Supreme Court cases, October term 2020-2021

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SCOTUS
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Cases by term
2021-2022 term

2020-2021 term
2019-2020 term
2018-2019 term
2017-2018 term
2016-2017 term
2015-2016 term

Judgeships
Posts: 9
Judges: 9
Judges
Chief: John Roberts
Active: Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Stephen Breyer, Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas


The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the country and leads the judicial branch of the federal government. It is often referred to by the acronym SCOTUS.[1]

The Supreme Court began hearing cases for the term on October 5, 2020. The court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions in mid-June.[2]

To date, the court has heard all oral arguments in cases accepted for the term remotely via teleconference and has provided live audio streams of the argument sessions. The court made the decision in accordance with public health guidance in response to COVID-19.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Click here for more information about the court's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

See the sections below for additional information on the October 2020 term of the Supreme Court of the United States.

  1. Cases by circuit: This section lists the cases being heard by court of origination (e.g., federal appellate courts, federal district courts, state courts, etc.).
  2. Cases by sitting: This section lists the cases being heard by date of oral argument.
  3. Cases by date of opinion: This section lists the cases by the date the court released an opinion.
  4. Noteworthy court announcements: This section provides details on noteworthy court announcements.
  5. Term data: This section provides information on the cases SCOTUS decided, including case names, decisions, vote totals, opinion authors, and courts of origination. It also includes information on SCOTUS case reversal rates.
  6. Case history: This section provides information on previous SCOTUS terms.


As of April 22, 2021, the court had agreed to hear 62 cases during its 2020-2021 term. Of those, 12 were originally scheduled for the 2019-2020 term but were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Five cases were removed from the argument calendar.

As of April 22, 2021, the court had issued opinions in 30 cases this term. Six cases were decided without argument. Click here for more information on the court's opinions.

Cases by circuit

Article III, Section 2 of the United States Constitution establishes the court's jurisdiction. The court has original jurisdiction—when it is the first and only to hear a case—and appellate jurisdiction—when it reviews the decisions of lower courts.[9]

Parties petition SCOTUS to hear a case if they are not satisfied with a lower court's decision. The parties petition the court to grant a writ of certiorari. A writ of certiorari is an "order issued by the U.S. Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case it will hear on appeal."[9][11]

Circuits

1st Circuit

2nd Circuit

3rd Circuit

4th Circuit

5th Circuit

6th Circuit

7th Circuit

8th Circuit

9th Circuit

10th Circuit


11th Circuit

D.C. Circuit

Federal Circuit

Armed Forces

State and district courts

Original jurisdiction

Where are the cases coming from?

List of cases by court of origination - 2020-2021 term
Court Number of cases
United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit 1
United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit 2
United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit 6
United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit 3
United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit 6
United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit 4
United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit 1
United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit 2
United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit 14
United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit 3
United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit 4
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit 6
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 3
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces 1
State and district courts 4
Original jurisdiction 2
Total 62
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, "Granted & noted list: October term 2020 cases for argument," accessed February 27, 2020

Geographic boundaries

Select a region to learn more about its court of appeals.

United States Court of Appeals for the 1st CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 2nd CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 3rd CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 4th CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 6th CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 7th CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 10th CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 1st CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 3rd CircuitUS Court of Appeals and District Court map.jpg
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Beyond The Headlines: SCOTUS 101.. View other episodes here.

Cases by sitting

SCOTUS' term is divided into sittings, when the justices hear cases.[14]

October sitting

October 5, 2020

October 6, 2020

October 7, 2020

October 13, 2020

October 14, 2020

November sitting

November 2, 2020

November 3, 2020

November 4, 2020

November 9, 2020

November 10, 2020

December sitting

November 30, 2020

December 1, 2020

December 2, 2020

December 7, 2020

December 8, 2020

December 9, 2020

January sitting

January 11, 2021

January 12, 2021

January 13, 2021

January 19, 2021

February sitting

February 22, 2021

February 23, 2021

  • Barr v. Dai (Consolidated with Barr v. Alcaraz-Enriquez)

February 24, 2021

March 1, 2021

March 2, 2021

March 3, 2021

March sitting

March 22, 2021

March 23, 2021

March 24, 2021

March 29, 2021

March 30, 2021

March 31, 2021

April sitting

April 19, 2021

April 20, 2021

April 21, 2021

April 26, 2021

April 27, 2021

April 28, 2021

May sitting

May 4, 2021

Cases removed from argument calendar

Cases originally scheduled for the 2019-2020 term

The following cases were originally scheduled for the 2019-2020 term but were postponed to the 2020-2021 term due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cases decided without argument

  • Taylor v. Riojas
  • Mckesson v. Doe
  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo
  • Shinn v. Kayer
  • Mays v. Hines
  • Tandon v. Newsom

Cases by date of opinion

October

The court did not deliver opinions in October.

