On the docket for January: Traffic stops, Religious signs, & Deportation

Are you kidding us?!  January – the bleakest and most depressing month given its unfortunate proximity to the post-Holiday malaise – is looking up.  On the Court’s docket, as soon as we return from our holiday breaks, are the following cases:

Reed v. Town of Gilbert (January 12, 2015)

This case will ask to Court to answer a question about the size, number, duration, and location of signs posted by a church in Gilbert, Arizona.  After the church was cited for violating the town’s sign code they sued saying the codes violated their 1st Amendment right to free speech and expression.

Mellouli v. Holder (January 14, 2015)

Can an immigrant busted for possession of drug paraphernalia be deported despite no clear connection to possession of a controlled substance?

Rodriguez v. U.S. (January 21, 2015)

Should there be a “de minimis” rule during police stops?  In other words, how long is too long for officers to make a person wait for drug-sniffing dogs to arrive when he only has a hunch there might be drugs in the vehicle?

Happy holidays and come back and visit us after they’re over to follow-up on these cases.  Please enjoy our favorite image from this year.