First Monday

New Justice Joseph Novelli reports for the first Monday in October and handles his first case: whether to grant a stay of execution to an inmate who survived a lightning strike.

Justice Novelli is uncertain of his position when the court must decide if a North Dakota court decision to allow a 16-year-old girl to get an abortion should stand.

The Court must rule on sixth-amendment rights when a murder witness requests to testify in a mask after three previous witnesses are killed.

Justice Novelli once again finds he's the swing vote when the Court is divided on whether to uphold the three-strikes law carrying a 25-years-to-life sentence for third-strike misdemeanors.

A senator with a grudge against Justice Novelli gives a reporter photos of Novelli's uncle accepting an envelope from a Chicago mobster, hoping the photo will discredit the Justice.

As the court considers whether to uphold a decision that protects a Web site calling for the murder of abortion doctors, Novelli is threatened on the Internet.