by Brayden Yee
After 18 months of remote court cases, the US Supreme Court began its new term in person this week. Eight justices appeared in person, with Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh participating remotely after testing positive for COVID-19. The upcoming agenda includes several major cases.
On November 3rd, the court will take on New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, a gun ownership case that challenges a state law requiring citizens who want to legally carry firearms in public to have a “justifiable need” to do so. The plaintiffs of the case are two New Yorkers who were denied a concealed weapons permit (CCW) after authorities ruled that they didn’t demonstrate the need to carry the weapons for self-defense.
The court will also tackle the abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on December 1st, which could possibly overturn the Supreme Court precedent of Roe v. Wade, a case that has guaranteed women’s access to abortion. The litigation concerns a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
On December 8th, Carson v. Makin, a case from Maine over whether religious schools can be included in a state-funded program that would provide financial aid to families who live in places without public schools, will reach the court.
With the court leaning more conservative than it has been in nearly a century, liberals are left concerned about the outcomes of these cases while conservatives are hopeful for the future.
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