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One case that is scheduled for opening arguments in December is Locke v. Davey,
which considers the state of Washington's refusal to allow a college  theology
major to receive a state-sponsored college scholarship. The case is similar
to a one argued two terms ago in which the court ruled in favor of a family who
wanted to use school vouchers -- paid for by the government -- to pay for a parochial
or private school. A second case challenges a part of the Americans With
Disabilities Act. The act requires states to give people with disabilities adequate
access to public services and programs. In the case, Tennessee v. Lane, which
is scheduled for January, the state of Tennessee will try to beat a lawsuit brought
against it by a disabled man, who was asked to get out of his wheelchair and crawl
up two flights of stairs in order to make a court appearance. On Tuesday,
the court also decided to hear a case from California that barred the recitation
of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools because it included the phrase "under
God." The California court said the phrase violated the constitutional
separation of church and state doctrine. The Supreme Court will now decided whether
to uphold that law or overturn it as the president and the Senate have called
for. The most high-profile
case this season will probably be the court's ruling on the constitutionality
of a 2002 campaign finance law, also known as the McCain-Feingold law after the
senators who sponsored it, Republican John McCain from Arizona and Democrat Russ
Feingold of Wisconsin. In the case, which officially opened last term but
will be ruled on this term, the court will focus on two aspects of the law: The
banning of certain contributions to national political parties, also called "soft
money" contributions; and the strict limits put on TV and radio ads paid
for by corporations or unions before an election. A date for a decision in this
case has not been announced. | 
Whether
the court does decide to take a case could have a major impact on the case and
its participants. Because the Supreme Court is the ultimate appeals court, if
the justices decided not to hear it, the ruling of the lower court stands and
the losers have to accept the verdict.
Among
the pending cases are several based on the government's arrest and detention policies
after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In many of the cases, civil rights
organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), will argue
that policies adopted by the government, particularly the Justice Department,
violate the civil rights of detainees and Muslim Americans.
It makes me want to come to school every day, and it has given me something that I’m really good at.
