The Supreme Court will complete its term Friday with the long-awaited decision over President Joe Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 for tens of millions of student loan borrowers.
Toward the close of Thursday's session that concluded with overturning affirmative action in college admissions, Chief Justice John Roberts said that Friday will be the final day for the court to issue opinions in this term’s cases.
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Another major decision expected on Friday is 303 Creative v. Elenis, which involves Colorado-based web designer Lorie Smith's bid to deny providing her creative services for same-sex marriages.
Here's what's at stake in both cases.
The fate of student loan forgiveness — Biden v. Nebraska and Department of Education v. Brown:
The justices will determine if the Biden administration may press forward with its plan to forgive more than a quarter of the nation's $1.7 trillion in outstanding federal student debt.
As many as 14 million people would have their student debt wiped away by the program, and approximately 40 million U.S. residents would benefit from it.
Shortly after announcing the program, six Republican state attorneys general sued and argued the loan forgiveness policy violates the separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act.
In a separate challenge, two student loan borrowers who do not qualify fully or partially for relief are suing to vacate the program.
Both lawsuits question Biden's use of the post-9/11 HEROES Act as justification for the program, as challengers say he overstepped his authority.
LGBT rights vs. religious convictions — 303 Creative v. Elenis:
In the 303 case, Smith argues that she has a First Amendment right to refuse to design same-sex wedding websites despite a Colorado anti-discrimination law that prevents businesses from discriminating against LGBT residents.
The case has gained attention for its similarities to a 2018 case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in which the court ruled that a Colorado baker had the right to refuse to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.
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However, the decision in the 2018 case did not broadly affect Colorado's anti-discrimination law or establish when a business is entitled to an exemption under the First Amendment's protections from compelled speech.
Smith contends that the business could be subject to fines if a same-sex client ever requests a service from her, arguing that being forced to create such a website would constitute a form of compelled speech that the Constitution serves to prevent.