Murder Conviction Overturned: The Illinois Supreme Court has unanimously overturned the murder conviction and prison sentence of a Rockford man convicted of killing his girlfriend in 1993. A story in the Rockford Register Star by Aaron Chambers reports that the court found a due process violation in the prosecution's failure to disclose evidence favorable to defendant Alan Beaman. The Court's opinion is here.

Judicial Philosophy: Los Angeles Times reporter David Savage contrasts the views of John McCain and Barack Obama regarding the appointment of judges in this story from last Monday.

The Supreme Court's recent porn law ruling is the subject of this Washington Post editorial. The Post is mostly for it. The Court's decision in United States v. Williams upheld the Protect Act, enacted by Congress to address child pornography. The decision overturned an Eleventh Circuit ruling that concluded the Act is overly broad and impermissibly vague.

Sentencing & Discrimination: A story by Larry O'Dell of AP reports on a study by the National Center for State Courts which found that three states, once accused of biased sentencing, have implemented sentencing guidelines resulting in consistent sentencing which is not influenced by a defendant's race or economic status. States with mandatory guidelines had the most consistent and predictable sentences. The NCSC website is here.