Image courtesy of 2022 SLOHS graduate Lily Scurria.

  The Supreme Court decisions from this past session will be released some time in late June or early July, and San Luis Obispo High School students are eager to know the new court precedents. 

  The Supreme Court term begins on the first Monday of October and goes until late June or early July, which means it will be ending soon. The variation in the end dates of terms is because the court stays in session until all cases are ready for submission. 

  “When a case sets precedent, it means that the decision in that case can set rules or guidelines for how a law will be interpreted to determine other state and federal court cases. Supreme Court decisions are so important because they determine how the laws in the Constitution apply and affect every one of us,” said junior and dedicated Mock Trial member Camilo Baltodano. 

  The reason the publication of these court decisions is so important to SLOHS students is because these cases directly impact the livelihood of students and everyone alike. Setting precedent with these cases means that Supreme Court rulings on a case based out of Texas or a different state can be used to determine cases in our own state and county.

  “One of the cases I’m anxious for is the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen because that case deals with open-carry laws in New York. As someone going to New York for college, this definitely worries me because I wouldn’t feel comfortable around people openly carrying guns,” said 2022 SLOHS graduate Sabrina Garcia.

 In the 2021-2022 session, the court heard 66 cases from all eleven circuit courts, the D.C. circuit, the federal circuit, state and district courts, and one original jurisdiction case. Decisions on bodily autonomy, the environment, open carry laws, freedom of religion, water consumption and more are set to be released. 

  “United States v. Texas is a super important case because it deals with women’s rights to health care and abortion which impacts women in all states” said 2022 SLOHS graduate Nathanael Severn. 

  A huge reason why the Supreme Court decisions are so important to be aware of is because although SLOHS students tend to be knowledgable about more heated political issues, such as abortion, same sex marriage, and gun rights, there are equally as important issues being decided by the Supreme Court that students may not be aware of. 

  “The case I’m most interested in knowing the outcome of will be the Berger v. North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP because it is about voter I.D. laws which are often used as a tactic of voter suppression. Voting rights have always interested me,” said Baltodano. 

  These 66 court decisions will impact not just everyone at SLOHS, but the country as a whole. To learn more about the publication of the cases heard from October 2021 to June 2022, visit supremecourt.gov which will have more information about where the cases will be published. 

Sources: supremecourt.gov, ballotpedia.org, oyez.org