October is a month of spooks and spirits and all kinds of scary things. It ends with Halloween but begins with the opening of the Supreme Court of the United States for the year.
The Supreme Court opens each year on the first Monday in October (there’s even a movie by that name). The term officially lasts until the Sunday before the first Monday, but the Court usually begins a recess in late June/early July, which lasts until October. Thus, this term the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) began on October 6, 2025 and will end in the summer of 2026. One of the first things the Court does is to announce the schedule of the cases filed last year that they did not review.
To be heard by SCOTUS, a participant of a case dissatisfied with the lower court’s decision must file a petition. A case appearing before SCOTUS is not automatic; in fact, they only hear about 100 cases out of 7,000 petitioned. On Mondays, SCOTUS announces a list of which cases it will hear and which cases are denied a hearing. For example, SCOTUS recently rejected petitions by Ghislaine Maxwell and Alex Jones to have their cases reviewed. Then the accepted cases are put on the Court's docket. Usually, the justices hear oral arguments three days a week, and two cases are heard each of those days. The justices discuss the cases together at a conference held twice a week. After voting on a case, one justice is assigned to write the majority opinion, and one justice is assigned to write the dissenting opinion. The decision in a case is usually not disclosed immediately and is often not released until the last day of the Court.
The docket for the current week can be found here.
Lists of cases accepted or denied hearing can be found here.
Calendars of cases to be heard in October and November can be found here.
Kelley Center’s Research Guide on Law and Legal Information can be found here.
Short course on using Nexis Uni to research legal information registration.
Short course on using Westlaw to research legal information registration.
