The U.S. Supreme Court began its new term on Monday with arguments in a criminal sentencing case, setting out on a nine-month legal journey that will test how far its 6-3 conservative majority is willing to steer American law in a rightward direction.
The court also turned away a series of appeals in cases involving lawyers who pursued unsuccessful litigation to try to overturn former President Donald Trump's 2020 election loss, a long-shot candidate's bid to disqualify Trump from the 2024 election and videos secretly recorded by anti-abortion activists.
Among the cases the court previously agreed to hear this term are major ones involving gun rights, the power of federal agencies, social media regulation, OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy settlement, the legality of Republican-drawn electoral districts and more.