The justices did not then face the constitutionality of segregation.

Murderers were tricky villains and were wont to escape, and when murderers escaped, trading justices faced more scrutiny than they liked.

If the couple are later found to live outside Massachusetts, their union would be voided by the law and the justice would face no penalties, he said.

"Public access protects litigants both present and future, because justice faces its gravest threat when courts dispense it secretly", the Georgia Supreme Court said in 1988, ordering court records unsealed in a paternity suit against a Roman Catholic priest.

Now that the Supreme Court has gotten itself into the global warming debate, the justices face a choice: Should they rule in favor of environmental groups, or in favor of the environment?

If convicted, the justice could face a sentence between probation and 15 years in prison for the charge of second-degree bribe receiving, a felony.

This first Monday in October, the day set by law for the Supreme Court to open its new term, finds the justices facing a slim docket of cases.

In hearing these cases, the justices will inevitably face one of the most basic and profound questions for any system of justice: how to ensure that the most serious restrictions on liberty are reserved for those who pose the most serious threats to security.

After the conclusion of each term the justice must face another retention vote.