SCOTUS handles death penalty matters during court off-season

Cotter's Corner

By Daniel A. Cotter

Daniel A. Cotter is a partner at Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC and author of the book “The Chief Justices” (Twelve Tables Press). The views expressed here are solely those of the author. He can be reached at scotuslyyours@gmail.com.

Posted July 20, 2020 10:45 AM

The Supreme Court term goes from the first Monday in October until the next beginning of October. However, as the chief justice stated on July 9, its work is done, and it stands adjourned. Despite that statement, the court does address emergencies, as it did last week with the death penalty.The acting chief justiceRecently, I tweeted about an associate justice serving as “acting chief justice.” Philip Huff responded, “Wait. Is ‘acting chief justice’ a thing?” 28 U.S.C. Sec. 3 provides …

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