The new term for the Supreme Court is a first for Elena Kagan, but also the first time that three women sit on the bench at the same time in the panel of nine judges.
At present there are approximately 52 cases before the Supreme Court, on issues as diverse as rowdy protests at military funerals to video game violence and immigration reforms. Kagan however has already recused herself from 24 of those cases, which means she will not vote in the outcomes of the cases. She will also not sit in on oral arguments to do with cases where she has recused herself.
Kagan, who was the former Solicitor General for the Justice Department supervised all pending appeals that were to go to the high court. As such she has withdrawn from cases she had previous involvement in, or which might be seen as a conflict on interests.
While the main controversy over this term’s dockets centers over the issue of protestors at military funerals, there are other ones waiting in the wings. These include appeals related to same-sex marriage, the health care reforms and terrorism.
Other cases in view this term include appeals over the death penalty, video game violence, immigration reforms aimed at creating more continuity between state and federal laws and issues around religious organizations helping with school fees.
While the caseload for this term is not fully decided as yet, caseloads are usually established properly by February.