November

November 2, 2020

  • Taylor v. Riojas (Decided without argument)
  • Mckesson v. Doe (Decided without argument)

November 25, 2020

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo (Decided without argument)

December

December 10, 2020

December 14, 2020

December 18, 2020

January

January 14, 2021

January 25, 2021

February

February 3, 2021

February 25, 2021

March

March 4, 2021

March 8, 2021

March 25, 2021

March 29, 2021

  • Mays v. Hines (Decided without argument)

April

April 1, 2021

April 5, 2021

April 9, 2021

  • Tandon v. Newsom (Decided without argument)

April 22, 2021

Response to the coronavirus pandemic

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Coronavirus pandemic
Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.


See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery

Changes to argument and opinion schedule

Court announces teleconferences for April sitting

On March 19, 2021, the court announced it would hear oral arguments via teleconference for its April sitting. The arguments followed the same format the court used for its March sitting.[8]

Court announces teleconferences for March sitting

On February 24, 2021, the court announced it would hear oral arguments via teleconference for its March sitting. The arguments followed the same format the court used for its February sitting.[7]

Court announces teleconferences for February sitting

On January 22, 2021, the court announced it would hear oral arguments via teleconference for its February sitting. The arguments followed the same format the court used for its January sitting.[6][22]

Court announces teleconferences for January sitting

On January 5, 2021, the court announced it would hear oral arguments via teleconference for its January sitting. The arguments followed the same format the court used for its December sitting.[5]

Court announces teleconferences for November and December sittings

On October 9, 2020, the court announced it would hear oral arguments via teleconference for its November and December sittings. The arguments followed the same format the court used for its October 2020 and May 2019 sittings.[4] Click here for more information on the cases the court decided to hear in November and December 2020.

Court announces teleconferences for October sitting

On September 16, 2020, the court announced it would hear oral arguments via teleconference for its October sitting following the same format that was used during its May sitting in the 2019-2020 term. The court announced that a live audio feed would be made available to the public as it was during the 2019-2020 May sitting.[3] Click here for more information on the cases the court decided to hear in October 2020.

For more information on the court's response to the coronavirus pandemic during its October 2019-2020 term, click here.

Responses to lawsuits challenging presidential election results

See also: Presidential election results subject to lawsuits and recounts

Government officials, voters, candidates, campaigns, and satellite groups all can, subject to state-specific laws and regulations, file election-related lawsuits. Ballotpedia tracked post-election lawsuits and recounts involving the 2020 presidential election. Click here for more information.

Noteworthy court announcements

Court blocks California state's restrictions on in-home religious gatherings

  • April 9, 2021: In Tandon v. Newsom, SCOTUS granted an injunction blocking California from enforcing restrictions on in-home religious gatherings that had been imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Justice Elena Kagan wrote a dissenting opinion, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor, concluding that because the California law treated both secular and religious in-home gatherings equally, the injunction should be denied.[23]

Decision not to hear a case

  • April 5, 2021: SCOTUS denied a petition for a writ of certiorari in the case Small v. Memphis Light, Gas & Water.[24] The case originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. The petitioner was Jason Small, a Jehovah’s Witness, who claimed that his employer, Memphis Light, Gas & Water, had violated his civil rights. Small had requested to take vacation time in order to attend religious services and his employer denied the request. Small left work and attended the religious services. Small was suspended without pay for two days following this and other incidents.[25] Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are required to accommodate religious employees so long as the accommodations do not cause "undue hardship." In the case Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison, SCOTUS interpreted the meaning of "undue hardship" to be "more than a de minimis cost."[26] Small asked the court to reconsider the Hardison ruling. The court denied the petition for review. Justice Neil Gorsuch filed a dissent from the denial of review and was joined by Justice Alito.[27]

