The Supremes come back to work

From the L.A. Times:

The court also will decide whether officials can be held liable for violations of rights that took place on their watch.

In a Los Angeles case, the justices will decide whether the former county district attorney can be sued by a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder based on the testimony of a jail-house informer with a record of lying.

In a New York case, the justices will decide whether former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft can be held liable for the arrest and alleged mistreatment of Muslim immigrants after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.