Text 13741, 129 rader
Skriven 2005-06-26 07:44:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Supreme Court
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Monday proves to be very interesting...

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http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050625/D8AURV100.html

High Court to End Term With Big Decisions
 

Jun 25, 4:33 PM (ET)

By GINA HOLLAND
 

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court ends its work Monday with the 
highest of drama: an anticipated retirement, a ruling on the 
constitutionality of government Ten Commandments displays and decisions 
in other major cases.

Traditionally there is an air of suspense as the justices meet for the 
final time before breaking for three months. Justices usually wait until 
then to resolve blockbuster cases.

Added to that is the expectation that Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 
is presiding over the court for the last time. Rehnquist has thyroid 
cancer and many court experts believe his retirement is imminent.

"There's enormous drama and anticipation. Is he going to announce his 
resignation? Are we going to spend this summer in a confirmation fight?" 
said Erwin Chemerinsky, a Duke law professor.

 
(AP) New York Times reporter Judith Miller, left, and Time Magazine 
reporter Matt Cooper talk to...
Full Image 
 
 
Long lines have formed several hours before the court's recent sessions 
so people could get a seat in the packed courtroom. On Monday, the crowd 
will include supporters and opponents of Ten Commandments monuments. 
Supporters usually gather outside the court praying and singing hymns.

"It's a big day. History being made, that's a lot of what it's about," 
said Maureen Mahoney, a Washington lawyer and former Rehnquist law 
clerk.

Also expected are nine women in judicial robes who call themselves "Roe 
Rangers," to bring attention to uncertainty about the court's makeup and 
abortion rights.

Justices have a few cases left to resolve, including two of the most-
watched of the term: the Ten Commandments appeals from Texas and 
Kentucky and a case that will determine the liability of Internet file-
sharing services for clients' illegal swapping of songs and movies.

Also Monday, justices are expected to announce whether they will hear 
appeals from two journalists who may face jail time for refusing to 
reveal sources in the leak of an undercover CIA officer's identity.

 
(AP) Rev. Ken Johnson, center, from Seaman, Ohio, and Rev. Rob Schenck, 
right, President of Faith and...
Full Image 
 
 
Lawyers for Time magazine's Matthew Cooper and The New York Times' 
Judith Miller have asked the court to clarify protections reporters have 
in keeping sources confidential. The cases could not be heard until 
December.

The Supreme Court term already has covered cases involving the execution 
of teenage killers, state bans on Internet orders from out-of-state 
wineries and federal sentencing rules.

Overshadowing it all, however, has been Rehnquist's health and questions 
about the future of the court, which has not had a vacancy for 11 years, 
a modern record.

"More people are paying attention to the court than they have in years 
even though the docket has not been earthshaking," said Vikram Amar, a 
law professor at the University of California, Hastings and a former 
Supreme Court clerk. "It changes the importance of this year in Supreme 
Court history."

In addition to Rehnquist, 80, older members of the court include Justice 
Sandra Day O'Connor, 75, and Justice John Paul Stevens, 85.

 
(AP) Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott speaks near a granite slab 
bearing the Ten Commandments on the...
Full Image 
 
 
Rehnquist was absent from the bench for five months after disclosing in 
October that he had cancer. He has refused to say whether he has the 
most serious type of thyroid cancer. He speaks with difficulty because 
of a trachea tube inserted to help him breathe.

"One or two justices may announce their retirement on Monday. Or none 
may," said Suzanna Sherry, a law professor at Vanderbilt University who 
specializes in the Supreme Court. "In the past there has not been this 
kind of anticipation."

Rehnquist could announce his decision at the Monday morning session. He 
could wait until later in the day after justices hold their last private 
meeting of the term. He could wait until later in the week, after the 
crowds have left the court.

The final rulings of the term often come down to 5-4 votes. Sometimes, 
justices who dissent read objections from the bench.

"It's a zoo," veteran Supreme Court lawyer Carter Phillips said of final 
ruling days.

The Ten Commandments issue has gotten the most attention, in part 
because it has been 25 years since the court last dealt with it.

Justices ruled then that the Ten Commandments could not be displayed in 
public schools. Now they will decide if a granite monument on the 
grounds of the Texas Capitol and framed copies of commandments in two 
Kentucky courthouses are allowed.

Rulings are also awaited in a Tennessee death penalty case, an appeal 
that will decide police departments' liability for not enforcing 
restraining orders, and a challenge to the tight control cable companies 
hold over high-speed Internet service.

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