When the Supreme Court completed its last term in June by upholding same-sex marriage and Obamacare, conservatives predicted this year would provide an about-face from a surprising string of liberal victories.

It hasn’t turned out that way. The death in February of Justice Antonin Scalia, combined with the same factors that gave liberal justices an advantage last year, has led to a continuation of the trend. That has left conservatives even more determined to block President Obama from replacing Scalia.

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Of the 37 cases still to be decided, a few will determine whether the term’s liberal tilt remains intact or swings back the other way. “There are three cases that haven’t come down yet that might well turn this into a blockbuster for the conservatives,” said Pamela Karlan, co-director of Stanford Law School’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic.