In a new per curiam opinion issued by the U.S. Supreme Court today, the Justices held that a convicted Ohio killer's "attorneys met the constitutional minimum of competence," reversing a 2008 federal appeals court ruling that his attorneys failed to find certain mitigating factors in his defense in violation of the Sixth Amendment.

How convinced was the Supreme Court of its decision? The justices concluded that:

[t]his is not a case in which the defendant's attorneys failed to act while potentially powerful mitigating evidence stared them in the face,

Lots of comedians incorporate humor about their in-laws into their acts, but this is the first time I've heard of one ending up embroiled in a lawsuit because of it.

Sunda Croonquist is a longtime comedienne who regularly makes light of the culture clashes that have arisen out of her marriage and her relationship with her husband's family.  Croonquist's father was Swedish, her mother African-American.  She was raised Catholic, but married into a Jewish family from New Jersey. 

Many of her jokes sprang from this fish-out-of-water situation, and Croonquist claims that her husband's family used to enjoy the ribbing they got during Croonquist's stand-up routine. 

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a Marine's defamation case against Rep. John Murtha must be dismissed because the congressman made the allegedly defamatory comments in the course of his official duties.

The case arose after Murtha accused the squad that Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich commanded in Iraq of committing "cold-blooded murder and war crimes" in Haditha.  Wuterich sued and the district court made a ruling allowing limited discovery to determine whether Murtha's comments came during his official duties.