Supreme Court Starts Rolling Out Major Rulings Today

We don't know which rulings will come when, but starting today through Monday (and perhaps beyond that), the Supreme Court is scheduled to let the hammer fall on seven major cases that will reverberate through the nation, NBC News reports. A quick rundown of what's on the docket:

• The court's stance on gay marriage is perhaps the most anticipated decision, and the justices have to consider two things: whether states can ban same-sex marriages, and also whether they have to recognize such unions legally carried out in other states.

• The fate of ObamaCare is also a high-profile case in front of the bench, which could end up costing 34 states their subsidies under the Affordable Care Act because they don't have their own health care insurance exchanges. Insurance experts warn that ObamaCare would go into a "death spiral" if the court rules against federal subsidies.

• The case against lethal injection, spurred by an Oklahoma man's botched execution, puts the drug midazolam on the hot seat, asking if the drug does what it should—puts a prisoner into a "coma-like state" so two other drugs can finish the job—or if it merely paralyzes the inmate and forces them to endure the pain of their own death.
• How the court defines redistricting rules—and whether states must count only eligible voters or the entire population when drawing congressional districts—as well as whether or not to greenlight federal violent-crime laws that impose mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of three felonies, are being mulled.
• Also set to be finalized: decisions on whether to permit lawsuits under the Fair Housing Act, even if discrimination was not intended, and a trio of cases grouped together that asks the court to make the EPA consider economic costs before forcing power plants to control their emissions.

(More US Supreme Court stories.)