The first oral arguments to be heard will be Villarreal v. Texas, to determine whether a trial court infringes on the Sixth Amendment right to counsel by prohibiting a defendant and his counsel from discussing the defendant's testimony during an overnight recess. In today's second case, there have been split judgments from the Circuit Courts of Appeals regarding the application of state procedural rules to federal court. Specifically, the justices will consider whether state laws requiring affidavits of merit (AOM) to be filed by plaintiffs with their complaints apply to federal courts. | 
