The United States Supreme Court issued two opinions today, but neither was about the much-discussed Ricci v. DeStefano case. The Court has been widely expected to release its ruling on that case sometime this month, but there is now speculation that it may wait until after the confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor LAW ’79, which are scheduled for mid-July.
As Legal Times points out, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said on Friday at the annual conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit that “one can safely predict [Ricci] will be among the last to come out before the term ends.” The Supreme Court’s term technically does not end until September, though all decisions were expected to be released before the justices leave for summer recess.
Of course, although the decision might not be released for some time, the fate of the firefighters has already been decided. Ginsberg said on Friday that “all the pending decisions must be in circulation” by today.
It’s worth noting that Frank Ricci is not the only one waiting in suspense this month. In addition to the Ricci case, the court still has 13 other opinions to release from this term.