Supreme Court term has free-speech and immigration cases

[Casino67]

Reuters.com:

The Supreme Court will consider important cases on anti-gay protests at military funerals, violent video games and immigration law during its new term that begins on Monday.

The nine-member high court will open its 2010-11 term with a new member on the bench, Justice Elena Kagan, who was appointed by President Barack Obama.

Kagan succeeded Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired in June. She probably will not change the court's balance of power, which is widely seen as remaining closely divided with a five-member conservative majority and four liberals.

The conservative Republican appointees are Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

Besides Kagan, the Democratic appointees on the left are Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor, the court's first Hispanic who was appointed by Obama last year.