“Change is the Law of Life,” President John F. Kennedy once said. It has also been the story of the Roberts Court. Before John Roberts Jr. began his duties as chief justice in 2005, the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court had been the same for more than a decade. But since then, it will have seen six new justices, assuming Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed. (At press time in mid-September, the Senate Judiciary Committee had set a vote for Sept. 20, with consideration by the full Senate anticipated by late last month.)

In the first part of our cover story, Marcia Coyle writes about the winds of change blowing at the high court and weighs in on what the story of the fall term might be. In the second part of our cover, Coyle and Tony Mauro spotlight some of the key decisions that court observers should keep an eye on, from Apple v. Pepper and Frank v. Gaos to Helsinn Healthcare v. Teva Pharmaceuticals.