Marcia Coyle

Three years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that life sentences for those under 18 were unconstitutional. Today, the court said that ruling also applies retroactively.

October's docket includes cases concerning the First Amendment protection for a Facebook post, religious facial hair and Abercrombie and Fitch's dress code - but not gay marriage.

While the federal government shutdown has shuttered much of Washington, today the Supreme Court opens its doors for the 2013-2014 term. The nation's highest judicial body will rule on...

Marcia Coyle, chief Washington correspondent for The National Law Journal, frequent guest on the PBS NewsHour, and author of The Roberts Court: The Struggle for the Constitution, looks at the ideological divides on the Supreme Court and how they play out on cases involving guns, health care, corporate "citizenship" and racial preferences.