High Court Blocks Gov. Brown's Pardon:  During his most recent two terms as California Governor, Jerry Brown has issued a record-breaking 1,100 pardons and 82 commutations.  For defendants with more than one felony conviction, the state supreme court must approve the Governor's request for a pardon.  Eric Siddall of the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys reports that on December 12, the California Supreme Court denied the Governor's pardon of Borey Ai, a Cambodian immigrant who, at age 14, murdered a woman during a 1996 robbery.   Because Ai also had an earlier robbery conviction, the Governor could not pardon him without the high court's approval.  A pardon can only be denied if it is determined to be an abuse of power, and the court has not issued a denial since 1930.  Don Thompson of the Associated Press reported that Ai and other gang members had just taken $300 from 52-year-old Manijeh Eshaghoff during the robbery of her San Jose convenience store when Ai shot her in cold blood.  As the gang fled, the victim bled to death in her husband's arms.  

Ginsburg Recovering From Cancer Surgery:  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (85) is recovering from surgery to remove two malignant nodules from her left lung.  Adam Liptak of the New York Times reports that the nodules were discovered while the justice was being treated for a broken ribs caused by a fall last November.  She is expected to remain hospitalized for several days.