In the days before the 2026-27 term officially begins, the Supreme Court added three new cases to its argument docket, including a challenge to the Trump administration’s policy of detaining noncitizens apprehended inside the United States without a bond hearing, and a dispute over whether local zoning ordinances can be enforced against religious institutions. The Court also agreed to hear arguments on December 9 about the legality of rapid removals to third-party countries, after granting the administration’s request to allow such deportations to continue for now. Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson indicated they would have denied that request.
The Court also made news outside its docket. Justice Alito will not participate in Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, a significant climate change case scheduled for argument on Monday. Meanwhile, the Court cleared the way for Tennessee to execute Christa Pike, but the execution was halted after she remained alive following two doses of lethal drugs; Governor Bill Lee has paused further executions and ordered an investigation. The new term opens Monday with arguments in the climate case and a challenge to a law limiting disability benefits for incarcerated veterans.