The nine judges of the Supreme Court of the United States have begun this Monday a new judicial course loaded with issues of strong social significance that will be reviewed by a body with a solid conservative majority, after the appointment of three magistrates during the presidency of Republican Donald Trump.
If in 1973, the Supreme Court of that time recognized that a woman could end her pregnancy during the first six months of gestation, that constitutional right is now in question. The highest court will have to decide whether to allow the State of Mississippi to revive a bill that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks of gestation. Roe against Wade, As the sentence that declared abortion legal in the 50 States of the Union is called, it is being questioned now more than ever, especially after last September the highest court approved a Texas law that places the date for making the termination of a pregnancy illegal at six weeks of gestation, when a woman is not even aware that she is pregnant.
On December 1, the Supreme Court will have the first hearing on such a divisive issue. At the end of June 2022, the highest judicial authority in the country will have to rule on the Mississippi case, a few months before the mid-term elections, which will undoubtedly be defined by the verdict that is generated.
If abortion is polarizing in American society, the right to bear arms or religion is no less so. Both issues are also on the legislative agenda. The court maintains that Americans have the constitutional right to bear arms to defend themselves but has not ruled on control measures such as carrying them in public. On November 3, the nine justices will hear arguments about the constitutionality of a New York law that leaves it up to local authorities to allow or not carry weapons. On this issue, gun defenders clash with groups that demand greater control, since they fear for public safety if citizens are allowed to go armed on the street.
Regarding religion, the Supreme you will see two cases. One refers to a prisoner sentenced to death who considers that his religious rights are being violated, since the State of Texas does not allow that during his next execution, he is next to him, holding his hand and praying, his spiritual advisor. You will also see the maximum cutting limits imposed on the funding of religious schools.
Finally, the torture of the CIA and the reinstatement of the death sentence of the young man convicted of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing will be two other cases that will capture the attention of the public in an election year. In the first case, the court will hear arguments in favor and against that the Government has the power to keep confidential information related to the controversial measures that were taken after the September 11 attacks, as is the case of the confessions obtained under torture. Regarding Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Biden Administration will request on the 13th that the person responsible for the deaths of three people face capital punishment, a punishment that a Massachusetts appeals court eliminated.
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