Iowa County Settles in Case:  LA Times writer David G. Savage reports that on Monday, the Supreme Court case, Pottawattamie v. McGhee, testing whether a prosecutor can be sued for framing suspects in a murder trial, settled with the Iowa county agreeing to pay $12 million to two men who were freed after spending 26 years in prison.  In the past, the high court has said prosecutors could not be sued for doing their jobs, even if they sometimes convicted the wrong defendant.  And in November, an Obama administration lawyer argued on behalf of Pottawattamie County, asserting that there is no constitutional "right not to be framed." However, several justices found this claim upsetting, signaling they were not prepared to shield prosecutors who knowingly fabricated a case against a suspect.  Yesterday's Blog Scan links to Lyle Denniston's coverage of the case.

DNA Matches Inmate to Utah Child's Murder:  The Associated Press reports on the capital murder charge filed by Salt Lake Country prosecutors against Idaho prison inmate, Matthew John Breck, saying that DNA evidence has linked him to the 1998 stabbing death of a 10-year-old Utah girl.  Breck has been charged with one count each of aggravated murder, aggravated sexual abuse of a child and intentionally inflicting serious physical harm on a child.  If convicted, Breck could face the death penalty.  Breck is currently serving five to twelve and a half years in Idaho for his 2001 conviction on charges of sodomy/lewdness of a minor under 16.