Today is conference day at the US Supreme Court.  This time last year, the Court decided to grant certiorari in one case.  The announcement was made in the following Tuesday's orders list, and the case was argued at the beginning of this term. The Court normally only announces a grant the day of the conference if it wanted to hurry things up to hear argument this term.  If no list is released today, as is likely, it is a good bet that any cases granted are for next term.  Update:  I should have listened to Yogi Berra and not made predictions, especially about the future.  The Court released an orders list granting certiorari in Cavazos v. Williams, No. 11-465 and two civil cases. [End of update.]

SCOTUSblog's Petitions to Watch list is here.  Pennsylvania has two capital habeas cases on the list, Wetzel v. Lambert and Wetzel v. Kindler.

The Cert Pool has the full conference list here.  Cases where a criminal defendant is the petitioner, and is proceeding in forma pauperis, are not considered for SCOTUSblog's list.  Those where the Court has asked the state to file a brief in opposition bear watching.  Among these is Ramirez v. California, No. 11-7424.  In that case, the California Court of Appeal rejected a claim that a sentence of life with possibility of parole for a 15-year-old involved in a double felony-murder violates the Eighth Amendment.

Other capital cases on the docket include the perennial Nunley and Taylor cases from Missouri.