Major cases before the Supreme Court this fall:

Privacy: Can the government require employees, including private contract workers, to reveal personal details such as past drug use? NASA is contesting a privacy ruling won by 28 Caltech employees who work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. (NASA vs. Nelson, Tuesday)

Protests: Does the 1st Amendment shield funeral protesters from being sued by the family of a dead Marine? (Snyder vs. Phelps, Wednesday)

DNA: Does a death row inmate who contends he is innocent have a right to obtain DNA testing on evidence from the crime scene? In March, the court halted the execution of Hank Skinner in Texas an hour before he was due to die. (Skinner vs. Switzer, Oct. 13)


Video games: Can a state restrict the sale of violent video games to minors? Laws in California and six other states were struck down on free-speech grounds. (Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Assn., Nov. 2)

Prisons: Can three federal judges order California to release 46,000 inmates to relieve overcrowding? The judges said the state could not provide required medical care because its prisons were filled beyond capacity. (Schwarzenegger vs. Plata, Nov. 30)

Immigration: Can a state take away the business licenses of employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the ACLU and the Obama administration are contesting an Arizona law adopted in 2007. (U.S. Chamber of Commerce vs. Whiting, Dec. 8)

David G. Savage