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Supreme Court Case TrackerThe Court, in plain English

Argument sitting

October 2021 oral arguments

5 cases across 4 argument daysArguments begin at 10 a.m. Eastern
Four argument days, October 4 to October 13, 2021. One of them has more than one case.

1 case
When crimes count separatelyWooden v. United StatesDID THE SIXTH CIRCUIT ERR BY EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(1) IN THE ABSENCE OF CLEAR STATUTORY DEFINITION WITH REGARD TO THE VAGUE TERM "COMMITTED ON OCCASIONS DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER”?Decided 20-5279

1 case
Right to question witnessesHemphill v. New YorkWhether the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause, which provides that “[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right . . . to be confronted with the witnesses against him,” admits of a court-created “opening the door” exception?Decided 20-637

1 case
CIA secrets in courtUnited States v. ZubaydahWhether the court of appeals erred when it rejected the United States ’ assertion of the state-secrets privilege based on the court ’ s own assessment of potential harms to the national security, and required discovery to proceed further under 28 U.S.C. 1782(a) against former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractors on matters concerning alleged clandestine CIA activities.Decided 20-827

2 cases
Death penalty jury selectionUnited States v. Tsarnaev1. Whether the court of appeals erred in concluding that respondent’s capital sentences must be vacated on the ground that the district court, during its 21-day voir dire, did not ask each prospective juror for a specific accounting of the pretrial media coverage that he or she had read, heard, or seen about respondent’s case. 2. Whether the district court committed reversible error at the penalty phase of respondent’s trial by excluding evidence that respondent’s older brother was allegedly involved in different crimes two years before the offenses for which respondent was convicted.Decided 20-443Military pensions and Social SecurityBabcock v. KijakaziIs a civil-service pension payment based on dual-status military technician service to the National Guard a payment based wholly on service as a member of a uniformed service?Decided 20-480