WASHINGTON (September 29, 2012)--With health care reform behind it, the U.S. Supreme Court embarks Monday on a term that could be just as important as the last one.

One of the first cases the court will take up is the limited use of race to help fill out incoming classes at the University of Texas.

The outcome could further limit or even end the use of racial preferences in college admissions.

The court is also likely to consider at least one of the many appeals pending at the high court on gay marriage, such as an amendment to the California constitution outlawing same-sex marriage that federal courts have struck down.

Another hot topic with appeals pending before the high court is the Voting Rights Act, a cornerstone law of the civil rights movement, which requires jurisdictions with a history of racial and ethnic discrimination to get advance approval from the Justice Department before making any changes that affect elections.