By Mia Birkes
The Supreme Court of the United States started a new term on Oct. 4, 2021. Traditionally, a term for the Supreme Court will last one year and a majority of their decisions will be released in June. The current Supreme Court Justices are Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
This term, the Supreme Court has quite a plate in front of them. The Justices will hear a total of 43 cases throughout the year, though 18 are awaiting hearing dates. Some major cases include United States v. Texas and Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Fazaga.
United States v. Texas is set to be heard on Nov. 1, 2021, which follows the release of this paper. For updated information, please check a reputable news source. United States v. Texas is the continued argument about the constitutionality of Texas’s S.B. 8, otherwise known as the “6-week abortion ban.” Many argue that S.B. 8 is unconstitutional according to the proceedings of both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Fazaga will be heard on Nov. 8, 2021. This case will deal with surveillance of Muslim citizens on the basis of national security. In late 2019, three citizens of California claim that they were unjustly surveilled and discriminated against based solely on their religious identity, leading to unwarranted searches and harassment. The case was initially dismissed on the state-secrets privilege established in United States v. Reynolds, which states that all cases with evidence relating to sensitive government information, such as counterterrorism measures, will be dismissed to protect national interest.
