Supreme Court Returns for a Big Session

The Supreme Court enters its second session with Bush appointees John Roberts and Samuel Alito tomorrow, which means it will likely resume last session’s rightward slant, Reuters says. Before the court will be big cases on Guantanamo inmates’ right to habeas corpus, the legality of the lethal injection death penalty, and a variety of cases weighing civil liberties against security.

“It is pretty clear to me that the court has moved to the right,” said an ACLU rep, which could bode ill for the ACLU if it convinces the court to hear the many civil rights cases it’s championing. At the center, as usual, will be Justice Anthony Kennedy, the moderate conservative who often serves as the court’s swing vote. (More US Supreme Court stories.)