Most of the cases to be heard between now and June remain to be chosen but the list so far reveals some extraordinarily important issues. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death and Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination overshadowed the court’s start, traditionally headline news. The court will not wait for a ninth member to start hearing cases or schedule new ones.
An eight-member court still works: ties mean rehearings, narrower opinions or a non-precedential affirmation of the status quo.
COVID-19 means the court will meet remotely; the pandemic also required rescheduling twelve cases left unheard last term.
The Affordable Care Act cases were already deliberately scheduled for argument on November 10 -- after the elections.
A fight between Congress members and the Justice Department over the Mueller report will be heard in December.
