The U.S. Supreme Court will begin its new nine-month term on Monday, tackling cases on critical issues such as gun rights, gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, online pornography, federal regulatory authority over nuclear waste storage and vape products, and securities fraud involving Nvidia and Facebook. Here’s a preview of some of the cases the justices will decide:
GHOST GUNS
The justices will address the legality of a U.S. regulation targeting homemade “ghost guns,” as the Biden administration continues its efforts to curb the rising use of these untraceable firearms in crimes. The administration challenged a lower court’s ruling that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives overstepped its authority by regulating parts and kits for ghost guns, which individuals can quickly assemble at home. The court will hear arguments on Oct. 8.
MEXICO GUNS LAWSUIT
Smith & Wesson and firearms wholesaler Interstate Arms will ask the justices to dismiss a lawsuit by Mexico, which accuses them of facilitating illegal firearm trafficking to Mexican drug cartels. They argue that a 2005 U.S. law shields gun companies from liability for crimes involving their products. Mexico claims the gun companies knowingly maintain distribution systems that supply weapons to cartels. The court has not yet set a date for arguments.
TRANSGENDER RIGHTS
The court will evaluate the legality of Tennessee’s Republican-backed ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The Biden administration seeks to overturn a lower court decision that upheld the state’s ban on treatments such as hormone therapy and surgeries for minors with gender dysphoria, a condition marked by distress due to a conflict between one’s gender identity and assigned sex. The court has not yet scheduled arguments.
ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY
The justices will review whether Texas’s law requiring pornographic websites to verify users’ ages violates the First Amendment, which protects against government infringement on free speech. A trade group representing adult entertainment performers and companies challenged a lower court’s decision, which upheld the state’s age-verification law. The court has yet to schedule arguments.
NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE
The court will determine whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has the authority to license nuclear waste storage facilities, following a lower court ruling that upended decades of practice. The Biden administration and a company that received a license to build a waste storage facility in Texas appealed the decision, which faced opposition from Texas, New Mexico, and oil industry interests. The case will test the scope of U.S. regulatory agencies’ power, though the court has not set an argument date.
FLAVORED VAPE PRODUCTS
The justices will consider the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s defense of its decision to reject applications from two companies to sell flavored vape products, which the FDA deemed a health risk for young consumers. A lower court ruled that the FDA did not follow proper legal procedures under federal law. This case, like others, will question the regulatory authority of U.S. agencies. The court has not scheduled a hearing date.
NVIDIA SECURITIES FRAUD LAWSUIT
The justices will hear Nvidia’s bid to dismiss a securities fraud lawsuit, in which shareholders accuse the company of misleading investors about its reliance on sales to the cryptocurrency industry. Nvidia, which has benefitted significantly from the AI boom, appealed after a lower court revived the class-action lawsuit in California. The court will hear arguments on Nov. 13.
FACEBOOK SECURITIES FRAUD LAWSUIT
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, will ask the court to dismiss a private securities fraud lawsuit accusing it of misleading investors about the misuse of user data. A lower court allowed the shareholder lawsuit to proceed, led by Amalgamated Bank. The court will hear arguments on Nov. 6.
DEATH PENALTY CASE
Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip will seek a new trial, claiming prosecutors withheld evidence that could have helped his defense in his 1997 murder-for-hire conviction. The court halted Glossip’s execution in 2023, and arguments are scheduled for Oct. 9.