Court issues order in Trump tweet case

  • April 5, 2021: SCOTUS vacated the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit's ruling in Biden v. Knight First Amendment Institute and remanded the case back to the 2nd Circuit so that the case could be dismissed as moot due to the change in presidential administrations. When the case was first accepted for arguments, it was named Trump v. Knight First Amendment Institute. The case concerned whether President Donald Trump (R) violated the First Amendment when he blocked critics on social media platform Twitter while he was president. Justice Clarence Thomas filed a concurring opinion.[28]

Court conducts first in-person conference since spring 2020

  • March 19, 2021: The Supreme Court's Public Information Office reported that most of the justices met in person at the court for their regular conference, while some justices participated remotely. A conference is a private meeting of the justices.[29]

Court announces all justices have been vaccinated

  • March 5, 2021: The Supreme Court's Public Information Office reported that all nine justices had been vaccinated against COVID-19.[30][31]

Court grants dismissal in case

  • March 4, 2021: The Department of Justice advised SCOTUS that the case Wilkinson v. City and County of San Francisco, which concerned sanctuary cities, should be dismissed. The parties agreed and SCOTUS dismissed the petition for a writ of certiorari.[32]

Court denies review in cases

  • February 22, 2021: SCOTUS denied review in the case Bridge Aina Le'a, LLC v. Hawaii Land Use Commission, which involved legal theory regarding regulatory takings. Justice Clarence Thomas filed a dissenting opinion.[33]
  • February 22, 2021: SCOTUS denied review in the cases Republican Party of Pennsylvania v. Graffenreid and Corman v. Pennsylvania Democratic Party and dismissed the cases as moot. The cases concerned the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's extension of the mail-in ballot deadline during the 2020 presidential election. Justice Clarence Thomas filed a dissenting opinion. Justice Samuel Alito also filed a dissenting opinion, joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch.[33]

Court allows release of Trump tax returns

  • February 22, 2021: SCOTUS allowed the release of former President Trump's (R) tax returns to New York prosecutors.[33] For more information on this case, click here.

Court denies request to vacate stay of execution

Court allows deportation of Haitian immigrant

  • January 22, 2021: Haitian national Alex Francois entered the United States unlawfully in 1979. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, psychosis, and schizophrenia. In 2019, an immigration judge granted Francois' application to stay, or halt, his deportation. The Board of Immigration Appeals remanded the case and the immigration judge reversed its previous ruling and ordered Francois' removal back to Haiti. Francois appealed the decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The immigration officials moved to deport Francois before he could submit his opening brief to the court. Francois filed an emergency appeal with SCOTUS to stop his removal to Haiti and the application was denied. Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion.[35]

Court grants Trump administration request to reinstate medication abortion requirement

  • January 12, 2021: SCOTUS granted the Trump administration's request to reinstate the requirement that mifepristone, a pill used to induce abortion, must be picked up from a health care provider in person. The rule had been waived on July 13, 2020, in federal district court in accordance with public health guidelines related to the coronavirus pandemic. Chief Justice John Roberts concurred in the judgment. Justice Stephen Breyer would deny the application. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion, joined by Justice Elena Kagan.[36]

Court denies request for stay of execution

Court denies review in case

  • January 11, 2021: SCOTUS denied review in the case Bruni v. City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, involving "buffer zones" surrounding abortion clinics.[42] Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a statement that he agreed with the court's decision and said that the court should take up the issue in a future case.[42]

Court denies request to stop electoral vote certification

Court lifts Colorado state’s limits on attendance at religious services

  • December 15, 2020: SCOTUS blocked the State of Colorado from enforcing attendance limits on religious gatherings that had been imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Justice Elena Kagan wrote a dissenting opinion, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor, concluding that the case was moot because Colorado had already lifted the capacity limits.[44]

Court denies review in cases

  • December 14, 2020: SCOTUS denied review in the case Schwab v. Fish, which asked the court to consider whether federal law and the U.S. Constitution prohibit the state of Kansas from requiring applicants registering to vote to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Justice Gorsuch took no part in the consideration or decision of the petition.[45]
  • The court also denied review in the case Box v. Henderson, which presented the following question: "May a State, consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment due process and equal protection clauses, may adopt a biology-based birth-certificate system that includes a rebuttable presumption that a birth mother’s husband — but not wife — is the child’s biological parent?"[45][46]

Court rejects complaint to overturn 2020 presidential election results in four states

