November is just beginning, but the Supreme Court’s oral argument sitting for the month is already complete.
Next week, we could have the Supreme Court’s cert decision in the individual mandate challenges that were up for consideration in this week’s orders. Once that cat’s out of the bag, no one will be able to think or speak of anything else. So while we still have your attention on other matters, let’s look at the cases that Court will consider during its December sitting.
Monday November 28:
Tuesday, November 29:
Wednesday, November 30:
Monday, December 5:
Tuesday, December 6:
Wednesday, December 7:
While November's sitting was largely focused on rights of the accused, December oral arguments lean toward complex issues like finance and intellectual property. One of the more notable cases is Prometheus Laboratories, determining whether a company can patent products of nature.
For those of you who look for a monthly criminal law fix while the Court is in session, the Court will examine whether the Confrontation Clause bars an expert witness from testifying about DNA testing results performed by non-testifying analysts in Williams v. Illinois.
In the always-popular qualified immunity category, the Court will reconsider its Malley/Leon standards and determine whether a police officer who executes a valid warrant that clearly lacks probable cause is protected by qualified immunity.
Links to the Supreme Court's questions presented in each of the cases are provided above, so take some time to click around and familiarize yourself with the December oral argument topics before they go before the Court.
Related Resources:
- December 2011 Supreme Court Hearing Schedule (Supreme Court)
- SCOTUS Recap: Grants, Denials, and Oral Arguments (FindLaw's Supreme Court blog)
- This Week on First Street: Greene v. Fisher and More (FindLaw's Supreme Court blog)
