Today at the Supreme Court | 3.24.08

At 10 a.m., the Court is scheduled to hear argument in Burgess v. United States (06-11429) on what qualifies as a “felony drug offense” for federal sentencing purposes. Jeffrey L. Fisher of Stanford Law School will argue for the petitioner,  and Nicole Saharasky of the Solicitor General’s office will argue for the respondent.

At 11 a.m., the Court is scheduled to hear argument in United States v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company (07-308) on whether a company that failed to meet the Tucker Act statute of limitations may seek a tax refund (with interest) directly under the Export Clause. William M. Jay of the Solicitor General’s office, and Patricia A. Millett of Washington, D.C., will argue for the respondent.
At 1 p.m., the Court is scheduled to hear argument in Riley v. Kennedy (07-77) on whether a state court’s reliance on the state constitution to invalidate a state law may qualify as a “change” requiring preclearance under the Voting Rights Act. Kevin C. Newsom of Birmingham, Ala., will argue for the appellant, and Pamela S. Karlan of Stanford University and Kannon M. Shanmugam of the Solicitor General’s office will argue for the appellees.

In advance of the arguments, the Court is expected to release orders from the Justices’ private conference last Friday.