First Monday - 2002

New Justice Joseph Novelli reports for the first Monday in October and handles his first case: whether to grant a stay of execution to an inmate who survived a lightning strike.

Justice Novelli is uncertain of his position when the court must decide if a North Dakota court decision to allow a 16-year-old girl to get an abortion should stand.

The Court must rule on sixth-amendment rights when a murder witness requests to testify in a mask after three previous witnesses are killed.

Justice Novelli once again finds he's the swing vote when the Court is divided on whether to uphold the three-strikes law carrying a 25-years-to-life sentence for third-strike misdemeanors.

A senator with a grudge against Justice Novelli gives a reporter photos of Novelli's uncle accepting an envelope from a Chicago mobster, hoping the photo will discredit the Justice.

As the court considers whether to uphold a decision that protects a Web site calling for the murder of abortion doctors, Novelli is threatened on the Internet.

Justice Hoskins takes a passionate interest in the Court's case of a woman who wants to terminate life support for her husband, who has been in a coma for nine years.

A high-school basketball star appeals to the Supreme Court when the NBA refuses to let him play professionally until he finishes school.

The Court must decide whether to uphold Megan's Law when they hear the case of a convicted sex offender who was harassed and threatened after registering.

The case of a teen accused of violating the Child Pornography Protection Act by morphing his friends' faces with bodies of porn actors on an Internet site.

The Court must determine whether a man's Constitutional rights were violated when the police took his blood sample out of a hospital dumpster to obtain DNA.

As the Court debates whether a town's ban on guns is unconstitutional, a senator offers Justice Snow information on a colleague that could affect the final decision. Also: Justice Hoskins hosts his annual party, where Ellie catches Miguel's eye; and Chief Justice Brankin and his wife celebrate 40 years of marriage.

The Court must decide whether to allow a book culled from the tapes of a deceased CIA officer to be published or allow censorship in order to protect national security.