New York State Senate. On Wednesday, the New York State Senate passed a tougher DWI bill for persons who injure others while driving drunk. The legislation "establishes the felony crime of vehicular homicide with a penalty of up to 25 years in prison, and the felony crime of aggravated vehicular assault with up to 15 years." The felony crimes would only apply if one of these factors were present: a blood-alcohol level of .18 or higher, a prior DWI conviction within the last 10 years, causing injury or death to more than one person or driving with a suspended or revoked license. James T. Madore with Newsday has more on the DWI bill here.

In Connecticut, Rep. William Dyson threatened to attach a death penalty repeal provision to a judicial ethics bill, even though the topic had been thoroughly debated and decided just two years ago. House leaders let the whole bill die instead, Keith Phaneuf reports in the Journal Inquirer.

In Tennessee, the bill to create a death penalty study panel with a stacked membership and a one-sided charter passed the House. The passage is reported in this AP story.

Law Professors, including Robert Bork and Alan Dershowitz on the same brief, received permission from Judge Reggie Walton to file an amicus brief in the Scooter Libby case. The order is available here, courtesy of How Appealing, complete with snarky footnote. The brief is here. Their point is that the constitutionality of the special counsel appointment is a close question.