The Supreme Court began a new session on Monday amid the ongoing saga of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the open ninth seat on the bench. The court’s opening case involves the preservation of an endangered frog species—the dusky gopher—pitting the government against the timber giant Weyerhaeuser, which is seeking to develop land that has been designated as “critical habitat” for the frog. The court also rejected an appeal to review a 2017 case upholding the legality of a ban on new uranium mining near the Grand Canyon—a decision celebrated by environmental and Native American groups who live in the protected area.