Bridgegate, D.C. Sniper Feature in Packed SCOTUS Criminal Term

An action-packed U.S. Supreme Court term kicks off Oct. 7, and the criminal docket has a little something for everyone—the insanity defense, the D.C. sniper, the death penalty, the Fourth Amendment, and the New Jersey corruption saga known as “Bridgegate.”

These disputes and others mark the latest crime and punishment tests for the Roberts Court, which, after Justice Brett Kavanaugh replaced Justice Anthony Kennedy, is on more solid conservative footing.

But criminal cases can scramble the usual 5-4 line-ups, and in Kavanaugh’s first full term—Justice Neil Gorsuch’s third—court watchers are eager to see how the justices tackle these weighty questions. ...