Good morning! Today is the European Day of the Righteous, which honors those who have stood up against totalitarianism and crimes against humanity.

On this date in 1836, after a two-week siege, the Alamo fell to Mexican forces. And in 1857, the Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that slaves like Scott were not American citizens and therefore lacked standing to sue for their freedom in the federal courts.

Another Christie scandal? –> Brian Murphy reports at TPM that the latest “story brewing in Trenton involving the governor’s office and allegations of improper influence” revolves around a settlement with Exxon that Chris Christie approved for just three percent of what New Jersey officials sought. The oil giant had been found guilty of polluting two wetlands sites in the Garden State.

No justice –> Michael Brown’s family say they have never accepted the claim that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson had no other option than to kill the teenager. Now, they are filing a civil suit against Wilson and the city, according to the AP’s Jim Salter. AND: Ta-Nehisi Coates reflects on this week’s two Justice Department reports. The first cleared Wilson of criminal charges; the second “made clear that there was a damning case to be made against the system in which that officer operated.”

King v. Burwell –> Some Republicans have been trying to assure the Supreme Court that the justices can destroy Obamacare in the states that let the federal government set up their exchanges without disastrous consequences because they will offer some sort of fix for the millions who would lose their coverage. But WaPo’s Greg Sargent writes that while two of the Court’s conservative justices appeared willing to embrace the claim, “it seems likely that it will only get harder,” as we near the 2016 elections, “for Republicans to fulfill any promise of a backup plan, either on the state or federal level.” AND: At Politico Magazine, Yale Law scholar Abbe Gluck writes about the states’ rights argument that may shape the outcome of the case.

Mayor 1 percent –> John Nichols writes at The Nation that despite enjoying a “twelve-to-one spending advantage, fueled by out-of-town interests hungry for a piece of a city so clearly up for grabs,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel failed to win re-election in the first round because his “assaults on public education, including the closing of fifty neighborhood schools, galvanized the opposition.”

Hold-outs –> A group of Colorado sheriffs are suing to reverse the citizens’ referendum legalizing marijuana, claiming that it creates a situation where they have to violate the Constitution by not enforcing federal laws. But Reason’s Jacob Sullum finds numerous holes in their legal argument.

Ironic –> In Kansas, which has become a model of hard-right public policy, Governor Sam Brownback’s tax cuts have created such a large shortfall in the state’s budget that he and his conservative legislature may have no choice but to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act to help close the gap. Daniel Strauss reports for TPM.

More irony –> Helene Cooper reports for the NYT that President Obama “is becoming increasingly dependent on Iranian fighters as he tries to contain the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria without committing American ground troops.” ALSO: The Jerusalem Post reports that the prostate cancer of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “has reportedly spread to the rest of his body.” There is now speculation about who might succeed him.

Selma –> At Politico, Edward-Isaac Dovere writes that President Obama is now “more publicly embracing his role as America’s first black president,” as illustrated by his focus on criminal justice reform and his decision to lead marchers this weekend when they honor the 50th anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

Watery world –> According to a study published in Science on Thursday, 20 percent of Mars’ surface was once covered in liquid water. Lizzie Plaugic has the details at The Verge.

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