How Will the Justices Rule? The Supreme Court is considering important cases this term on a variety of hot-button issues.

AuthorSmith, Patricia

Chief Justice

John G. Roberts Jr.

Leans conservative

Appointed by

George W. Bush in 2005

Clarence Thomas

Leans conservative

Appointed by

George H. W. Bush in 1991

Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Leans conservative

Appointed by

George W. Bush in 2006

Neil M. Gorsuch

Leans conservative

Appointed by

Donald Trump in 2017

Brett Kavanaugh

Leans conservative

Appointed by

Donald Trump in 2018

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Leans liberal

Appointed by

Bill Clinton in 1993

Stephen G. Breyer

Leans liberal

Appointed by

Bill Clinton in 1994

Sonia Sotomayor

Leans liberal

Appointed by

Barack Obama in 2009

Elena Kagan

Leans liberal

Appointed by

Barack Obama in 2010

Before its current term ends in June, the Supreme Court will have the potential to reshape U.S. law--and American life--on a host of hot-button issues. Cases on the docket include important ones about immigration, gun rights, gay rights, and jury trials. Adding to the potential drama: The rulings are expected early next summer, just as the presidential election will be heating up.

"Although the Court will carry on with a sense of normalcy," says Lisa S. Blatt, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who often argues cases there, "it will be hard for them to ignore the polarization in the country."

The Court's newest member, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, took his seat last fall and cemented what is now a solid conservative majority. Kavanaugh, appointed by President Trump, replaced Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was often a swing vote between the Court's liberal and conservative wings. Experts say Chief Justice John Roberts could be the new swing vote. Here's what you need to know to understand some of the key cases.

Will young undocumented immigrants be subject to deportation?

Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the State of California

For seven years, nearly 800,000 young men and women who were brought to the United States illegally as children have lived in limbo, protected from deportation but without the guarantee of a permanent future in the U.S.

The federal program that has protected them is called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. In 2012, then-President Barack Obama created DACA by executive order. Obama and immigration advocates said the children shouldn't be penalized for their parents' decisions to come illegally to the U.S.

President Trump wants to end the program, which he called an "end run around Congress." He said Obama's use of executive authority to protect the young immigrants violated "the core tenets that sustain our Republic." Now the Supreme Court will decide whether Thimp can carry out his plan.

Lower courts have so far blocked the Trump administration's attempts to do away with DACA, saying that the government's rationale for ending the program was "arbitrary and capricious."

"This is hugely important," says David Cole, legal director of the ACLU, the country's largest civil liberties organization, "because this one legal decision will directly affect 800,000 lives."

However the Court rules, its decision could roil the presidential election. Allowing the Trump administration to end the program could energize Democratic voters and immigration advocates to campaign even more aggressively against the president. If the Court prevents Trump from ending DACA, that could fire up his base of voters, many of whom see the program as a kind of amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

Must a jury be unanimous to convict someone in a criminal case?

Ramos v. Louisiana

In 2014, Evangelista Ramos, a Louisiana boat worker, was accused of killing a woman in New Orleans. Prosecutors were able to convince only 10 of 12 jurors of Ramos's guilt, but that was enough for a conviction; he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Ramos, now 46, maintains his innocence.

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