NCJ Number
158256
Journal
ABA Journal Volume: 81 Dated: (October 1995) Pages: 62-65
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article reviews some of the cases scheduled to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court during the 1995-1996 term, and predicts that federalism may be the defining issue of the term.
Abstract
Some of the cases on the docket will test whether the Court's 1995 ruling in United States v. Lopez, which overturned a Federal ban on firearms near local schools, signaled the beginning of a constitutional shift of power to the States. The cases may also show whether or not the Court has moved toward a more conservative stance overall. The cases to be heard will determine whether Colorado voters may deny homosexuals specific legal protections against discrimination, whether the governor of Florida can refuse to negotiate over gambling on Native American reservations, whether Rhode Island can block liquor prices from being advertised, and whether a Federal judge can order Arizona to provide high-quality law libraries to its prison inmates. The decisions in these cases will help frame the renewed debate over the balance of power between the Federal and State Governments.