Supreme Court cases on guns and religion in focus as Brazil justice scandal hits election

Two federal court rulings on Wednesday extended Second Amendment protections, as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments in Viramontes v. Cook County. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a federal law restricting interstate commerce in switchblade knives violated the Second Amendment. A federal judge in the Western District of New York struck down New York's restrictions on personal body armor. Both courts found that switchblades and body armor qualify as constitutionally protected arms. Viramontes could decide whether AR-15-style rifles qualify as protected arms. Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights, whose group filed an amicus brief in the case, said a ruling against AR-15 bans could influence challenges to restrictions on magazines, automatic knives, body armor and other defensive equipment.

Elsewhere, a Colorado case involving Catholics' First Amendment rights has come before the Supreme Court. In Brazil, a corruption scandal involving a Supreme Court justice has shaken up the election.

The outlets are not covering one shared event; each focuses on a different court-related story. Right-leaning outlets lead with U.S. Supreme Court cases. Fox News stresses gun rights, citing the two Wednesday rulings, the Viramontes case and Brown's view that it will shape later challenges. National Review frames the Colorado case as showing how reliance on taxpayer funding can lead to religious discrimination. The left-leaning New York Times, in the material available, covers only Brazil, where a corruption scandal involving a Supreme Court justice has shaken up the election. No excerpt or named sources are provided for it. The two sides share a focus on high-court controversies but not on any facts, countries or people. Reason, an independent outlet, offers a historical note that Justice John Blair resigned from the U.S. Supreme Court on October 25, 1795.