“My Joe Biden Story: In a career as a journalist, I had never encountered a politician like him.” Linda Greenhouse has this essay online at The New York Times.

“Vice President Pence seeks rejection of lawsuit that aimed to expand his power to overturn the presidential election”: John Wagner and Rosalind S. Helderman of The Washington Post have this report.

Sadie Gurman of The Wall Street Journal reports that “Pence Seeks to Dismiss GOP Lawsuit Aiming to Let Him Overturn Election; Justice Department called Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert’s suit a ‘walking legal contradiction.’”

Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein of Politico report that “Pence urges court to throw out lawsuit aiming to help him overturn 2020 election results; The suit was aimed at throwing out the rules of a Jan. 6 session of Congress — with Vice President Mike Pence presiding — intended to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.”

And John Kruzel of The Hill reports that “Pence asks judge to toss GOP lawmaker’s bid to overturn election results.”

You can access at this link the brief that the U.S. Department of Justice filed today in the case.

Access Chief Justice John G. Roberts’s “2020 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary”: At this link.

In news coverage, Adam Liptak of The New York Times reports that “Chief Justice Praises the Courts’ Responses to the Pandemic; In a year that included an impeachment trial, the death of a colleague and the arrival of a new one, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.’s year-end report focused on the health crisis.”

Robert Barnes of The Washington Post reports that “Chief Justice Roberts, in year-end report, thanks judiciary for performance during pandemic.”

Jess Bravin of The Wall Street Journal reports that “Chief Justice John Roberts Lauds Courts’ Pandemic Response in Year-End Message; Case filings have fallen in most categories beginning in March, according to report on federal judiciary.”

Richard Wolf of USA Today reports that “Amid election turmoil caused by Trump, Chief Justice Roberts lauds judiciary for pandemic response.”

And Jessica Gresko of The Associated Press reports that “Chief justice praises work of federal courts during COVID-19.”

“In Memoriam: A Tribute to the Judicial Minds We Lost This Year.” Harsh Voruganti has this post at his blog, “The Vetting Room.”

“State Supreme Court upholds Lamont’s authority to close businesses through COVID emergency orders”: Edmund H. Mahony of The Hartford Courant has this report.

“San Quentin Prison COVID releases delayed by state Supreme Court”: Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle has this report.

“Supreme Court’s New Supermajority: What It Means For Roe v. Wade.” Nina Totenberg of NPR has this report.