With all the hoopla surrounding Mark Foley's follies, let's not forget that the Supreme Court begins its term today. They will hear cases on hot-button issues such as the legality of late-term abortions and local school integration policies, among other things. According to the
Washington Post, Roberts and Alito responded to Democratic concerns about impartiality by "[pledging] to take due account of
stare decisis, the rule that says the court should avoid overruling past decisions." Hmm. I'm just not sure I believe that.
Another case with far-reaching impact relates to global warming. The Court will hear "one of the most significant environmental cases in decades" (ABC News) and decide whether the Bush administration must regulate carbon dioxide emissions, or if voluntary measures are enough. "It's not just the Bush Administration's environmental policies that will be tested via Massachusetts v. EPA," CBS News comments, "it's the White House's approach to science, generally, that will come under scrutiny."
Hooooh boy. It should be an exciting, if anxiety-producing, term. Stay tuned.