SCOTUS Preview: Sonar, F-Bombs and Public Parks
The U.S. Supreme Court returns to the bench this month facing an eclectic mix of cases, including whether television viewers must tolerate the F-word on live broadcasts, whether whales can tolerate the Navy’s use of sonar, and whether public parks that include the Ten Commandments must make room for the 1970s-vintage “Seven Aphorisms of Summum.”
On the liability front, the court will decide whether drug companies and the makers of “light” cigarettes are shielded from being sued. And as the Bush administration prepares to leave office, the court will consider whether ex-Attorney General John Ashcroft can be sued for allegedly ordering a roundup of Muslim immigrants in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The new term looks to be busier than those of recent years. Before going on recess for the summer, the court granted review in 43 cases, enough to fill the argument calendar into January. Oral arguments were scheduled for three cases a day during the fall, rather than two, which had become the norm.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said he and his colleagues would prefer to front-load the term’s cases so more are heard in the fall and fewer are set for March and April. The notion is that the justices can do better work with more time to complete each of their opinions. While the court may have more cases this term, it may be lacking an attention-grabbing culture-wars clash on race, religion, guns, gays or abortion. Read the full story in the October issue of the ABA Journal online.
