First Monday at the U.S. Supreme Court

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It’s the first Monday in October, which means the U.S. Supreme Court is back in session. The Court has started its session on the first Monday in October every year since 1917 when a new law went into effect changing the start to one week earlier. Starting this fall, the Supreme Court will allow attorneys to make an uninterrupted statement for two minutes to begin each case. As is true almost every year, a number of important cases will be heard that are sure to be studied in Constitutional Law classes for years to come. Here is a preview of a few of those cases (all links for cases come from SCOTUSBlog):

  • In Ohio and a number of other states it is perfectly legal for an employer to fire someone for being gay. This issue will be considered by the court in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia (Consolidated with Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda). While an earlier Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage is seen as a watershed moment in the path to LBGTQA+ equality, many feel true equality for all citizens cannot be said to exist until one is protected from workplace and housing discrimination.
  • Department of Homeland Security v. University of California – Case centers around whether President Trump was justified in revoking the Obama-era rule (DACA or Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals colloquially known as “Dreamers”) that shielded from deportation more than 700,000 young immigrants who entered the country illegally as children.
  • New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. v. City of New York – Can a city restrict gun owners from carrying a handgun in their car? At issue is an unusual New York City ordinance that allowed residents to keep a legal handgun at home but prohibited them from transporting it, even to a second home outside the city.
  • Espinoza v. Montana – Must a state offer grants and scholarships to students in church-related schools if it offers such money to students in other private schools? Two years ago, the court broke new ground by ruling the 1st Amendment’s protection for the “free exercise of religion” forbids discrimination against churches when the government gives grants to private groups. Most states, however, have constitutions that forbid giving tax money to churches. The Montana Supreme Court, citing its constitution, blocked a state scholarship fund from giving money to students attending church-related schools.
  • City of Boise v. Martin – Can cities restrict homeless people from camping or sleeping on sidewalks or in public places? The 9th Circuit Court ruled no if no other indoor sleeping places are available. Now the Supreme Court will decide.

Also Supreme-Court related is our database U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs, which contains briefs and related documents from Supreme Court cases between 1832 and 1978. Access to this database is IP-authenticated for users connected to the law school’s computer network; faculty and students can also access the database while off campus by logging in with their CSU ID number and library PIN.

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