(CNN)
Because of a blockbuster docket, an unprecedented leak, a fraught political atmosphere and Covid, everything has changed at the Supreme Court.
Under normal circumstances on decision days at the end of June, the Supreme Court emerges from behind crimson curtains to finally issue the most controversial cases of the term after months of closed-door deliberations. Wearing their judicial robe and exhausted from the final push of work, the justices take their seats and the majority opinion is read by its author.
The hand-down can take several minutes as the audience of spouses, staff, spectators and journalists digest what’s being read aloud. Often times, the justice who penned the principal dissent, also chooses to address the audience, offering a fiery oral critique of the majority opinion.
None of that is expected to happen this month.
Instead, the courtroom’s majestic chamber is dark — ostensibly due to lingering Covid concerns. The plaza has been completely walled off by security fences, a move prompted by protests that erupted last month after a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked to the media. Meanwhile, a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a California man with attempting to murder Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Now, armed guards are providing 24-hour protection at the justices’ homes while protestors sometimes gather outside and the President has signed legislation to enhance security protection for the justices and their families.
With no pomp and circumstance, an official will push a button and opinions changing the contours of some of the most divisive social issues of the day including abortion, gun rights, religious liberty and the environment — will simply be released via the internet.
By then, with no reason to appear publicly, many of the justices may have already fled Washington.
There are 18 cases remaining in the term, with new opinions slated to be announced Tuesday morning.
Here are the highlights of the court’s docket:
Abortion
It was Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest serving justice on the current court, who likely assigned fellow conservative Justice Samuel Alito to write the draft majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that could overturn Roe v. Wade.
The dispute concerns a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks. The state is asking the justices to take the giant step of overturning Roe, a seminal case decided in 1973 establishing a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability which most experts say occurs now around 23-24 weeks of pregnancy.
Second Amendment
As the country grapples with gun violence, the justices will decide how broadly they want to rule in a case that could open up a new chapter in constitutional challenges to gun safety laws.
After oral arguments last year, it seemed the conservatives were ready to strike down a New York law — enacted more than a century ago — that places restrictions on carrying a concealed weapon outside the home. Supporters of gun rights have been pushing the court to clarify the scope of the Second Amendment for years. The effort has been led by Thomas, who in the past called the Second Amendment a “disfavored right in this court.”
Religious liberty
On top of abortion and gun rights, the court is also considering cases that could allow more religion in public life.
In December, they heard arguments concerning a Maine initiative that excludes some religious schools from a tuition assistance program. The program allows parents living in rural areas with no school district to use vouchers to send their children to public or private schools elsewhere. But it came under challenge when some parents wanted to use the vouchers to send their kids to religious schools.
Immigration
As the political branches spar over immigration, the justices are considering several cases concerning border disputes.
In one key case, the justices are grappling with whether the Biden administration can terminate a Trump-era border policy known as “Remain in Mexico.” Lower courts have so far blocked Biden from ending the policy.
Climate change
The justices unexpectedly also agreed to decide a case concerning the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants, in a dispute that could cripple the Biden administration’s attempts to slash emissions. It comes at a moment when scientists are sounding alarms about the accelerating pace of global warming.