Supreme Court to rule in coming weeks on cases on religion, LGBT rights, new voting laws, Obamacare

The Supreme Court has a total of 24 significant cases left to review before a three-month summer vacation begins in July, which focus on religion clashing with LGBT beliefs, Obamacare challenges by Republicans and voting restrictions since the 2020 presidential election that left many furious with state voting systems.

The 6-3 conservative-majority court ruled Tuesday on two cases, one notably and unanimously endorsing that Native American tribal police have the authority to stop and detain non-Native Americans on tribal land.

The court's nine-month terms starts in October and goes through June. However, last year the justices worked into July due to pandemic delays.

Rulings over the next several weeks will include one on a Philadelphia Catholic Church-affiliated group that was barred from participating in the city's foster care program due to its opposition to potential same-sex couple foster parents.

While hearing arguments for the case in November, the judges reportedly appeared sympathetic toward the group's assertion that its religious freedom had been violated under the First Amendment.

Some Republican-led states have recently enacted voting restrictions since the November 2002 election in an effort to prevent voter fraud.

The high court will review Arizona's new laws on such limits and determine whether they undermines the Voting Rights Act of 1965 or creates other potential violations. 

The Affordable Care Act will also be scrutinized and could potentially, though unlikely, result in the 2010 law under former President Obama being struck down. 

Meanwhile, the Court has recently decided to review an abortion case involving Mississippi's law prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks. The case is expected to be reviewed this fall and will directly confront the highly-debated Roe v. Wade decision of 1973.

At 82, Democrat Justice Stephen Breyer is the oldest justice on the bench and has recently been encouraged by some liberal activists to step down so President Biden can appoint a younger progressive judge to the Court. 

Some speculate a potential retirement is drawing near for Breyer after 27 years on the nation's highest court.