The cases have nothing in common except the concern for the welfare of children. In the wake of the death of one parent, the surviving mother and the father's parents cannot agree on visitation rights. The Playboy case, stripped bare, is as much about money as it is free speech. Cable operators airing sexually explicit material may either limit the hours when they show all or scramble their signal to show less. Fully scrambling a signal is expensive.
Limited hours reduce revenues.
Three years ago when the question was smut on the internet, the justices declined to stop it. In the last case the justices heard this term, the Boy Scouts of America argued for the right to exclude a gay troop leader. No one's for violence against women, of course, but the case will determine whether a former Virginia Tech co-ed may sue in federal court the football player she says raped her or whether the Violence Against Women Act unconstitutionally tramples on state sovereignty. The justices' next opinions are expected on May 15. Charles Bierbauer , CNN's senior Washington correspondent, covers the U.S. Supreme Court and public policy issues.