The Supreme Court’s new term begins today. Here’s the big cases to watch

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Louise Thomas

Editor

The Supreme Court is taking the bench again on Monday, ready to hear cases on ghost guns, a death sentence and transgender rights.

The docket doesn’t have quite as many blockbuster cases on its docket as it did last term, when its rulings included an opinion granting broad immunity to former president Donald Trump.

Still, it’s possible that the conservative-majority court could yet be asked to intervene in election disputes after the ballots are cast in November.

The justices also stayed relatively busy during their summer break. The orders they issued on emergency appeals included a refusal to restore President Joe Biden’s student loan plan and a partial approval of an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

The new term also opens against the backdrop of low public trust in the Supreme Court, and continued debate about whether their newly adopted code of ethics should have an enforcement mechanism.

Here’s a look at some of the cases coming up:

The justices will hear a case Tuesday on regulations for ghost guns, privately made weapons that are hard for police to track because they don't have a serial number.

The number of the firearms found at crime scenes has soared 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 been declining in multiple cities since the Biden administration began requiring background checks and age verification for ghost gun kits that can be bought online.

But manufacturers and gun rights groups argue that the administration overstepped and the rule should be overturned.

In the decades since Richard Glossip was sentenced to die over a 1997 murder-for-hire scheme, the case has become a rare one where prosecutors are conceding mistakes.

Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general has joined with Glossip in seeking to overturn his murder conviction and death sentence.

Despite those doubts, an Oklahoma appeals court has upheld Glossip’s conviction, and the state’s pardon and parole board deadlocked in a vote to grant him clemency.

The court will hear arguments in his case on Wednesday.

Perhaps the court's most closely watched case so far this year is a fight over transgender rights.

The case over state bans on gender-affirming care comes as Republican-led states enact a variety of restrictions, including school sports participation, bathroom usage and drag shows.

The administration and Democratic-led states have extended protections for transgender people, though Supreme Court has separately prohibited the administration from enforcing a new federal regulation that seeks to protect transgender students.

The justices will weigh a Tennessee law that restrict puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. The case does not yet have a hearing date, but will likely be argued in December.