WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Gun rights for domestic abusers, free speech on social media and voting rights are among the major issues before the U.S. Supreme Court as it begins another consequential term.
Doug Letter of Brady, which works to prevent gun violence, said that though the court expanded certain gun rights last term, the group is "optimistic" it will strike down a lower court's decision allowing domestic abusers to own guns.
"Because otherwise a whole lot of women and children are going to die," Letter said.
Later this month, the justices will consider a racial gerrymandering case that asks if South Carolina's congressional maps discriminate against Black voters.
"We do have cases that are active in Florida and Georgia and many other states, and in a lot of ways, we're looking at what happens in South Carolina," Kathay Peng of equal rights advocacy group Common Cause said.
The court is also expected to take on its first abortion case since overturning Roe v. Wade. This time, it will center around access to the nation's most widely used abortion pill, mifepristone. Outside the court Monday, some progressive groups said they hope the fallout from Roe pushes the court's conservative majority in a new direction.
"The good news is I think the American people are paying attention closely," Caroline Ciccone of Accountable US said.
The future of social media also hangs in the balance. NetChoice, an industry group that represents several technology giants, hopes the justices will strike down state laws that prevent sites from removing posts deemed false.
"The First Amendment makes crystal clear (that) private businesses can say what we want to say," Carl Szabo of NetChoice said.