  • December 11, 2020: In Texas v. Pennsylvania, SCOTUS rejected Texas' application to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The court said Texas did not have legal standing for its complaint and rendered all other related motions as moot.[47][48]

Court denies request for stay of execution

  • December 10, 2020: Brandon Bernard was an inmate in federal prison who was sentenced to death for his involvement in a carjacking and murder of two youth ministers in Fort Hood, Texas.[49] In an emergency appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeal for the 5th Circuit, Bernard petitioned SCOTUS to stay his execution, alleging that the federal government was able to procure the death sentence in his case by withholding exculpatory evidence and knowingly eliciting false testimony against him.[50] The application was presented to the full court by Justice Samuel Alito. The court denied the request to stay the execution. Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor would have granted the application and the petition for a writ of certiorari and Justice Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion.[50] Bernard was the ninth person to be executed by the federal government since July 2020, when the Trump administration lifted a moratorium on the federal death penalty that was instituted in 2003.[49]

Court denies request to block Pennsylvania from certifying 2020 presidential election results

Court denies review in case

  • December 7, 2020: SCOTUS denied review in the case Kentucky v. White, which asked the court whether a capital defendant can waive a claim of intellectual disability under Atkins v. Virginia.[52]

Court lifts New York state’s limits on attendance at religious services

  • November 25, 2020: In a 5-4 vote, SCOTUS blocked New York State from enforcing attendance limits on religious gatherings that had been imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier in November, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and two Orthodox Jewish synagogues filed lawsuits against executive orders issued in October by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) which limited the number of worshippers to 10 and 25 people in areas classified as red or orange, respectively, due to the number of COVID-19 cases in the immediate area. The five members of the majority were Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. The majority opinion was not signed, and Gorsuch and Kavanaugh filed separate concurring opinions. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Stephen Breyer filed dissenting opinions, with Breyer’s opinion joined by justices Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor.

Court reinstates Alabama's prohibition against curbside voting

  • October 21, 2020: In a 5-3 vote, SCOTUS reinstated Alabama's prohibition against curbside voting. On Sept. 30, Judge Abdul Kallon of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama issued an original order lifting the state's ban on curbside voting. Kallon was appointed by President Barack Obama (D) in 2010. On Oct. 13, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit unanimously affirmed Kallon's ruling. The panel included Judges Adalberto Jordan, Jill Pryor, and Barbara Lagoa. Jordan and Pryor are Obama appointees. Lagoa was appointed by President Donald Trump (R). Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to block Kallon's order. Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh voted in Merrill's favor. Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan dissented. The court majority did not release an opinion explaining its reasoning. Sotomayor wrote a dissent, which Breyer and Kagan joined. The five justices in the majority were appointed by Republican presidents. The dissenting justices are Democratic appointees.

Denied application for stay

Court rules Trump administration can stop census data collection on Oct. 15, 2020

  • October 13, 2020: SCOTUS blocked an order from a lower court that would have required the Trump administration to continue collecting 2020 census data through the end of October. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that census data gathering should continue, but the administration argued that they needed to conclude the count so they could meet the statutory deadline to report the results to the president by December 31.[54] Justice Sotomayor dissented from the Supreme Court's decision, saying "the harms associated with an inaccurate census are avoidable and intolerable.”[55] The Trump administration shut down the My2020Census.gov website on October 15, 2020.[56]

Decision not to hear a case

  • October 5, 2020: SCOTUS denied a petition for a writ of certiorari in the case Davis v. Ermold. The case originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. The petitioner was Kim Davis, a former county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky. Davis, in her official capacity as county clerk, refused to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples citing her religious beliefs. Davis' decision occurred after the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015).[57] Davis was sued by two same-sex couples for refusing to issue the marriage licenses. On appeal to the 6th Circuit, Davis' claim of qualified immunity was rejected.[58][59] Justice Thomas issued a statement on the denial of certiorari and was joined by Justice Alito. Click here to read the statement. Click here for more information on the case Davis v. Ermold.


Term data

List of cases

The 2020-2021 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began on October 5, 2020. The following table provides data on the decisions the court delivered during the 2020-2021 term.

