The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to uphold a Biden administration regulation on ghost guns, the difficult-to-trace weapons found at crime scenes in increasing numbers. Key conservative justices seemed open to the government's argument that kits for quickly making nearly untraceable guns at home can be regulated like other firearms, with background checks and serial numbers. The court previously allowed the rule to go into effect, and ghost gun numbers have since dropped in several cities. But manufacturers and gun rights groups argue the Biden administration overstepped by trying to regulate gun parts that had long been legal with hobbyists.

The Supreme Court took the bench again on Monday, ready to hear cases on ghost guns, a death sentence and transgender rights. The docket doesn't have quite as many blockbuster cases as it did last term when its rulings included an opinion granting broad immunity to former President Donald Trump. Still, it's possible that the conservative-majority court could yet be asked to intervene in election disputes after the ballots are cast in a few weeks.