The Nine, Jeffrey Toobin's controversial book on the Supreme Court, is reviewed by Ann Althouse in the New York Sun. She says it is an "impressionistic psychodrama" with "contempt for the reasoning" of opinions. She also contends that Toobin simply ignores an important case that "that would mess up the narrative arc of his story" regarding conservatives and liberals on the Court. (Hat tip: How Appealing.)

Warren Richey has this mostly positive review in the Christian Science Monitor. Not until the third online page does he say, "There are times in 'The Nine' when Toobin reveals more about his own legal and political preferences than would be the case in a strictly objective account of the inner workings of the high court." Eugene Volokh and Orin Kerr weigh in at VC. Ed Whelan has multiple posts at NRO Bench Memos.

The Vienna Convention does not create individual rights enforceable in a civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the Ninth Circuit holds in Cornejo v. County of San Diego. Opinion by Judge Rymer. Judge Alarcon concurs. Judge Nelson dissents.

Prisoners Escape: Two violent criminals overpowered and killed a female guard and escaped from a work detail this morning near Huntsville, Texas, as reported in this Houston Chronicle story by Mike Glen. John Falk was serving a life term for robbery/murder and Jerry Martin a 50-year sentence for attempted murder. The guard was killed when the convicts stole her truck and ran over her. Both were recaptured. A story by Erin Alberty in the Salt Lake City Tribune reports that two convicted Utah murderers, who escaped from county jail Sunday, are still at large and considered dangerous. Danny Gallegos, convicted of aggravated murder in 1991, and Juan Diza-Arevelo, convicted of murder and child abuse last year, had been transferred to county jail to relieve prison overcrowding. Probably not a good idea.

The ABA, which still pretends it is not opposed to the death penalty, issued another of its predictable state reports, this time on Ohio. Andrew Welsh-Huggins reports here for AP. "'The claims are unsupported and the recommendations are a defense lawyer's wish list,' said [John] Murphy, executive director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association....He said the nine-person ABA panel was dominated by death penalty opponents."