2020-2021 SCOTUS term data
Case Opinion author Decision Vote Court of origination
Taylor v. Riojas Per curiam granted, vacated and remanded 7-1 5th Circuit
Mckesson v. Doe Per curiam granted, vacated and remanded 7-1 5th Circuit
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo Per curiam application for injunctive relief granted 5-4 2nd Circuit
Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association Sonia Sotomayor reversed and remanded 8-0 8th Circuit
United States v. Collins (Consolidated with United States v. Briggs) Samuel Alito reversed and remanded 8-0 United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Carney v. Adams Stephen Breyer vacated and remanded 8-0 3rd Circuit
FNU Tanzin v. Tanvir Clarence Thomas affirmed 8-0 2nd Circuit
Shinn v. Kayer Per curiam vacated and remanded 6-3 9th Circuit
Texas v. New Mexico Brett Kavanaugh motion denied 7-1 Original jurisdiction
Trump v. New York Per curiam vacated and remanded 6-3 Southern District of New York
City of Chicago, Illinois v. Fulton Samuel Alito vacated and remanded 8-0 7th Circuit
Henry Schein Inc. v. Archer and White Sales Inc. Per curiam Dismissed NA 5th Circuit
Salinas v. United States Railroad Retirement Board Sonia Sotomayor reversed and remanded 5-4 5th Circuit
Republic of Hungary v. Simon Per curiam vacated and remanded 9-0 D.C. Circuit
Federal Republic of Germany v. Philipp John Roberts vacated and remanded 9-0 D.C. Circuit
Brownback v. King Clarence Thomas reversed 9-0 6th Circuit
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service v. Sierra Club Amy Coney Barrett reversed and remanded 7-2 9th Circuit
Pereida v. Barr Neil Gorsuch affirmed 5-3 8th Circuit
Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski Clarence Thomas reversed and remanded 8-1 11th Circuit
Ford Motor Company v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court (Consolidated with Ford Motor Company v. Bandemer) Elena Kagan affirmed 8-0 Montana Supreme Court
Torres v. Madrid John Roberts vacated and remanded 5-3 United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
Mays v. Hines Per curiam reversed 8-1 6th Circuit
Florida v. Georgia Amy Coney Barrett Exceptions overruled, case dismissed 9-0 Original jurisdiction
FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project (Consolidated with National Association of Broadcasters v. Prometheus Radio Project) Brett Kavanaugh reversed 9-0 3rd Circuit
Facebook v. Duguid Sonia Sotomayor reversed and remanded 9-0 9th Circuit
Google LLC v. Oracle America Inc. Stephen Breyer reversed and remanded 6-2 Federal Circuit
Tandon v. Newsom Per curiam Application for injunctive relief granted 5-4 9th Circuit
Jones v. Mississippi Brett Kavanaugh affirmed 6-3 Mississippi Court of Appeals
Carr v. Saul (Consolidated with Davis v. Saul) Sonia Sotomayor reversed and remanded 9-0 10th Circuit
AMG Capital Management, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission Stephen Breyer reversed and remanded 9-0 9th Circuit

SCOTUS case reversal rates

See also: SCOTUS case reversal rates (2007 - Present)

Between 2007 and 2019 terms, the Supreme Court of the United States released opinions in 993 cases, averaging 76 cases per year. During that period, the Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision 696 times (70.1 percent) and affirmed a lower court decision 289 times (29 percent). The vast majority of cases heard by the high court originate in a lower court, such as the 13 appellate circuit courts, state-level courts, and federal district courts. Between 2007 and 2019, the high court decided more cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (191) than from any other circuit.

For more historical term data, click here.

Active justices

See also: Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court consists of nine justices. Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020. As such, the 2020-2021 term began with eight justices on October 5, 2020.

President Donald Trump (R) nominated U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett to succeed Ginsburg. Barrett was confirmed by a 52-48 vote of the U.S. Senate on October 26, 2020. For more information on the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court vacancy and the process to confirm Judge Barrett, click here.

