Judge John Roberts, Jr. has been confirmed to a lifetime position of Chief Justice, and will have an immediate impact on civil rights with the votes he casts next term. Judge Samuel Alito was also confirmed to fill the vacancy created by O'Connor's departure. The Supreme Court has already determined which cases it will hear over the next year, and a number of important civil rights cases are included. Here is a list of the key civil rights cases the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear starting tOctober 2006.

Many Supreme Court decisions protecting civil rights are decided by a narrow margin—click here to learn about past decisions where one justice's vote made the difference.