Shorthanded U.S. High Court Grapples With Life After Scalia

By Greg Stohr, Bloomberg News

The Supreme Court has a lot of decisions to make, and not the kind it’s used to.

Two weeks after Justice Antonin Scalia’s unexpected death, the court must decide how to cope with what could be an extended vacancy and how to handle cases that might leave them split 4-4.

The justices began offering clues Monday, rejecting about 500 appeals without comment, and they will issue opinions for the first time since Scalia’s death on Tuesday.

As Senate Republicans work to block any nominee from President Barack Obama, Chief Justice John Roberts and his colleagues ...