The new Supreme Court term starts on Monday, even as the government enters the second week of being shutdown.
The court began by announcing several cases it would not be hearing, The Associated Press reports. Some cases denied include Virginia's attempt to bring back its anti-sodomy law.
Virginia's ban on oral and anal sex law was tossed out by a federal appeals court and the state's Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli had hoped the Supreme Court might hear its appeal. The court rejected the case and didn't bother to offer any comments on the issue.
The court revealed it will hear six cases and will open despite the shutdown, the only reference made to the ongoing issue in Washington, D.C.
According to The New York Times, cases the court agreed to look into include ones on affirmative action, presidential power, public prayer, campaign contributions and abortion rights.
Executive Director Irving L. Gornstein of the Supreme Court Institute at Georgetown University said, "This term is deeper in important cases than either of the prior two terms."
National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning is about a president's ability to make recess appointments. Another case, McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, is looking into campaign finance laws involving direct contributions to candidates by individuals.
Two cases, McCullen v. Coakely and Cline v. Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice, involve abortion, with one about protests near reproductive health care facilities and the other about states limiting abortion-inducing drugs.
Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action looks into college admissions. Town of Greece v. Galloway will then look into public prayer before the opening of public town meetings.