What to Expect from the Supreme Court Term

On October 7, the Supreme Court begins its 2024-2025 term - the fourth in which it is dominated by a supermajority of conservative justices. Just months after a disastrous presidential immunity decision, and in the face of continued controversy over the justices’ ethics and partisanship, the Court will reconvene to hear arguments on issues with profound consequences for American life. Among the questions on the docket: whether ghost guns are subject to regulation, whether prosecutorial misconduct invalidates a death sentence, the power of federal agencies to protect waterways, the applicability of criminal sentence reduction laws, and access to gender-affirming medical care.
Cases that have not yet been docketed may turn out to be some of the most important this term. If the Court is asked to rule on election disputes in a fractured political landscape and an existentially important election year, the stakes for democracy could not be higher. And, of course, one or more of the cases against Donald Trump will likely return to the Court this term.