JudgeBornHomeAppointed byActivePreceededLaw school
Alito.jpg
Associate justice 
Samuel Alito		April 1, 1950Trenton, N.J.W. Bush January 31, 2006 - PresentSandra Day O'ConnorYale Law School, 1975
Official roberts CJ.jpg
Chief justice 
John Roberts		January 27, 1955Buffalo, N.Y.W. Bush September 29, 2005 - PresentWilliam RehnquistHarvard Law, 1979
ClarenceThomas.jpg
Associate justice 
Clarence Thomas		June 23, 1948Savannah, Ga.H.W. Bush July 1, 1991 - PresentThurgood MarshallYale Law School, 1974
Stephen Breyer.jpg
Associate justice 
Stephen Breyer		August 15, 1938San Francisco, Calif.Clinton August 3, 1994 - PresentHarry BlackmunHarvard Law School, 1964
Elena Kagan.jpg
Associate justice 
Elena Kagan		April 28, 1960New York, N.Y.Obama August 7, 2010 - PresentJohn Paul StevensHarvard Law School, J.D., 1986
Sonia Sotomayor official.jpg
Associate justice 
Sonia Sotomayor		June 25, 1954New York, N.Y.Obama August 6, 2009 - PresentDavid SouterYale Law School, 1979
NeilGorsuch.gif
Associate justice 
Neil Gorsuch		August 29, 1967Denver, Colo.Trump April 10, 2017 - PresentAntonin ScaliaHarvard Law School, 1991
Judge Brett Kavanaugh2.jpg
Associate justice 
Brett Kavanaugh		February 12, 1965Washington, D.C.Trump October 6, 2018 - PresentAnthony KennedyYale Law School, 1990
AmyConeyBarrett.jpg
Associate justice 
Amy Coney Barrett		1972New Orleans, La.Trump October 26, 2020 - PresentRuth Bader GinsburgNotre Dame Law School, 1997

Contents


Case history

2019-2020 term

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2019-2020

In the 2019-2020 term, SCOTUS agreed to hear 74 cases. Twelve cases were postponed to the 2020-2021 term, due to the coronavirus pandemic. One case, Sharp v. Murphy, was never scheduled for argument and another case, Walker v. United States, was dismissed without argument after the petitioner died.

The court issued decisions in 62 cases during the 2019-2020 term. Delays from the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 caused the court to release opinions into July for the first time since 1996. Click here for more information.

2018-2019 term

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2018-2019

In the 2018-2019 term, SCOTUS agreed to consider 75 cases. The court heard oral argument in 72 cases and decided three cases without argument. Click here for more information.

2017-2018 term

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2017-2018

In the 2017-2018 term, SCOTUS agreed to hear 71 cases. Ultimately, the justices heard argument in 69 of those cases. Click here for more information.

2016-2017 term

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2016-2017

In the 2016-2017 term, SCOTUS agreed to hear 71 cases. Click here for more information.

The court delivered 61 opinions.

  • Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Breyer, Ginsburg, and Kennedy, wrote the most opinions—eight each.
  • Justices Alito, Kagan, Sotomayor, and Thomas each wrote seven opinions.
  • Justice Gorsuch wrote one opinion.

The court delivered eight per curiam opinions.

