There are at least three cases involving religious liberty or social values that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this term. (The Court’s term runs from the first Monday of October to the last week of June.) All three of those cases will be heard this week, the first two on Tuesday and the third on Wednesday.
The first is Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants. California is restricting marketing video games that depict graphic violence to young children, and the Court will consider the video makers’ claim that this restriction violates the First Amendment.
The second is Sossamon v. Texas. It considers whether a person can sue for monetary damages a state or state official for violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or instead if the Eleventh Amendment makes states immune to such lawsuits.
The third is Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn, where the Court will consider whether plaintiffs have standing to challenge a state tax credit in Arizona that’s used to fund Christian schools.
There will probably be more cases important to social conservatives and religious liberty this year. But this week is a big one for people of faith across America. Decisions should come down early next year.
