The US Supreme Court is expected to wrap up work for the year this week, with four final decisions likely to be issued today, including a much-awaited decision on whether the Second Amendment applies to the states.

"Well, of course it does," most people might say.

But, the Supreme Court has never ruled directly on the matter, which seems sort of odd, given that the Second Amendment was part of the original Bill of Rights that was ratified in 1791.

The case involves a handgun ban in the City of Chicago, which is much like a ban from Washington, D.C. that was struck down two years ago by the Justices.

But that case applied only to the federal government, and not to the states.

Tom Goldstein of scotusblog.com believes that the Constitution will win out, but isn't sure how far the Court will go in terms of raising questions about firearms regulations.

That will be an important part of today's decision.

Three other cases will be decided today on student religious organizations on college campuses, a major case on software patents and whether a key part of the Sarbanes-Oxley (post Enron) law is constitutional.

It is likely to be the final day on the bench for longtime Justice John Paul Stevens, who will leave as second all-time in terms of length of service on the Supreme Court.

Your water cooler fact of the day on the Justice who has served the longest is William O. Douglas, who was a Justice for 36 and a half years.

After the final decisions are issued, it will only be about two hours later - and just down the street - that the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin work on the nomination of Elena Kagan to replace Stevens on the Supreme Court, the second nominee of President Obama, and only the fourth by a Democratic President since 1967.