Mr. Chief Justice, may it please the court.

I'm John Carlo Canoparo.

I'm Zach Smith.

And welcome to SCOTUS 101, where we break down what's happening at the Supreme Court,

what the justices are up to, and other things related to our favorite branch of government.

Welcome back to SCOTUS 101. G.C., we've only... related to our favorite branch of government.

Welcome back to SCOTUS 101.

G.C., we've only got a few weeks to go before the court's winter recess.

So what has the court been up to?

Well, there are a couple of orders to note from last week.

First, the court dismissed Brooks v. Abbott, a 14th Amendment challenge to Texas's redistricting plan for lack of jurisdiction.

Now, this is one of those rare cases where the court has mandatory appellate jurisdiction.

So what explains the dismissal for lack of jurisdiction?

Probably the fact that the challengers filed their appeal too late.

Rookie mistake.

Interesting.

The court also granted certiorari in Jack Daniels versus VIP products.

This is an amusing case that examines the relationship between copyright and parody.

Jack Daniels, as you probably know, makes whiskey, and they have a really distinctive, old-fashioned label.

VIP products, on the other hand, makes a dog toy that looks very similar to Jack Daniels bottle and label, but with some notable differences.

Where the liquor bottle says Jack Daniels, the toy says bad spaniels, and includes a cartoon of a dog that looks like it just got caught doing something naughty.

Now, where the bottle says old number seven brand Tennessee whiskey, the toy says the old number two on your Tennessee carpet.

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