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See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The New York Times, "On Language' Potus and Flotus," October 12, 1997
  2. ↑ SupremeCourt.gov, "A Brief Overview of the Supreme Court," accessed April 20, 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 U.S. Supreme Court, "For Immediate Release," September 16, 2020
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 U.S. Supreme Court, "For immediate release," October 9, 2020
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Supreme Court of the United States, "Media Advisory Regarding February Teleconference Argument Audio," January 22, 2021
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 U.S. Supreme Court, "Media Advisory Regarding February Teleconference Argument Audio," February 12, 2021
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Supreme Court of the United States, "For Immediate Release, February 24, 2021," February 24, 2021
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Supreme Court of the United States, "Press Release Regarding April Oral Argument Session," March 19, 2021
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Administrative Office of the United States Courts, "Supreme Court Procedures," accessed May 23, 2019
  10. ↑ Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, "Understanding the Federal Courts," accessed May 23, 2019
  11. ↑ Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, "Understanding the Federal Courts," accessed May 23, 2019
  12. ↑ When the case was originally accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court, the case name was Sanchez v. Wolf.
  13. ↑ When the case was originally accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court, the case name was Mnuchin v. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.
  14. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "The Court and Its Procedures," accessed February 27, 2020
  15. ↑ When the case was originally accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court, the case name was Mnuchin v. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.
  16. ↑ When the case was originally accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court, the case name was Sanchez v. Wolf.
  17. ↑ The court initially scheduled oral arguments for this case on December 2, 2020. On November 20, 2020, the court removed this case from its December argument calendar. Supreme Court of the United States, "Order List: 592 U.S.," accessed November 20, 2020
  18. ↑ The court initially scheduled oral arguments for this case on February 22, 2021. On February 3, 2021, the court removed this case from its February argument calendar. Supreme Court of the United States, "Order List: 592 U.S.," accessed February 3, 2021
  19. ↑ The court initially scheduled oral arguments for this case on March 1, 2021. On February 3, 2021, the court removed this case from its February argument calendar. Supreme Court of the United States, "Order List: 592 U.S.," accessed February 3, 2021
  20. ↑ On March 11, the court removed the case from its March 2021 argument calendar following a request from Joe Biden's (D) acting solicitor general Elizabeth Prelogar. The case had been scheduled for argument on March 29, 2021.
  21. ↑ SCOTUSblog, "Court nixes upcoming argument on Medicaid work requirements," March 11, 2021
  22. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "Media Advisory Regarding January Teleconference Argument Audio," January 5, 2021
  23. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Tandon v. Newsom, decided April 9, 2021
  24. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Small v. Memphis Light, Gas & Water, accessed April 8, 2021
  25. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "Small v. Memphis Light, Gas & Water: Petition for a writ of certiorari," accessed April 8, 2021
  26. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison, decided June 16, 1977
  27. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "Small v. Memphis Light, Gas & Water decided April 5, 2021
  28. ↑ ''U.S. Supreme Court, "(ORDER LIST: 593 U.S.): MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2021," April 5, 2021
  29. ↑ SCOTUSblog, "Justices meet in person, but April arguments to continue remotely," March 19, 2021
  30. ↑ Twitter.com, "@AHoweBlogger," March 5, 2021
  31. ↑ CNN, "All nine Supreme Court justices have been vaccinated," March 5, 2021
  32. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "No. 20-666," accessed March 5, 2021
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 U.S. Supreme Court, "(ORDER LIST: 592 U.S.) MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021," February 22, 2021
  34. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Dunn v. Smith, February 11, 2021
  35. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, François v. Wilkinson, January 22, 2021
  36. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Food and Drug Administration v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, January 12, 2021
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 SCOTUSblog, "Reversing several lower courts, justices allow execution of Lisa Montgomery," January 13, 2021
  38. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "20 -92 Montgomery v. Rosen," January 12, 2021
  39. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "20 A122 Rosen v. Montgomery," January 12, 2021
  40. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "20A124 Montgomery v. Watson," January 12, 2021
  41. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "20 A12 United States v. Montgomery," January 12, 2021
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 U.S. Supreme Court, Bruni v. City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, decided January 11, 2021
  43. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "20 A115 Gohmert v. Pence," January 7, 2021
  44. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, High Plains Harvest Church v. Polis, decided December 15, 2021
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 U.S. Supreme Court, "(ORDER LIST: 592 U.S.) MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2020," December 14, 2020
  46. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Box v. Henderson, accessed February 17, 2021
  47. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "155, ORIG. TEXAS V. PENNSYLVANIA, ET AL.," December 11, 2020
  48. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "No. 22O155 Texas v. Pennsylvania," accessed February 17, 2021
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 SCOTUSblog, "Justices refuse to delay execution of Brandon Bernard," December 10, 2020
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 U.S. Supreme Court, "No. 20A110 (20–6570) Bernard v. United States," decided December 10, 2020
  51. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "ORDER LIST: 592 U.S.: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020," December 8, 2020
  52. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, "No. 20-240 *** CAPITAL CASE *** Kentucky v. White," accessed February 16, 2021
  53. ↑ SCOTUSblog, "Supreme Court leaves in place order requiring Pennsylvania to count absentee ballots after Election Day," October 19, 2020
  54. ↑ NBC News, "Supreme Court allows Trump administration to end census count early," October 13, 2020
  55. ↑ The New York Times, "Supreme Court Rules That Census Count Can Be Cut Short," October 13, 2020
  56. ↑ NPR, "Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration To End Census Counting On Oct. 15," October 13, 2020
  57. ↑ On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision that same-sex marriage is protected under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment. Consequently, same-sex marriage bans have been struck down as unconstitutional and same-sex marriages performed out-of-state must be recognized in other states. Justice Anthony Kennedy authored the opinion and Justices Ruth Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan joined.
  58. ↑ Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "Qualified immunity," accessed October 7, 2020
  59. ↑ The Washington Post, "Supreme Court will not hear Kim Davis same-sex marriage case," October 5, 2020

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