New Justice Joseph Novelli reports for the first Monday in October and handles his first case: whether to grant a stay of execution to an inmate who survived a lightning strike.

Justice Novelli is uncertain of his position when the court must decide if a North Dakota court decision to allow a 16-year-old girl to get an abortion should stand.

The Court must rule on sixth-amendment rights when a murder witness requests to testify in a mask after three previous witnesses are killed.

Justice Novelli once again finds he's the swing vote when the Court is divided on whether to uphold the three-strikes law carrying a 25-years-to-life sentence for third-strike misdemeanors.

A senator with a grudge against Justice Novelli gives a reporter photos of Novelli's uncle accepting an envelope from a Chicago mobster, hoping the photo will discredit the Justice.

As the court considers whether to uphold a decision that protects a Web site calling for the murder of abortion doctors, Novelli is threatened on the Internet.

Justice Hoskins takes a passionate interest in the Court's case of a woman who wants to terminate life support for her husband, who has been in a coma for nine years.

A high-school basketball star appeals to the Supreme Court when the NBA refuses to let him play professionally until he finishes school.

The case of a teen accused of violating the Child Pornography Protection Act by morphing his friends' faces with bodies of porn actors on an Internet site.

The Court must determine whether a man's Constitutional rights were violated when the police took his blood sample out of a hospital dumpster to obtain DNA.

As the Court debates whether a town's ban on guns is unconstitutional, a senator offers Justice Snow information on a colleague that could affect the final decision. Also: Justice Hoskins hosts his annual party, where Ellie catches Miguel's eye; and Chief Justice Brankin and his wife celebrate 40 years of marriage.

The Court must decide whether to allow a book culled from the tapes of a deceased CIA officer to be published or allow censorship in order to protect national security.