Court Watch: What are the biggest Supreme Court cases to watch this term?
In this edition of Court Watch, The Washington Times’ Alex Swoyer breaks down the major cases on the Supreme Court’s new docket, from climate change lawsuits and gun rights to religious liberty, voting rules and immigration.
God, guns, global warming and immigration. These are the areas dominating the early cases of the Supreme Court’s new term beginning this month. I’m Alex Swoyer, a legal affairs correspondent at The Washington Times and editor at large, bringing you up to date on the major cases to watch. The Supreme Court kicks off with a major test of states’ ability to punish fossil fuel firms for the impacts of climate change. Suncor v. Boulder County, Colorado will call the justices to decide whether a lawsuit brought by Boulder under Colorado’s tort laws can move forward against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil. The companies say allowing states to meddle in an area that’s deeply tied to global markets would trample on Congress’s power to control foreign commerce. And in November, the Supreme Court will take up yet another case that explores how far states can go in denying religious institutions taxpayer benefits. Usually, these religious institutions are private schools. The case, St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, involves Colorado yet again denying St. Mary Catholic Parish access to the state’s universal preschool program because the parish won’t sign a non-discrimination agreement promising to accept students regardless of gender orientation or sexual status. The state says its law is neutral and applies to any school, not just religious ones, though it has made exceptions to this criteria for some non-religious schools. In December, we will see a big gun rights case take place when the justices hear arguments on whether governments can ban AR-15s and similar rifles. The High Court in recent years has looked at who can be limited from possessing a gun and the locations where these guns are banned. But this is the first case in years to look specifically at the types of weapons. Cook County in Illinois, whose law is being challenged, labeled AR-15s as “assault rifles” and called them “the weapon of choice for criminals and terrorists.” Also in December, the justices will hear Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota. The case will decide whether Arizona can enforce laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The high court previously allowed the state to enforce its proof of citizenship requirement, while lower courts weighed the issue. We expect the Supreme Court to also settle disputes on other immigration policies pushed by President Trump, like bond hearings and deportations. The justices so far have agreed to hear oral arguments in 27 cases this term, leaving perhaps 30 more slots to be filled. Although they are now hearing cases during the next few months, we do not expect rulings until spring and summer of 2027.
People were interested in these podcasts
Read more:
- Supreme Court wades into climate change dispute between energy companies and states
- Immigration, religion and AR-15s on Supreme Court’s early docket as justices open new term
- Climate Lawfare: A Court Watch event
Read more from Alex Swoyer