As Americans await a high court decision on the legality of Arizona’s controversial immigration-enforcement law, Dean Douglas Sylvester of the College of Law on June 21 explained the U.S.

Douglas Sylvester

Supreme Court’s conferencing process during an interview on KPNX-TV.

Sylvester told anchor Brahm Resnik that, while the justices may have decided the case in the days following oral argument on April 25, it is possible their votes have changed since then. In response to a question from Resnik about why eight weeks have passed without a ruling, Sylvester said that’s not a long time.

“It was the last case heard on the calendar, and it’s a big case,” he said.

Given that a ruling on the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, also has yet to be issued, Sylvester said Chief Justice John Roberts could add one or more days to the term next week and even extend the term into July, if he thinks that’s necessary.

“They know the political importance of these cases, so the idea that they might be holding them off until the very end and trying to give each their own day seems possible,” Sylvester said. “Even though Monday’s the ‘last day’ of the term, they do have the power to add more days.”

To watch the interview, click here.