Midterm elections and Supreme Court arguments collide this week
Voters choose 435 House and 35 Senate seats on Tuesday while the high court hears a key religious freedom case.
By Adriana Abebe ·
Americans vote Tuesday, Nov. 3, in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. All 435 seats in the U.S. House and 35 in the Senate are on the ballot. Voters in 36 states will also pick their governors.
Republicans aim to keep their majority for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term. Democrats seek to take both chambers. The outcome hinges on several tight contests. Texas, Michigan, and Alaska have Senate races that polls call toss ups.
The Supreme Court begins its November oral argument session the day after the election. The court will hold seven hours of arguments over five days, from Nov. 2 to Nov. 10. The docket includes the case St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy.
This case asks if excluding a Catholic preschool from Colorado’s universal preschool program counts as religious discrimination. The justices will hear arguments in that specific case on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The timing places the nation’s highest court in the spotlight alongside the national vote. Voters and legal scholars will watch how the court rules on the definition of religious discrimination in public funding.
Polling data shows the Senate races in key states remain close. The final numbers will not be known until polls close and votes are counted. The results will shape the legislative agenda for the next two years.
