Good morning and welcome to Supreme Court Brief. The justices will finish the December argument session this week and won't return for arguments until Jan. 10. The "temperature" inside and outside of the chamber this week will be somewhat lower than last week when the justices heard the Mississippi abortion case. The most closely watched case of the week is on Wednesday when the justices once again examine the scope of the religion clauses. We take a look at the lawyers arguing this week. And, not surprisingly, the court's abortion arguments have dominated court commentary for the past week. We offer some links in case you're eager to read more.

Thanks for reading. Your feedback is welcome and appreciated. Contact Marcia Coyle at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MarciaCoyle.