February arguments, day by day

The Supreme Court’s pace of hearings will slow in the February sitting, which will begin on February 24, 2014, with only a single case set for hearing on all but one of the public sessions.  This Term, the Court had a heavier early schedule of arguments.  This sitting will open with the cases on the government’s power to regulate greenhouse gases from fixed sites such as power plants.

The February argument schedule, day by day, follows the jump, with a summary of the issues at stake in each case.

Monday, February 24:

12-1146 — Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA (and five other petitions) — federal authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other stationary sources (grant limited to question written by the Court; six petitions consolidated for one hour of oral argument)

Tuesday, February 25:

12-9012 — Robers v. United States — method of calculating restitution to victims of mortgage-loan fraud

Wednesday, February 26:

12-1163 — Highmark Inc. v. Allcare Health Management System — award of attorney’s fees as a way to deter “patent trolling”

12-1184 — Octane Fitness v. Icon Health & Fitness — right of company accused of patent infringement to recover attorney’s fees if it defeats the claim

Monday, March 3:

12-10882 — Hall v. Florida — standard for mental disability sufficient to bar the death penalty for murder

Tuesday, March 4:

12-1117 — Plumhoff v. Rickard — scope of police immunity to lawsuits when death results from a high-speed police chase

Wednesday, March 5:

13-317 — Halliburton Co. v. Erica P. John Fund — reconsideration of the 1988 decision in Basic Inc. v. Levinson, on the validity of the “fraud on the market” theory in securities lawsuits