The U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes today for another round of arguments but Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist will be absent again.

Rehnquist, 80, was gone the first two weeks of November after undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer. He will miss another two weeks, meaning he won't return to work until the court meets in January 2005.

Rehnquist missed oral arguments on November 9 for the self-determination contract case involving the Cherokee Nation and other tribes. He will still participate in the judgment of the case.

The next hearing for an Indian law case will be on January 11, when the court takes on a tax-related dispute involving the Oneida Nation of New York.

Get the Story:
Court to Hear Marijuana Case (The Washington Post 11/29)
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Justices to Hear Arguments on Interstate Wine Sales (The New York Times 11/29)
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Rehnquist Will Be Absent Again (The Washington Post 11/27)
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Chief Justice Won't Return to the Court This Year (The New York Times 11/27)
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