The Supreme Court’s New Term, and a Race for Nuclear Power on the Moon

The Headlines

The episode opens with the Supreme Court's new term, highlighting a landmark climate change lawsuit against fossil fuel companies alongside pending rulings on gun control and immigration policy. Host Will

Key takeaways

• The Supreme Court begins its term with a pivotal climate case that could determine whether states can sue fossil fuel companies for global warming damages like wildfire costs.
• Justice Samuel Alito, age 76, stated he evaluates retirement every term but wants to secure an ideologically aligned successor before potential Democratic Senate control in November.

Main topics

• Supreme Court new term and climate litigation
• Justice Alito's potential retirement and midterm election implications

Notable quotes

"We are not part of any political movement, and we are not attempting to further any political agenda."

Conclusion

Listeners gain a clear snapshot of how institutional pressures—from Sup

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:00) Hi, I'm Neeraj from Madison, Wisconsin. I would like to share my subscription for NYTimes with my family members. I should be able to share recipes from NYT Cooking, Wirecutter articles, or athletic articles. We are a family of four. I would like them to have access to the subscription too. Thank you. Speaker 2 (0:20) Neeraj, we heard you. It's why we created the New York Times Family Subscription. One subscription, up to four separate logins for anyone in your life. Find out more at nytimes.com slash family. Speaker 3 (0:34) From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Will Jarvis, in for Tracy Mumford. Today's Monday, October 5th. Here's what we're covering. Speaker 3 (0:46) In Washington today, the Supreme Court is kicking off a new term. The justices have selected about 60 cases to hear in the coming months, and this morning, they'll start with a major one about climate change. The case centers on whether states and local jurisdictions can sue fossil fuel companies to make them help pay for the impacts of global warming, like damage from wildfires and heat waves. The decision could clear the way for dozens of other lawsuits around the country that are trying to demand billions from the oil industry. But the court could also side with the fossil fuel companies, potentially dooming future efforts like this to tackle climate change. Beyond this case, the court is also set to weigh in on a number of other consequential issues this term. For example, in a closely watched case about gun control, the justices will consider whether bans on semi-automatic rifles like AR-15s, violate the Constitution. They're also taking up a challenge to a state law in Texas that requires every public school classroom to display the Ten Commandments. And the justices will hear a number of cases dealing with the Trump administration's aggressive immigration agenda. In addition to the cases on the court's docket, it could also be drawn further into the midterm elections, after weighing in on a range of hot-button disputes over things like voting maps and mail-in ballots in the past few months. Speaker 1 (2:06) We've already seen the court getting pulled into these pre-election challenges. There could certainly be more. But what election law experts, other academics are watching are for post-election challenges. If there are, for instance, allegations of voter fraud or refusal to certify a member of Congress who's won an election, that's really where the court can get pulled into some pretty contentious cases. Speaker 3 (2:28) Anne Marymo covers the Supreme Court for The Times. She says that the court might find itself making consequential rulings about elections at a time when polls show that a majority of Americans now see the court as being motivated by politics rather than law. Speaker 1 (2:44) So the justices are keenly aware that they are viewed as polarized and political, and as much as possible, they would like not to get pulled into these election