We start with breaking news, that Sandra Day O'Connor, who, while generally conservative, has kept the Court from going too far to the right, has retired. What this means for the Republic is unclear, obviously, but with W doing the appointing, past history would indicate this isn't good.

Anyway, that's not why I took a break from studying (which I am doing, I've completed my secured transactions outline this morning and am moving on to do some contracts questions). If you've already read my post on the case of Castle Rock v. Gonzales, you may find SCOTUS blog's debate on the case, featuring the two lawyers in the case, rather interesting. (The link there is the opening salvo; then click on the "Castle Rock" link right under the main title to watc the debate progress.) Make sure you check out the facts as laid out by the lawyer for the City. (If you haven't checked out my initial post on this subject, please take a look; this is a very important issue.)

Off to contracts.