The Court will begin issuing opinions again on February 22 or 23.
At this point, the three significant rulings we could reasonably expect to see when the Justices return are:
1. Roper v. Simmons – the juvenile execution case, which was argued on October 13
2. Johnson v. California – the case challenging the racial segregation of prisoners, which was argued on November 2
3. Smith v. City of Jackson – the age discrimination “disparate impact” case, which I argued on November 3, and in which we are counsel (with the Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic) to the petitioners
As a reminder, in the November caes, the Chief Justice will not be participating except to break a tie vote.