BREAKING: Supreme Court allows Texas to enforce its age-verification law during litigation. There are no noted dissents.

Tomorrow, Justice Kagan and Justice Barrett will appear before Capitol Hill to provide testimony concerning additional security funding. This event will mark the first occasion since 2019 that a sitting Justice has testified before the House Appropriations Committee to present annual budget requests.

JUST IN - President Trump has officially asked the Supreme Court to allow the USPS to change mail in voting criteria. The administrative stay request will be handled by Justice Jackson, who will likely refer it to the full court for consideration.

Here is the link to the docket: https://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docket/docketfiles/html/public\26a124.html

OCTOBER 2026 - The Supreme Court has officially released its calendar for the first month sitting of the 2026-2027 term. Find the cases in the link below. (More details will come out soon regarding November and December)

Link: https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_calendars/MonthlyArgumentCalOctober2026.pdf

Important note: This application for stay has been fully briefed by both parties since Monday of last week, which means we are awaiting any day now for the Supreme Court to render a decision on whether they will intervene or not.

November argument sitting has been released - https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_calendars/MonthlyArgumentCalNovember2026.pdf

INCYMI: Two significant cases remain pending on the interim (shadow) docket.

The first case concerns new regulations implemented by the United States Postal Service regarding mail-in ballots. These regulations were challenged by multiple states and are currently stayed in certain jurisdictions, depending on the respective federal circuit you live in.

The second case pertains to the construction of a new ballroom on the site formerly occupied by the East Wing of the White House. A ruling that had previously halted the construction was temporarily stayed by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to permit the Trump administration to seek review by the Supreme Court. As of yesterday, the case has been fully briefed, and a decision from the Justices is anticipated at any time.

Given that both cases are fully briefed, the current status is one of anticipation, as the Justices may decide to intervene in either matter at any moment. We will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates regarding any decisions from the Justices as they become available.

Stick with SCOTUSFocus for more information as we prepare for the 2026-2027 Supreme Court term.

BREAKING: Chief Justice Roberts issues an administrative stay on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, allowing the construction of the ballroom to continue while the Supreme Court considers the matter.

BREAKING: Supreme Court votes 6-3 to allow the Trump administration to impose a new USPS policy regarding mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections. Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Jackson dissent.

Here is the per curiam decision: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a124_hgci.pdf

BREAKING: In an apparent 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court allows President Trump to continue with construction on the new White House ballroom. Chief Justice Roberts, Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson dissent.

Link to per curiam: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a203_2b8e.pdf

NEW - Trump administration seeks relief from the Supreme Court, allowing it to implement a USPS policy regarding mail in ballots. The application will be handled by Justice Jackson.

Here is a link to the docket: https://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docket/docketfiles/html/public\26a297.html

JUST IN - Supreme Court releases its December calendar for the winter argument session. Major cases slated to be argued before the winter break.

BREAKING - Supreme Court rules 8-1 restoring an FCC policy granting political parties and joint fundraising committees access to lowest unit charge (LUC) discounted broadcast ad rates for coordinated candidate ads. Justice Jackson dissented.

Link to per curiam - https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a274_l537.pdf

Happy Labor Day Everyone! Let’s catch up on some weekend headlines.

Weekend Recap

• Missouri files appeal to the US Supreme Court, seeking to overturn a Missouri Supreme Court decision regarding the state’s redistricting map. Justice Kavanaugh has ordered a response to the application by today. The state argues that if the current decision is allowed to stand, there will likely be voter confusion regarding the general election congressional maps, given that the map ordered to be used in the midterm elections will not replicate the one used during the primacy elections.

• The Trump administration has once again appealed a decision regarding USPS mail-in ballot policy ahead of the midterm elections, which was blocked by a district court judge on Friday. The DOJ filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on Sunday morning. Justice Jackson ordered a response to the application by Wednesday.

Stay tuned to SCOTUS Focus for all the Supreme Court news and updates! The 2026-2027 Term begins on October 5.

JUST IN - Supreme Court rejects injunctive request in a case regarding a religious challenge to school vaccine rules. Justice Alito and Justice Gorsuch would grant the injunction.

BREAKING - Justice Kavanaugh has denied the emergency application from Missouri to reinstate a map used during the primary election. A different map will now be used for the general election. This was a paperless order.

UPDATE - A federal judge has reinstated the map used during the primary election. This came minutes after Justice Kavanaugh issued a denial of the application for stay. What does this mean? The 7R-1D map struck down by the MO Supreme Court is back in effect. The ruling of the federal judge is likely to be appealed. The midterm elections are in less than 60 days.

BREAKING - After the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to stay the TRO by the federal judge, the respondents of the lawsuit have appealed to the Supreme Court to stay the TRO pending appeal. Justice Kavanaugh has ordered a response by tomorrow at 10amET.

Link to docket: https://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docket/docketfiles/html/public\26a326.html

JUST IN: Supreme Court has granted the application for stay of the ruling of the federal district court, reinstating the 2025 map for the midterm elections. The state will now need to use the 2022 map. There are no noted dissents.

As we head into the 2026-2027 Supreme Court term, we want to make sure to answer any questions you may have regarding the Court or our coverage of it, we will provide those in the chat board. We also will be updating our logo this term, stay tuned for that.

Rest assured, our coverage of the Supreme Court will continue to remain free to all viewers. However, if you appreciate our work and wish to express your support and are financially able, you may do so by making a star donation.

With that, we look forward to another Supreme Court term bringing you all the news that comes with it.

Side note: We only cover the Supreme Court. There are instances where we will cover a case (limited in scope) of which there may be confusion between rulings (ex: Missouri), however it will not be a normal occurrence.