It’s crunch time for the nation’s highest court.
The Supreme Court is slated to issue decisions on seven major cases — including fair housing, gay marriage, capital punishment, voter redistricting, clean air and lethal injections.
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As we wait the outcomes — the court is scheduled to announce its opinions on Thursday, Friday and Monday, and potentially additional days after that — here’s a quick look at some of the most high-profile cases.
Gay marriage: In what could be a landmark decision, the court will determine whether or not the 14th amendment allows states to deny marriage to same-sex couples. The ruling will also establish if states have the right to deny recognition of gay marriages performed in countries and other states where it is already legal. The court has been hearing challenges to same-sex marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.
Obamacare: The court will also rule on the future of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
The ruling will be based on whether or not justices believe the federal government violated the law by offering subsidies to lower- and middle-income Americans who live in states that have not yet set up their own health care insurance exchanges.
In the statute, the case centers on the words “established by the state” and could affect approximately 6.4 million people in 34 states who bought insurance on the federal exchange because their states refused to set up their exchange. Fair housing: The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was passed to prevent discrimination on the bases of race, religion, sex or national origin. The Supreme Court will determine whether to get rid of parts of that law based on the argument that the law was passed to only prohibit intentional discrimination. Redistricting: In 2000, Arizona voters passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting the Legislature from being able to draw districts and instead gave that power to an independent redistricting commission — to prevent so-called gerrymandering that could give a particular party an advantage. The Legislature, consequently, went to court and is challenging that vote — arguing the Constitution gives such power to state legislatures.Recommended
