Montpelier Restored: On the 221st anniversary of the Constitutional Convention's completion of its work, the restoration of James Madison's home, Montpelier, was unveiled. Carlos Santos has this story for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito were on-hand for the ceremonies.

International Influence Of Supreme Court Waning: According to a story by NY Times writer Adam Liptak, a diminishing number of foreign courts seem to pay attention to the writings of American justices. Judges around the world have long looked to the decisions of the United States Supreme Court for guidance, citing and often following them in hundreds of their own rulings since the Second World War. But now American legal influence is decreasing, according to the article. Foreign courts in developed democracies often cite the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in cases concerning equality, liberty and prohibitions against cruel treatment, said Harold Hongju Koh, the dean of the Yale Law School. In those areas, Dean Koh said, “they tend not to look to the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court.” The rise of new and sophisticated constitutional courts elsewhere is one reason for the Supreme Court’s fading influence, legal experts said.

Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate Is Executed: An AP story reports that a man who had been on Georgia's death row for 33 years was executed Tuesday for killing his wife in 1974. Alderman was sentenced to die for killing his wife, Barbara. He and an accomplice beat her with a crescent wrench and choked her at their home near Savannah before dumping her body in a creek. Prosecutors alleged he wanted to collect $20,000 in life insurance money. Alderman lost his bid for clemency before the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles earlier that Tuesday. Those seeking clemency argued that Alderman has been a model prisoner and mentor in his more than three decades behind bars. They also noted that his accomplice, John Arthur Brown, was paroled after 12 years in prison. But David Lock, an assistant district attorney in Chatham County, said Alderman instigated the crime.