Washington ? The Supreme Court term beginning next week will tackle all the subjects you’re not supposed to talk about at parties — religion, money and politics.

The term also inevitably will bring a return to a topic the justices themselves find uncomfortable — the possibility one or more will pick this year to quit. The court has maintained the same cast for a remarkable nine years and counting — the longest streak in modern history — and retirement speculation builds each year.

The justices shrug off or refuse to answer questions about their plans, and some have complained privately that there is an almost ghoulish preoccupation with their ages and health.

There are emotional topics aplenty in the term that opens Monday. During the next several months, the justices will hear a case that echoes a bitter fight two years ago over the constitutionality of school voucher plans. This case asks whether states can withhold scholarships from students pursuing religious training.

The court is expected to rule soon in an enormously complicated case that asks whether new regulations for campaign donations and political advertising violate the Constitution’s guarantee of free speech. The ruling will affect how candidates raise and spend money in next year’s federal elections.

The justices also will hear a case about brass-knuckle politics as practiced by legislators who draw the boundaries for congressional districts. The case looks at the effects of gerrymandering.

Overshadowing those cases, and probably any other the court may hear this term, is a church-state fight involving the Pledge of Allegiance and whether it should be recited in public schools.

The Bush administration, a California school district and an atheist with a school-age daughter have asked the court to rule whether the phrase “one nation, under God” unconstitutionally entangles God and government.

The justices could say as soon as Monday whether they will hear the case, which has caused a national uproar.