Welcome to Gavel Drop, our roundup of legal news, headlines, and head-shaking moments in the courts.

In “Dear God, who the hell asked you and why?” news, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) isn’t interested in becoming a Supreme Court justice. You can breathe a sigh of relief now.

Pretty sure we can lay to rest any notion that David Daleiden—he of the highly edited, widely debunked videos falsely accusing Planned Parenthood of profiting from fetal tissue donation—is a citizen journalist. Because he isn’t. He really, really isn’t, as the Columbia Journalism Review points out.

If Scalia were alive, this death row inmate probably would not be.

Is “ban the box” the next big federal agency move by the Obama administration?

This story is just so tragic; unfortunately, similar stories are growing more common as religious institutions creep further into delivering social services. After entering a faith-based mental health facility, a young man attempted suicide after his mood stabilizers were replaced with Bible study and nutritional supplements.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging a Mississippi law that allows public officials and businesses to refuse to serve gay and transgender individuals.

Meanwhile, Alabama continues to be a hot mess of conservative political scandals.

A group of constitutional law scholars is urging the administration to rescind a Bush-era memo they argue only encourages conservatives to bring more so-called religious freedom lawsuits—like the cases at issue in Zubik v. Burwell, for instance—in the future.

No, seriously, there are more lawsuits challenging the Affordable Care Act in the pipeline.

Conservative-led states cannot stop trying to defund Planned Parenthood reproductive health-care facilities. Ohio is the latest to try, which means another lawsuit. Of course.

Patricia Miller asks with whom Catholic bishops would ally in a Trump administration.

At least Susan B. Anthony List can now stop pretending its core mission was electing women.

Attorneys representing the State of Arkansas really want to cut off access to medication abortion for residents in their state.
 
There is nothing good about non-physician lawmakers passing anti-choice restrictions that are so muddled doctors are confounded as to how to comply with them.

Here’s the judicial fund questionnaire for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. “Bland as mayonnaise” comes to mind.

Rewire is going to talk more about this ruling in light of the Angel Dillard trial, but c’mon. A personal letter to an abortion provider suggesting she’ll get car bombed isn’t a threat, but playing NWA to cops is?