The Supreme Court's First Day

Ah, the leaves are turning, baseball is heading into the postseason, and the weather is becoming noticeably cooler - which means it must be time for the Supreme Court to begin its October Term for 2009.

And begin it did, although not exactly the way it was supposed to.
The first scheduled argument for the first day of the October Term was postponed because of an illness in the family of an assistant to the Solicitor General.  This is a very rare occurrence for the Court, which normally operates with a strict adherence to tradition and routine.

The case that was scheduled to go before the Court, South Carolina v. North Carolina, deals with the right to intervene in original jurisdiction cases - disputes between states that the Supreme Court rules on at the beginning, rather than the end, of litigation.

Today's postponement comes after the Court already held an unusual special session to rehear arguments over campaign contribution limits.

Now my only question is whether the Court has already gotten all of its surprises out of the way, or if this has just set the tone for the entire term.

Hopefully it's the latter.  Bring on the curveballs, SCOTUS!