of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong in the bombing death of pizza deliveryman Brian Wells in 2003.”

You can access today’s non-precedential ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit at this link.

“Atheist group sues over religious electioneering”: The Associated Press has this report.

Yesterday, the Freedom From Religion Foundation issued a news release headlined “FFRF sues IRS to enforce church electioneering ban.” You can access the complaint initiating suit at this link.

“Court hears appeal from Ciavarella; Former judge wants conviction tossed”: Terrie Morgan-Besecker has this article today in The Times Leader of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

And today’s edition of The Citizens’ Voice of Wilkes-Barre contains an article headlined “Judges consider Ciavarella appeal.”

“Utah’s death penalty costs $1.6M more per inmate; No legislation proposed; study is first to examine the cost of the capital punishment”: Brooke Adams has this article today in The Salt Lake Tribune.

And The Deseret News reports today that “Victims, lawmakers discuss personal, financial costs of death penalty.”

“Federal court vacates 6 of 13 child pornography convictions against former state prosecutor; Appeals court says James Cameron, 50, formerly of Hallowell, should have been able to cross-examine Yahoo employees who compiled reports about his accounts”: The Morning Sentinel of Waterville, Maine contains this article today.

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

“Harkin nominates women for 8th Circuit”: This article appears today in The Des Moines Register.

“Will Supreme Court answer monks’ prayers?” Columnist George F. Will has this op-ed today in The Washington Post.

“Is the Voting Rights Act Doomed?” Law professor Nathaniel Persily has this op-ed today in The New York Times.

“Heated affordable housing battle plays out in front of N.J. Supreme Court”: The Newark Star-Ledger has this report.

And The Philadelphia Inquirer reports today that “COAH court case could alter New Jersey’s affordable-housing rules for cities and towns.”