In an unexpected twist this term, the United States Supreme Court has shifted into high gear after a notably sluggish start in delivering opinions on argued cases. Initially, experts voiced concerns about the Supreme Court’s pace early in January, primarily due to an absence of any opinions in argued cases, marking it one of the briefest periods without decisions in the past eight decades. Notably, in 70 of the last 80 terms, opinion releases occurred in October or November, thus raising eyebrows for the current term’s delay (The New York Times).
Now, with the March argument session concluded on April 1, the justices have managed to regain ground in terms of output. The court has equaled its pace from the same point last term, surpassing productivity levels in some recent terms. By early April, the court conducted 10 opinion days and released 18 opinions since January 9, just shy of last term’s output in the same period.
This term officially began with an opinion day on January 9, substantially later than usual. However, since then, the court has accelerated its pace. By this time last term, there had been three opinion days, while during the 2023-24 term, only one opinion day occurred before January.
Looking ahead, up to 40 more opinions are anticipated before the term concludes. Historically, the Supreme Court has wrapped up its term by the first day of July. Assuming the justices adhere to this pattern, key decisions could be reserved for the final opinion day, expected to occur in late June (SCOTUSblog).