Supreme Court, Swamped by Emergencies, Neglects Rest of Docket

January 9, 2026 | Adam Liptak | New York Times

Last Friday, the Supreme Court on Friday issued its first decision — in the grand scheme of things, “a tangled and decidedly minor ruling” — of the term. According to The Times, this is only the second instance in over 80 years that the Supreme Court has only once before waited until January to issue its first opinion in an argued case. “Opinions like the one released on Friday have long been considered the court’s core responsibility. They are issued on the court’s merits docket, after elaborate care and consideration absent from the court’s emergency rulings,” the outlet stated.