Friday round-up

On Thursday, a divided panel of the Second Circuit struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional, applying intermediate scrutiny to hold that the law violates the Equal Protection Clause. Coverage of both the decision and its relationship to the series of petitions for certiorari on same-sex marriage currently pending before the Court comes fromthis blog,Bloomberg, TheNew York Times, theLos Angeles Times, theWall Street Journal Law Blog,the Associated Press,Reuters,UPI, TheChristian Science Monitor,Slate,JURIST, theWashington Times,NBC News, theVolokh Conspiracy, and theConstitutional Law Prof Blog. Commentary on the decision comes fromACSblog, theDaily Beast, and theVolokh Conspiracy.

Briefly:

• Forthis blog, Ronald Mann previews the upcoming oral argument inKirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., in which the Court will determine whether copyright law permits copyright holders to prevent the importation of lawful copies manufactured abroad.
• At theOriginalism Blog, Michael Ramsey discusses the Court’s recent grant of certiorari inArizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., in which the Court will consider whether federal law preempts a state law requiring voters to prove their U.S. citizenship before registering to vote and before voting. Ramsey argues that the Court should find that the state law is preempted.
• Bloomberg Businessweekdiscusses the amicus brief filed by large U.S. corporations insupport of the university in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, the challenge to UT-Austins use of race in its undergraduate admissions process. The brief argues that diversity in institutions of higher education is “a critical means of obtaining a properlyqualified group of employees.”
• In the wake of the Court’s decision last Term inMiller v. Alabama, holding that mandatory sentences of life without parole for juvenile homicide offenders are unconstitutional, the Pennsylvania legislature has passed a law that would create a sentencing scheme tied to the age of the juvenile offender. Douglas Berman has the details atSentencing Law & Policy.
• On Thursday, the Court stayed the execution of Anthony Haynes, a Texas death row inmate.Reutershas coverage. The Court also declined to stay the execution of John Ferguson, a Florida death row inmate.This blogand theCrime & Consequences Bloghave coverage.