Closing arguments are scheduled for today in a federal trial that will address the constitutionality of Proposition 8 - the controversial amendment to California's constitution that reinstated a ban on gay marriage in the state in 2008, after it had been legal for some months.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that judges must recuse themselves from ruling on cases that involve individuals who have spent money to help put the judge on the bench. It sounds like a fairly straightforward ruling. But the decision raises larger questions of just how we elect and appoint judges in this country. For a look at the tricky process of electing judges, The Takeaway talks to Adam Liptak, Supreme Court Correspondent for our partners The New York Times, and to Tom Phillips, a lawyer with Baker Botts in Austin, Texas, who served as the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 1988 to 2004.

The Supreme Court will hear a challenge today that goes to the heart of the Voting Rights Act. This landmark piece of legislation was enacted in 1965 to prevent racial discrimination at the polls. The section of the law at the center of the case requires some states, primarily those in the South, to get federal approval before they can change any of their voting procedures. The changes that require approval from the Justice Department can be as big as a redistricting plan or as small as moving a polling place to a new location. A Texas community got approval for a move, but still decided to take their case to the Supreme Court.

When the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case today, it will be deciding the fate of a hard-fought piece of civil rights legislation. But now that we have an African American president, some say we no longer need the protections afforded by this act. Is the need to protect minorities at the polls outdated? The Takeaway talks to Ted Shaw. He’s a professor at Columbia University Law School and Of Counsel to the law firm of Fulbright and Jaworksi.

Today President Obama meets with the 42 black lawmakers who comprise the Congressional Black Caucus. Established 40 years ago, does the Congressional Black Caucus have more legislative muscle now that the nation has its first African-American president? Or has Obama’s presidency rendered the Congressional Black Caucus irrelevant? For a look at what the Caucus’ agenda will be under the Obama administration and for a preview of what’s on the docket for today’s meeting, we are joined by the Caucus’ Chairwoman, Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

As if Illinois' political crisis wasn't complex enough. Embattled Governor Rod Blagojevich has appointed former Attorney General Roland Burris to President-elect Obama's vacant Senate seat. Joining us to discuss the thorny legal implications of that appointment is Nate Persily, professor of law and political science at Columbia University.

Charlie Winters is only the second man to be pardoned posthumously. After he arranged for B-17 bombers to be sent to Israel (and even flew one himself across the Atlantic). He was hailed as a hero by Israel but convicted of violating the 1939 Neutrality Act. Eric Lichtblau from The New York Times discusses the details.

A legal expert looks at the affidavit against Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"That would be taking the catastrophe of the last seven years and enshrining it in our law." — Ben Wizner on creating a new "National Security Court" to replace Guantanamo Bay