WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court resumes hearing Monday, ready to hear cases on ghost guns, a death sentence and transgender rights.
The docket does not have as many blockbuster cases on its docket as last term, when the rulings included an opinion granting broad immunity to former President Donald Trump.
Still, it’s possible the conservative-majority court could still be asked to intervene in election disputes after the ballots are cast in November.
The judges were also relatively busy during the summer holidays. The orders they issued on emergency declarations include a refusal to reinstate President Joe Biden’s student loan plan and a partial passage of an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
The new term also begins against the backdrop of low public confidence in the Supreme Court, and an ongoing debate over whether their recently adopted code of ethics should have an enforcement mechanism.
Here’s a look at some of the upcoming cases:
Ghost gun regulations
The justices will hear a case on Tuesday about regulations for ghost guns, privately made weapons that are difficult for police to trace because they do not have a serial number.
The number of firearms found at crime scenes has skyrocketed in recent years, from fewer than 4,000 in 2018 to nearly 20,000 recovered by law enforcement in 2021, according to Justice Department data.
The numbers have fallen in several cities since the Biden administration began requiring background checks and age verification for ghost gun kits that can be purchased online.
But manufacturers and gun rights groups argue the government has overstepped its bounds and the rule should be overturned.
Doubts about a death sentence
In the decades since Richard Glossip was sentenced to death for a 1997 murder-for-hire plot, it has become a rare case in which prosecutors admit mistakes.
Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general has joined Glossip in seeking to overturn his murder conviction and death sentence.
Despite these misgivings, an Oklahoma appeals court upheld Glossip’s conviction, and the state’s Pardons and Parole Board deadlocked in a vote to grant him clemency.
The court will hear arguments in his case on Wednesday.
Transgender rights
Perhaps the court’s most followed case so far this year is a battle over transgender rights.
The case over state bans on gender-affirming care comes as Republican-led states implement a variety of restrictions, including participation in school sports, bathroom use and drag shows.
The administration and Democratic-led states have expanded protections for transgender people, although the Supreme Court has separately blocked the administration from enforcing a new federal rule that seeks to protect transgender students.
The justices will consider a Tennessee law that restricts puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. The case does not yet have a hearing date, but will likely be heard in December.
