The latest news on the Supreme Court, Obama & Notre Dame, Community, Children's Zone, Same-sex Couple Rights, Pakistan, Darfur, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Gaza, Pope's Visit to Israel, Passing, and Select Op-eds.

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Supreme Court. Wider World of Choices to Fill Souter's Vacancy "Today, as President Obama moves to pick his first Supreme Court nominee as a successor to retiring Justice David H. Souter - a choice many political observers expect will be a woman - he finds a vastly altered scene, with women holding dozens of seats on the nation's appellate courts, occupying dean's offices at prestigious law schools, and serving in some of the highest political offices in the nation." Obama calls 'empathy' key to Supreme Court pick "But President Obama, who will choose the nominee, focused not on volatile ideological questions but on personal character, saying he wanted someone with 'empathy' for 'people's hopes and struggles.'" Justice Souter: A man of tradition, and surprises "Justice David H. Souter is a conservative man in the old-fashioned sense of the term. A frugal New Englander, he sat in his court office with the lights turned off, writing long-hand on a yellow legal pad. Those who knew him said he hated to waste electricity." David H. Souter: Justice Unbound "David H. Souter had no agenda 19 years ago when he took his seat on the Supreme Court, but he did have a goal: not to become a creature of Washington, a captive of the privileges and power that came with a job he was entitled to hold for the rest of his life."

Obama & Notre Dame. Notre Dame's invitation to President Obama riles Catholic bishops, exposes rift with flock "The nation's flagship Catholic university's honoring of a politician whose abortion rights record clashes with a fundamental church teaching has triggered a reaction among the nation's Catholic bishops that is remarkable in scope and tone, church observers say."

Community. Food banks see more who need and more who give "The recession has caused more people to seek help at food banks, but it has also prompted an outpouring of generosity." Glenmont Neighborhood in Washington Suburb Has Grown Closer in the Poor Economy "Some sociologists and community organizers say they think there has been an uptick of 'neighboring' in the recession, as residents who just waved hello before are instead reaching out, in person and through e-mail discussion groups."

Children's Zone. For children, an urban lifeline "The children are part of a surprisingly successful large-scale urban experiment known as Harlem's Children Zone, a collection of programs that President Obama is looking to replicate across the U.S. and that Boston activists are eager to bring to a poverty-stricken corridor that slices through the heart of the city."

Same-sex couple rights. Same-sex marriages gradually gain legal ground "Those rights are expanding as legally married gay couples relocate to states that don't allow same-sex marriage, forcing courts, legislatures and employers to deal with the resulting issues of custody, divorce, inheritance and end-of-life decisions."

Pakistan. Pakistan moving closer to confronting the Taliban in Swat "Pakistan on Sunday edged closer to a major conflict with Taliban militants as a controversial peace deal with Islamic extremists in the Swat valley near the Afghan border began to unravel." Taliban face human shields charge "Pakistan's army has accused Taliban militants of 'reportedly' holding 2,000 villagers as human shields to stop an offensive in the north-west." Pakistan Strife Raises U.S. Doubts on Nuclear Arms "As the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda spreads in Pakistan, senior American officials say they are increasingly concerned about new vulnerabilities for Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, including the potential for militants to snatch a weapon in transport or to insert sympathizers into laboratories or fuel-production facilities." Pakistan nuclear projects raise U.S. fears "Pakistan is continuing to expand its nuclear bomb-making facilities despite growing international concern that advancing Islamist extremists could overrun one or more of its atomic weapons plants or seize sufficient radioactive material to make a dirty bomb." U.S. Options in Pakistan Limited "As Taliban forces edged to within 60 miles of Islamabad late last month, the Obama administration urgently asked for new intelligence assessments of whether Pakistan's government would survive."

Darfur. Is the Darfur bloodshed genocide? Opinions differ "Two consecutive American presidents and several activist groups have defined it as genocide. But others, while acknowledging the severity of the violence, question whether it meets the legal definition of genocide."

Afghanistan. Probe call in Afghan 'convert' row "A former Afghan prime minister has called for an inquiry after Al Jazeera broadcast footage showing Christian U.S. soldiers appearing to be preparing to try and convert Muslims in Afghanistan."

Iraq. In Iraq's Anbar province, the Awakening grapples with a new role "But here in Anbar province, birthplace of the Awakening movement, the Sunni Arab paramilitaries who turned their guns on fellow Sunni insurgents have become the government."

Iran. Iran to slam U.S. at talks on treaty for nuclear arms "Iran is preparing to criticize the United States and other nuclear powers at a major meeting this week on the troubled nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by slamming U.S. cooperation with Israel and India."

Gaza. U.N. experts discuss Gaza mission "U.N. investigators are beginning a week-long meeting in Geneva, ahead of a mission to Israel and the Gaza Strip. The team is mandated to investigate possible war crimes committed by Israel and Hamas during Israel's incursion into Gaza last December and January."

Pope's visit to Israel. Nazareth Hopes Pope's Visit Will Boost Tourism "The bulldozers are working overtime in Jesus's home town, where Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to celebrate Mass in mid-May with a crowd expected to be in the tens of thousands." 'Peres wants to yield sites to Vatican' "President Shimon Peres wants to give up Israeli sovereignty over key Christian holy sites to the Vatican, according to an Army Radio report Monday, a proposition which is reportedly opposed by Interior Minister Eli Yishai."

Passing. Jack Kemp, Star on Field and in Politics, Dies at 73 "Jack Kemp, the former football star turned congressman who with an evangelist's fervor moved the Republican Party to a commitment to tax cuts as the central focus of economic policy, died Saturday evening at his home in Bethesda, Md. He was 73." Remembering Jack Kemp (Michael Gerson, Washington Post) "Generations of young conservatives -- most of us no longer young -- were drawn into Jack's orbit (I worked for him briefly in the 1990s as a speechwriter). We were attracted, in one way or another, to Jack's 'bleeding-heart conservatism,' with its mix of economic opportunity, social inclusion and ebullience."

Opinion. The Obama Administration Is Buying Time on Immigration (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post) "On many questions, President Obama's approach is full speed ahead. On immigration reform, he prefers to take things one step at a time. There really is no alternative." Calvin saw this coming (Henry G. Brinton, USA Today) "John Calvin, the Protestant Reformer who was born in 1509, could have seen the global financial meltdown coming from a mile - or mere centuries - away. No, he wouldn't have foreseen derivatives or credit default swaps or the other financial instruments that would have given even Albert Einstein a migraine. But he knew human weakness. Indeed, we are entering a Calvinistic period in American life, one that is falling into line with the insights and innovations of Calvin."