Cameron Todd Willingham died six years ago.  But he could still strike a blow in the ongoing and heated debate over the death penalty.

Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004, after he'd been convicted of murdering his kids in a 1991 arson attack.  But a lengthy 2009 investigative report in the New Yorker magazine made a compelling case that Willingham may well have been wrongly put to death--and a state scientific panel concluded recently that the science behind the conviction was flawed.

On Thursday, at a hearing requested by Willingham's family and reported by the New York Times, a team of anti-death-penalty lawyers argued that Willingham's conviction and sentence were unjustified.  Those fighting on Willingham's behalf appear to have a larger motive as well: to shine a spotlight on problems in Texas's death penalty system, by using the Willingham case as a cautionary tale in the nationwide debate over the death penalty.

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Opponents of the Obama administration's health care reform law have been hoping that after losing the political battle to block the legislation, they could still get it struck down by the courts. That effort got a big boost Thursday when a Florida judge ruled that a legal challenge to the measure could move forward.

Federal District Court Judge Roger Vinson rejected the government's effort to dismiss the lawsuit, writing that "the plaintiffs have most definitely stated a plausible claim" that the law is unconstitutional, adding "at this stage in the litigation, this is not even a close call."

The lawsuit, brought by Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum, now proceeds to a full hearing, set for Dec. 16.

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With the economy still struggling and unemployment staying high, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has given a strong signal that the central bank plans to step in to give the economy an additional boost.

In a speech Friday morning to economists in Boston, Bernanke suggested that the Fed is poised to make large new purchases of government debt in a bid to lower long-term interest rates.

"Given the committee's objectives, there would appear — all else being equal — to be a case for further action," said Bernanke, in his characteristically measured phrasing.

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An outfit that runs a controversial Christian boardinghouse for members of Congress looks to have taken money from an organization that federal prosecutors have accused of funding Islamic terrorism.  And a group of Ohio pastors wants the feds to get involved.

Clergy Voice, a progressive activist group, has asked the IRS to probe whether the Fellowship, a secretive Christian organization best known for hosting the National Prayer Breakfast each year, illegally received $50,000 from the Islamic American Relief Agency in 2004.  That year, the Senate Finance Committee put the IARA on a list of terror financiers.  As a tax-exempt entity, the Fellowship is barred from dealing with such groups.

In an interview with the Washington Post, the Fellowship's president, Richard Carver, appeared to acknowledge that his group had accepted the money, saying that the firm's vetting of donors had since been tightened.  "Hopefully, we would not see a repeat of this kind of experience."

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It looks like no place is immune to the effects of the global economic slowdown these days -- not even Buckingham Palace.

The Queen has canceled this year's Christmas Party at her iconic London home, in a nod to the tough times now assailing her subjects.  "Given the current economic climate, it was thought that it was appropriate for the household to show restraint," a royal spokesman told AFP today.

The party, held every two years and attended by around 600 staff, reportedly costs around 50,000 pounds, which works out roughly to 80,000 U.S. dollars.  It's a chance for Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, to show their appreciation for their massive retinue, and perhaps to loosen up a bit: In past years, the couple are said to have danced with footmen and maids.

[Related: Prince William helps with Royal Air Force rescue]

Belt-tightening is in vogue in Britain today.  Later this month, the government is likely to announce far-reaching spending cuts, in a bid to trim the island nation's large deficit.

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Meet David J. Stern. He's the high-living Florida lawyer who just might be the poster boy for the foreclosure mess that has currently embroiled Washington and Wall Street. Legal documents examined by The Upshot offer details on how Stern's firm, and other "foreclosure mills" like it, may have helped to unfairly force thousands of struggling Americans from their homes.

As we reported yesterday, dozens of state attorneys general are looking into allegations that major banks have been playing fast and loose with foreclosure rules in trying to speed troubled borrowers into foreclosure. Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, GMAC Mortgage and others have announced a nationwide freeze on further foreclosures, and some federal lawmakers are calling for an across-the-board moratorium.

But while the banks are ultimately responsible, the root of the problem appears to lie with "foreclosure mill" law firms like Stern's. These operations process foreclosure cases on behalf of lenders, and their business model is based on moving the paperwork through as quickly as possible. That's why such firms have pioneered practices like "robo-signing" — whereby their employees process thousands of court documents in pending foreclosures without ever actually reviewing them, as the law requires. Of course, it's in the banks' interest for their contractors to move quickly, because the faster a foreclosure moves, the less time a struggling borrower has to fight it.

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Could a judge's ban on "don't ask, don't tell" help revive the culture wars and renew fears on the right about "activist judges" ahead of next month's midterm elections? Some social conservatives think it might.

Wendy Wright, the president of Concerned Women of America, told Yahoo! News that she believes that Tuesday's worldwide injunction on the enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell" -- issued by U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips -- will have far-ranging political fallout.

"It will bring home again to people that we have a serious problem of what's been called the ruling class," said Wright -- "people in high government positions that impose their view, thinking they know better than us, and [are] doing so in opposition to what people believe and want."

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Dozens of state attorneys general are teaming up to probe allegations that major mortgage lenders like Bank of America and JP Morgan committed fraud as they sought to force delinquent borrowers out of their homes, according to the Wall Street Journal. The controversy has led some lawmakers to call for a nationwide freeze on foreclosures — though the Obama administration is warning that such a move could do more harm than good.

At issue is a practice known as "robo-signing." As the AGs spell out the procedure, representatives from foreclosing banks submit thousands of court documents in pending foreclosures without actually reviewing the material. In some cases, the banks may also forge signatures, lawyers for homeowners allege. Both the systemic neglect and the forgeries would be in violation of the law. Full Story »