Why is this story on the front page of the Bee?

The front page of today’s hardcopy Bee—the top story, in fact—is Linda Greenhouse’s article that the Supreme Court was wrong in stating that there is no federal law imposing the death penalty for child rape. While that error may have had some significance in the recent death penalty case, it’s hardly dispositive, and probably not the result of malfeasance. While it’s an interesting story that was broken by a blogger, the error is unlikely to have any effect on the case. With California now suffering from over 1,000 wildfires, and a budget crisis that seems to signal economic doom, this is the story the Bee chooses for its above-the fold front page story? (And why is it not on their website?)