Supreme Court Opens New Term With Religion, Guns, Climate and Immigration Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court opens a new term Monday. Arguments for the October Term 2026-2027 begin Oct. 5, 2026, according to the Court calendar tracked by Ballotpedia Ballotpedia.
The merits docket, the list of full cases with briefing and argument, includes tests on religion, bans on semi-automatic weapons, climate change and immigration. Election law cases wait in the wings, NPR reported NPR.
Monday's opening argument asks whether state and local governments can sue energy companies for "allegedly deceiving the public about the damaging effects of fossil fuels." The question listed for Oct. 5 is "whether federal law precludes state-law claims seeking relief," according to SCOTUSblog SCOTUSblog. Preclusion here means a federal block. Like a gate, it decides what moves forward. If the state-law claims survive, the litigation proceeds in state court. If not, the suits end.
A religion case follows soon after. Last term the Court deadlocked 4-4 on taxpayer funding for overtly religious charter schools after Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused, meaning she sat out. That tie left in place an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision barring such funding. This term includes a case from Colorado centered on a state law that "provides universal preschool programs open to all students." A separate religious liberty dispute involving Catholic preschools and LGBTQ families is also in the pipeline for the justices.
PBS listed five cases to watch on climate, immigration and gun rights for the term beginning Monday PBS. Reuters published "Top cases on the US Supreme Court's docket" on Oct. 2 Reuters. NPR published its preview at 4:45 a.m. ET on Oct. 2, followed by a Morning Edition segment titled "Supreme Court begins new term with cases on religion, guns and immigration ahead" and a transcript titled "What's on the Supreme Court docket this term?" covering cases related to immigration and gun control.
Georgetown University law professor Stephen Vladeck said "emergency appeals have ballooned during the Trump administration while fully briefed and argued cases have dropped precipitously." He said "there are now twice as many full court rulings on emergency applications as on the merits docket."
Emergency docket decisions are rendered quickly with little briefing, no oral arguments, and little or no explanation. Merits decisions are worked on for months after full briefing and lengthy oral arguments. Emergency applications seek immediate, often interim relief. Merits cases produce reasoned opinions with precedential weight, meaning lasting rules lower courts must follow.
The Court's Granted and Noted List includes a case from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted on April 20, 2026 with an argument date of Oct. 13, 2026. SCOTUSblog maintains an October Term 2026 page tracking cases granted, argued, and decided during the October Term 2026. Opinions from October Term 2025 cover the period Oct. 5, 2025 through Oct. 4, 2026, according to the Court's slip opinion archive.
The broader context here for Court watchers is docket composition, not just case outcomes. A thin argued docket paired with a heavy emergency docket shifts where law is made and how lower courts read signals. Short orders with limited reasoning still lift stays, allow enforcement, or preserve the status quo while litigation continues. Full merits opinions remain the vehicle for resolving circuit splits and clarifying tests for preemption, public funding of religious providers, scope of firearms regulation, and executive authority over immigration. With election law held for later orders, counsel should watch relists and scheduling orders as closely as granted cases.
