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WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court is taking up a First Amendment clash over the governments refusal to register offensive trademarks, a case that could affect the Washington Redskins in their legal fight over the team name.The justices agreed Thursday to hear a dispute involving an Asian-American rock band called the Slants, but they did not act on a separate request to hear the higher-profile Redskins case at the same time.Still, a high court ruling in favor of the Slants could bolster the football teams legal fight. Both groups argue that it is unconstitutional for the government to reject trademark rights for offensive speech.The trademark dispute is one of eight new cases the Supreme Court added to its calendar for the term that starts Monday. The court continues to operate with only with eight justices since Antonin Scalia died in February. His successor appears unlikely to be confirmed until sometime after the election.In the Slants case, front man Simon Tam tried to trademark the name in 2011, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the request on the ground that it disparages people of Asian descent. He sued, and a federal appeals court ruled last year that the law barring offensive trademarks violates free speech rights.The Redskins hoped to piggyback on the bands case, asking the Supreme Court to consider both disputes at the same time. The trademark office canceled the teams trademarks last year after finding they are disparaging to Native Americans.But the teams appeal has not even been heard yet by a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia. In an unusual request, the team asked the Supreme Court to intervene before the lower court acts. The high court almost never grants such requests.Tam says his goal in choosing the name was to transform a derisive term about the shape of Asian eyes into a statement of ethnic and cultural pride. The Redskins have similarly claimed their name honors American Indians, but the team has faced years of legal challenges from Indian groups that say the name is racist.The team has also come under intense public pressure to change the name, but owner Dan Snyder has refused.In the bands case, a divided federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., struck down a portion of the 70-year-old federal trademark law. The courts majority said the First Amendment protects even hurtful speech that harms members of oft-stigmatized communities.It is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment that the government may not penalize private speech merely because it disapproves of the message it conveys, Judge Kimberly Moore said for the majority.In dissent, Judge Alan Lourie said the decision interferes with the governments authority to filter out certain undesirable marks from the federal trademark registration system. He said the ruling would lead to further the degradation of civil discourse.The Obama administration is urging the high court to overturn the ruling. The government says the law simply reflects Congress judgment that the federal government should not affirmatively promote the use of racial slurs and other disparaging terms by granting the benefits of registration.The administration also argues that the law does not restrict speech because the band is still free to use the name even without trademark protection.The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have supported the Slants and the Redskins in their legal fights. The ACLU says the government cant withhold benefits just because it disagrees with the content of someones speech.The Slants and the Redskins can continue using their preferred names even without trademark protection. But a trademark confers certain legal benefits, including the power to sue competitors that infringe the trademark. For the Redskins, the team could lose millions if it cant block the sale of counterfeit merchandise.The Redskins say they have an even stronger case against the government than the Slants because team has already relied on financial advantages of trademark protection for many years. The team registered six trademarks including the name between 1967 and 1990.The justices will hear arguments in Lee v. Tam, 15-1293, early next year.Other new cases the justices agreed to take up on Thursday include:-a dispute over the minimum standards that public schools must meet to help learning-disabled students-whether state laws can prohibit merchants from imposing fees on customers who use credit cards-the Obama administrations appeal of lower court rulings making it harder to deport immigrants whove been convicted of crimes Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Bears Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Mike Singletary Bears Jersey . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Roquan-Smith-Jersey/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Dick Butkus Womens Jersey . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Devin Hester Youth Jersey . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. NEW YORK -- The playoff chase finally caught up with the New York Yankees on Sunday.On a day when Chase Headley homered and old friend Chase Whitley returned from Tommy John surgery against his former team, the Yankees lost ground in their postseason pursuit.Corey Dickerson hit a two-run homer, Matt Andriese won for the first time since June and the Tampa Bay Rays slowed New Yorks late charge by stopping its seven-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory.We didnt give them the game, Headley said. They just beat us today.Logan Forsythe and Brad Miller also went deep for the last-place Rays, who had dropped three straight and six of seven. But they prevented a four-game sweep behind Andriese (7-7) and Whitley, who tossed two innings of relief in his Tampa Bay debut.Headley hit his 14th home run and Brett Gardner had an RBI single among his three hits for the Yankees, who fell four games behind first-place Boston in the AL East and two back of Baltimore for the leagues second wild card.Every loss at this point stings just because of how few games are left, manager Joe Girardi said.Whitley struck out his first batter, rookie slugger Gary Sanchez, and gave up an unearned run. But he retired Jacoby Ellsbury on an easy fly with two runners in scoring position to protect a 4-2 lead in the seventh.It was the right-handers first major league outing since he started for the Yankees at Tampa Bay on May 14 last year.That was pretty cool. Just unbelievable, Whitley said. Ive still got a lot of friends over there. So it was just really, really fun.Whitley even took a photo with Yankees head physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad, who performed the pitchers elbow operation.It was a long road for him, so were all happy for him, Girardi said. I wish he would have gave up a few runs today, but the rest of the way I hope he does well.Brad Boxberger worked a perfect eighth against the 3-4-5 hitters in New Yorks lineup, and Alex Colome got three quick outs for his 32nd save in 34 attempts.We could not have scripted that any better, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. A good bounce-back win for the guys.Andriese allowed one run and six hits over five innings, snapping a seven-game losing streak with his first win since June 15 against Seattle. The right-hander won his first six decisions this season but was 0-7 with a 6.11 ERA in his past 15 outings, eight of them starts.Dickerson and Nick Franklin both had three hits. Millers homer ended an 0-for-17 slump.Rookie right-hander Luis Cessa (4-1) gave up all three Rays homers in 5 2/3 innings.ddddddddddddNew York had won his first four starts.The Yankees were looking for their first eight-game winning streak since a 10-game run in June 2012. They lost for only the fifth time in 18 games since Aug. 23.Of course it would have been great to keep it going, but weve just got to start a new one tomorrow, Headley said.9/11 CEREMONIESBefore the game, Girardi and Yankees reliever Dellin Betances placed a wreath at the 9/11 Monument in Monument Park to honor those killed in the terrorist attacks 15 years ago. Following a moment of silence, FDNY firefighter Frank Pizzaro sang the national anthem while other firefighters unfurled a large American flag in center field -- the same flag displayed when President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series at the original Yankee Stadium. After their roll call of Yankees starters, the Bleacher Creatures briefly chanted USA! USA!TRAINERS ROOMRays: 1B Logan Morrison strained his left wrist when he hit a foul line drive in the fourth and left the game. Felt it pop on that one swing, he said. More than likely, Im probably done for the year. Morrison returned from a strained right forearm on Aug. 15. ... Miller was back at shortstop for the first time since Thursday, when he was hit by a pitch on the right elbow. He was the DH on Friday and played first base Saturday.Yankees: 2B Starlin Castro received a rare rest with New York in the middle of playing 17 consecutive days. Rookie INF Ronald Torreyes started at second. Castro pinch-hit for Torreyes in the seventh and reached on a two-out error.UP NEXTRays: RHP Jake Odorizzi (9-6, 3.86 ERA) pitches Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Toronto, where the Rays are averaging 7.5 runs in six games this year. They are 9-7 against the Blue Jays overall and need one win to clinch the season series for the eighth time in nine years.Yankees: RHP Bryan Mitchell (1-0) makes his second start this season Monday night when the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers visit Yankee Stadium in the renewal of an old October rivalry. Mitchell missed most of the year with a toe injury and earned his first major league win last Wednesday with five scoreless innings against Toronto. Rookie RHP Jose De Leon (1-0) pitches for the Dodgers. He won his big league debut last Sunday against San Diego, striking out nine and walking none over six innings. ' ' '