This morning, the Supreme Court indicated it may announce opinions, though the specific cases to be decided remain undisclosed. Historically, the Supreme Court does not disclose which opinions will be issued on any given day, leaving parties to await decisions without prior notice. Predictability arrives at the term’s end, usually in late June, when opinions are issued by elimination, though past terms, like 2024, have ended in early July.
The court’s practice is to announce opinion days several days in advance via its official website. These days are marked by dark blue “non-argument” colors on its calendar. On the day of potential opinion announcements, the court’s “Today at the Court” feature indicates the possibility of opinions being released.
From November through April, opinion days are scheduled as needed, typically on previously planned argument days or during Supreme Court Bar admissions sessions. However, from May to June, weekly opinion days become routine as the term draws to a close.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all opinions were released solely online. Currently, justices announce decisions in the courtroom, though live audio remains unavailable. The Supreme Court posts opinions online concurrently with their courtroom releases.
The court does not predetermine the number of opinions for release on any given day. However, the assignment of R-numbers to opinions provides an implicit indication when the day’s releases are complete. These numbers designate the order of publication in the U.S. Reports, with opinions posted in reverse order of judicial seniority, delaying the assignment of R-numbers until all decisions are released.
When a case isn’t decided by term’s end, it is typically scheduled for reargument, a rare occurrence. Rearguments typically follow when justices require a supplemental round to clarify legal issues or consolidate a consensus. During this term, Louisiana v. Callais, a case deliberating a major aspect of the Voting Rights Act, was the sole instance of reargument.