The Supreme Court said Monday it would meet privately on Nov. 20 to decide whether to hear major cases involving gay marriage.
That news came after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg revealed last month the high court would almost certainly take up same-sex marriage this term.
The cases that could come before the court include challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act -- which defines marriage as between a man and a woman -- and a separate case involving gay marriage in California.
Slate's Emily Bazelon suggests gay marriage is just one of the politicized cases the Supreme Court is trying to avoid jumping into right before the election.
Also on Monday, the court put off hearing a challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, Bazelon pointed out. That law requires states with histories of bias against voters to clear changes to election laws with federal officials.
"It's entirely likely that the justices will hear a challenge to the Voting Rights Act before April is out, along with one to the Defense of Marriage Act," Bazelon writes. "But putting off the decisions to hear these cases so far has helped to keep the court clear of the campaigns' line of fire."
Head on over to Slate to read Bazelon's entire analysis >
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