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26 ¦ MARCH 23, 2020 NEWS

In Coronavirus Shadow, Justices Will Review
Class Actions, Arbitration, Job Bias and More

By Marcia Coyle

Paul Clement speaking at the Federalist Society’s 7th annual Executive Branch Review Conference on May 8,

A 2019. Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi / ALM
child-welfare class action, a football arbitra- On Friday or Monday, the court could issue an “or-
tion challenge, state immigration “sanctuary” ders” list detailing the fate of the pending petitions,
laws, job discrimination charges and reli- and there is also the possibility of opinions in the
gious advertising are some of the petitions awaiting many cases that were argued in recent months.
the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday as it carries on its The justices’ pace of issuing opinions has been
business in the coronavirus era. slow, much slower than the previous term that be-
The Supreme Court’s iconic building in Wash- gan in October 2018. One reason could be the extra
ington, across from the U.S. Capitol, may be closed duties taken on by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. dur-
and March arguments temporarily suspended but ing the Trump impeachment proceedings, as well as
the justices will engage in one of their easier logisti- the general difficulty and potential divisiveness of a
cal tasks—discussing pending petitions seeking the number of the cases. The court has heard 43 argued
magic four votes for review next term. cases since its October term opened and has issued
The court, citing the coronavirus pandemic, said 14 decisions, including three unsigned opinions.
earlier that justices could participate by phone, rath- In response to the impact of the ongoing health
er than meeting in a conference room at the court. crisis, the justices on Thursday issued an order

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