COURTS & LEGAL

Supreme Court Begins Election Year Term Full Of Big Cases

Oct 7, 2019, 9:20 AM | Updated: Jun 8, 2022, 5:01 pm

The Supreme Court of the United States of America. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The justices are returning to the Supreme Court bench for the start of an election year term that includes high-profile cases about abortions, protections for young immigrants and LGBT rights.

The court meets Monday morning for its first public session since late June. First up is a death penalty case from Kansas about whether states can abolish an insanity defense for criminal defendants.

The justices also will hear arguments Monday in a challenge to a murder conviction by a non-unanimous jury in Louisiana.

The term could reveal how far to the right and how fast the court’s conservative majority will move, even as Chief Justice John Roberts has made clear he wants to keep the court clear of Washington partisan politics. The court is beginning its second term with both of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, on board.

The justices could be asked to intervene in disputes between congressional Democrats and the White House that might also involve the possible impeachment of the Republican president.

Roberts would preside over a Senate trial of Trump if the House were to impeach him.

Its biggest decisions are likely to be handed down in late June, four months before the election.

The court also could be front and center in the presidential election campaign itself, especially with health concerns surrounding 86-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

For now, though, the court has plenty of significant cases to deal with, including whether federal civil rights law that bars workplace discrimination on the basis of sex covers LGBT people. The justices will hear arguments Tuesday in two cases on that topic, their first foray into LGBT rights since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote all the court’s major gay-rights rulings.

Next month, the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is in front of the justices. Lower courts have blocked Trump from ending the Obama-era program, which has shielded roughly 700,000 people from deportation and provided them with permits to work.

During the winter, the justices will take up a challenge to a Louisiana law that would force abortion providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. It’s another test of whether the change in the court’s composition will result in a different outcome. With Kennedy in the majority, the court in 2016 struck down a virtually identical Texas law.

KSL 5 TV Live

Courts & Legal

Larry Woodcock speaks to a crowd of media cameras and microphones...

Larry D. Curtis and Lauren Steinbrecher

Victim’s grandfather says evidence ‘unequivocal’ in Lori Vallow Daybell trial

As Lori Vallow Daybell entered the fifth week of her trial facing charges of first-degree murder, a victim's grandfather, Larry Woodcock, said the documentation in the case is "unequivocal."

11 months ago

Tammy Daybell...

Larry D. Curtis and Lauren Steinbrecher

Utah’s ME testifies Tammy Daybell was restrained in hours around her killing

Utah's chief medical examiner testified in Idaho today that Tammy Daybell was restrained around the time of her death and was killed by asphyxiation in late 2019.

11 months ago

New Utah prison...

Pat Reavy

Crime victims sue Utah, saying violent inmates were released but not supervised

A new lawsuit contends the Utah Department of Corrections inappropriately releases violent criminals who were not properly supervised and end up committing murder and other violent crimes.

11 months ago

FILE - Lori Vallow Daybell, appears in court in Lihue, Hawaii, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. The only s...

Larry D. Curtis and Lauren Steinbrecher

Lori Vallow Daybell’s DNA used as evidence for first time in her murder trial

For the first time, Lori Vallow Daybell's DNA has been entered as evidence into her murder trial. A hair found attached to adhesive that is understood — but not clearly stated in court — to be part of the layers of tape found with her son JJ Vallow's body was tested and found to be a match for her.

11 months ago

FILE - Planned Parenthood of Utah is shown on June 28, 2022, in Salt Lake City. A Utah court on Fri...

Emily Ashcraft

Utah judge considers delay on law requiring abortions to happen in hospitals

A Utah judge is now considering a request from Planned Parenthood to place an injunction on a law that would ban abortions from taking place in clinics, saying a written decision will be issued early next week.

11 months ago

courtroom sketch...

SAMANTHA HERRERA and Hugo Rikard-Bell, KSL NewsRadio

Idaho murder trial shifts from child victims to Utah mother and wife Tammy Daybell

Testimony in the murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell Friday, shifted from the death of her children to the death or her current husband's late wife, Tammy Daybell.

11 months ago

Sponsored Articles

Stack of old laptops with dark background...

PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.

Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...

BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.

Close up of an offset printing machine during production...

Les Olson IT

Top 7 Reasons to Add a Production Printer to Your Business

Learn about the different digital production printers and how they can help your company save time and money.

vintage photo of lighting showroom featuring chandeliers, lamps, wall lights and mirrors...

Lighting Design

History of Lighting Design | Over 25 Years of Providing Utah With the Latest Trends and Styles

Read about the history of Lighting Design, a family-owned and operated business that paved the way for the lighting industry in Utah.

Fiber Optical cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports...

Brian Huston, CE and Anthony Perkins, BICSI

Why Every Business Needs a Structured Cabling System

A structured cabling system benefits businesses by giving you faster processing speeds and making your network more efficient and reliable.

notebook with password notes highlighted...

PC Laptops

How to Create Strong Passwords You Can Actually Remember

Learn how you can create strong passwords that are actually easy to remember! In a short time you can create new ones in seconds.

Supreme Court Begins Election Year Term Full Of Big Cases