CA Court Voids Execution Procedures: As posted by Kent Scheidegger, California's first district court of appeals ruled Friday, that the state's lethal injection procedures are invalid because the were not adopted through an administrative process which requires public comment and review by an independent state agency. A Los Angeles Times story by Carol Williams reports that a three judge panel of the San Francisco court unanimously affirmed a year-old ruling by Marin County Judge Lynne O'Malley Taylor. The challenge was brought by Michael Morales and Mitchell Sims. Morales was sentenced to die for attacking 17-year-old Terry Lynn Winchell with a hammer, strangling her with a belt and raping her before fatally stabbing her four times in the chest. Morales attorney, Brad Phillips, told the Times, "Our preferred alternative is to see the death penalty eliminated." To date, Attorney General Jerry Brown has not decided if he will appeal the ruling.

Early Test for Obama: The Supreme Court is expected to consider the case of a suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent Ali al-Marri on Tuesday, in what could be an early test regarding the handling of terrorists for the new administration according to this AP story by Mark Sherman and Meg Kinnard. Al-Marri, who is a legal resident in the U.S., is seeking review of his challenge to the Bush Administration's authority to detain him indefinitely him without charges or trial. If the Court agrees to hear al-Marri's case it will be argued next year. Brad Berenson, a former Bush Administration lawyer and Harvard classmate of the President-elect, said "Al-Marri is one of those cases where the rhetorical necessities of the campaign are likely to collide with the security necessities of governing."