If the US Supreme Court were a grocery store, the justices would be starting their 2004-05 term Monday with an announcement: "Cleanup in Aisle 3."
On the first day of the term, the justices are set to confront the messy implications of a landmark 5-to-4 decision handed down in late June. The ruling has placed in doubt the constitutionality of the federal sentencing guidelines - potentially undermining tens of thousands of criminal sentences and spawning a tidal wave of litigation that could clog the courts for years.
In what promises to be another important and surprising year at the nation's highest court, the justices will also take up cases involving the constitutionality of the juvenile death penalty, the clash of federal and state laws over use of medical marijuana, and state efforts to regulate the interstate sale of wine.
Details here from The Christian Science Monitor.