The Supreme Court ended its session yesterday with major decisions on the public display of the Ten Commandments and file sharing on the Internet. Moreove, despite speculation, Chief Justice William Rehnquist gave no hint that he planned to retire. The major rulings announced yesterday:
- On the Ten Commandments, the court issued a pair of divided decisions on whether religious symbols could be displayed on government property. The court allowed the Ten Commandments to remain on display at the Texas Capitol but not at two Kentucky courthouses.
- On file sharing, the justices handed the entertainment industry a victory. The court ruled software companies could be held liable if their product encouraged computer users to illegally share copyrighted material.
- A second internet case involved control of the nation's broadband cable networks. The court ruled that the cable companies that operate these networks do not have to open up their lines to other Internet service providers .
- A fourth case of note involved the rights of reporters to keep confidential sources. The court decided not to hear the case of two reporters who are facing jail time for refusing to reveal their sources to government investigators.
Last week Thursday, the Court ruled that cities may seize and demolish private homes to make way for shopping malls and other private development. Earlier in the month, the Supreme Court issued a ruling further restricting the use of medical marijuana.
