SUPREME COURT FACES A FULL DOCKET

School Vouchers Lead List Of Major Cases

WASHINGTON - Heading into the final month of its term, the Supreme
Court has yet to decide 31 cases, more than a third of the year's
total. And, as usual, they include many of the most significant
disputes before the justices.

Typically, the Supreme Court issues its final opinions during the
last week in June and then adjourns for the summer. Here are some of
the pending cases:

Vouchers: Can the state give parents vouchers that can be used to
send their children to parochial schools, or does this subsidy
violate the Constitution's ban on taxpayer aid for religion? A ruling
upholding Ohio's voucher plan would give a big boost to the ''school
choice'' movement.

Death penalty: Can a state impose the death penalty on a mentally
retarded killer, or is that cruel and unusual punishment?

Drug testing: Can high schools require random drug tests for students
participating in extracurricular activities, or does this amount to a
violation of an individual's privacy? A ruling in favor of an
Oklahoma school district's drug-testing policy is likely to encourage
other schools to do the same.

HMOs: Can states give HMO patients a right to an independent medical
review of their claims for treatment? Most states have adopted such
laws recently, but the health insurance industry argues these
measures violate the federal law that regulates employee benefits.

Judicial elections: Do elected judges and their challengers have a
free-speech right to take stands on controversial issues, or can
states forbid judicial candidates to speak out on issues that might
come before the courts?

Sidewalk solicitors: Can cities and towns require door-to-door
solicitors to register and obtain a permit, or does this violate
their free-speech rights? The Jehovah's Witnesses are fighting a
small Ohio village, but the ruling could set new national rule for
solicitors.

Census sampling: Despite a Supreme Court ruling prohibiting most
sampling, the Census Bureau says it ''imputes'' a number for the
residents of households that do not respond to requests. This
practice resulted in an increase of 1.2 million in the census count,
or just 0.4 percent. But the added numbers shifted a seat in the US
House from Utah to North Carolina, and Utah's lawyers are seeking to
outlaw the use of ''imputed'' numbers.

Disabled workers: Employers may not refuse to hire a qualified but
disabled worker, except when doing so would pose ''a direct threat to
the health or safety of other individuals.'' Chevron turned away
Mario Echazabal for a job at an oil refinery when company officials
learned he had liver problems. They said workplace chemicals and
solvents would pose a ''direct threat'' to his health, but he sued,
alleging the choice was his.

Bus search: Can police or federal agents board buses and other public
vehicles and ask to search passengers' bags for drugs, or would this
amount to an ''unreasonable search,'' banned by the Fourth Amendment?
Bush administration lawyers said these searches are needed to combat
drugs and terrorism.

Death sentences: In Arizona and eight other states, judges rather
than juries decide which convicted killers receive a death sentence.
But that system is being challenged under a recent high court ruling
that said jurors must decide the key facts in a criminal case.