On the first day of the 2026-27 term, the U.S. Supreme Court released a list of orders denying review of numerous cases accumulated over the summer recess. This annual occurrence, known as the “long conference,” concludes with the Supreme Court declining to hear scores of petitions. This year, among the many denials were cases addressing “Let’s Go Brandon” sweatshirts, the Second Amendment rights of individuals with felony convictions, and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
In the D.A. ex rel. B.A. v. Tri County Area Schools case, the court declined to review the appeal concerning whether a Michigan school could bar students from wearing “Let’s Go Brandon” sweatshirts, a slogan used as a euphemism for a vulgar expression against former President Joe Biden. A lower court previously ruled that the school district’s prohibition did not violate the students’ First Amendment rights, emphasizing deference to school officials about student speech deemed vulgar.
Similarly, the justices turned down a case on Second Amendment rights, United States v. Hembree. Here, the federal government challenged a ruling by the 5th Circuit that said a statute preventing convicted felons from possessing firearms was unconstitutional as applied in a specific case. This decision followed the court’s narrow ruling in United States v. Hemani, where it was determined that habitual drug users could not be automatically barred from gun ownership without a historical precedent of such restrictions.
The Supreme Court also declined to hear Petersen v. Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue, a challenge to Washington state’s mandate that healthcare employees must get vaccinated against COVID-19. The petitioners, Washington firefighters, argued that they were unfairly denied religious exemptions. However, the lower courts found the vaccine requirement did not infringe upon their religious rights, concluding the fire department would suffer “undue hardship” by accommodating their requests.
Additional declined cases include matters concerning the forced electronic tracking of lobstermen, Fourth Amendment claims on “knock and talk” procedures, challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act, and several other high-profile disputes. Each denial effectively upholds the lower court rulings in these instances.
For further details on the denied cases, you can visit SCOTUSblog.