Hill change

Roe v. Wade | Congree eyes midterm elections in filling its 2006 plate with an agenda designed to please the voters' palates | Mark Bergin

Some lawmakers rang in the New Year with consternation over the likely confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court—and much of the consternation came from pro-abortion politicians who worry that one more conservative tilt to the high court could reverse the decision, giving a Republican-dominated Congress power to outlaw the practice. But with Congress scheduled to reconvene Jan. 18, new scuffles await with equally uncertain outcomes. The House must elect new leadership following the announcement this month that embattled former Majority Leader Tom DeLay will not seek the post again.

Overshadowing all are mid-term elections, which determine much of the 2006 agenda and could set the course of the president's final two years in office.