>I'm missing some of the significance of the SC Justices being assigned to the districts. Obviously friendly Justices are assigned to the contested states but what role do they play? I thought that any SC case was heard by all 9 Justices not individuals.
A circuit justice is primarily responsible for emergency requests (for example, an application to block an execution or to allow it to go forward) from the geographic area covered by his or her circuit, as well as more mundane matters, such as requests to extend filing deadlines. However, justices can and often do refer significant emergency requests to the full court – a role that has taken on increased importance in recent years with the sharp uptick in activity on the court’s “shadow docket.”