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NEWS SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 ¦ 13

CT Case Is On SCOTUS Docket
For Next Term Starting Oct. 5

By Sarah Tincher

T United States Supreme Court. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM
he new term of the U.S. Supreme Court is silent Justice Clarence Thomas participated fully in
unlikely to match the prior one for drama, all 10 arguments.
historic acts and the number of blockbuster Substantively, Roberts emerged clearly at the
decisions. But the docket is chock full of poten- court’s center, using his position to steer the court
tially major challenges concerning health care, to moderate rulings in such highly politicized cases
the intersection of religion and LGBT discrimina- as the separation-of-powers battle over President
tion, a battle over grand jury materials in Special Donald Trump’s taxes and financial materials and
Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, and the plight of so-called “dreamers” brought to this
a billion-dollar showdown between tech giants country by their undocumented parents.
Google and Oracle. By the end of a term that began fraught with partisan
Last term, the nation witnessed a series of “firsts” overtones, the Supreme Court was viewed as centrist
involving the court: In the middle of January argu- and nonpartisan—a major goal of a chief justice par-
ments, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., for the first ticularly concerned with the institution’s legitimacy.
time, presided over impeachment of a president. The As the new term unfolds, some questions spurred
court cancelled oral arguments in March and April by the past term are:
because of the coronavirus. The justices heard his- Will Roberts be able to continue to find mid-
toric telephonic arguments in 10 cases in May with dle ground to attract cross-ideological majorities,
live audio available to the public. And the usually
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