Five cases that the U.S. Supreme Court has put on its docket for the current term could have a significant impact on states. State legislatures are waiting for decisions on these cases, and could cause them to change state laws depending on how the court rules. And a potentially explosive sixth case is waiting in the wings.

Our guests on this episode of “Our American States” are Lisa Soronen, executive director of the State and Local Legal Center, and Susan Frederick, senior federal affairs counsel at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The cases we examine are:

• Gill v. Whitford, a Wisconsin case in which the court may decide whether partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional.
• Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, looks at whether Colorado's public accommodations law violates a cake artist’s First Amendment free speech and free exercise rights.
• Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees the court will address whether unions can collect dues from nonmembers.
• Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute looks at Ohio’s procedures to remove voters from their rolls after four years of inactivity.
• Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association may decide how far Congress can regulate states and localities in the absence of comprehensive federal regulation.

And, as a bonus, we’ll discuss what could happen if the court accepts a South Dakota case that could overturn the 1992 Quill Corp v North Dakota, which said states could not force business to collect sales or use taxes unless it has a physical presence in a state.

• Transcription of Episode 20

Each day, a half million school buses are on the road transporting students. The safety record is impressive. The design of school buses, known in the field as “compartmentalization,” has limited fatalities each year. However, experts have been looking at adding seat belts on school buses to increase safety.

Our guests are intimately involved in the issue.

Kris Poland is a senior biomechanical engineer in the National Transportation Safety Board’s and describes her agency’s investigations of crashes and the development of federal policy to maintain and improve the safety record of school buses. She explains what they’ve learned about seat belts on buses and how they continue to learn from each crash episode.

Tennessee State Representative JoAnne Favors, who last November had a tragic school bus crash in her district that resulted in six students losing their lives. The incident prompted her to push for seat belts on state school buses. While the effort stopped short of passage, she feels the legislature is close to an agreement and offers advice to colleagues on what to look for sponsoring similar legislation. 

• Transcription of Episode 19
• School Bus Safety Resources