On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will open its annual October Term, with its first oral argument scheduled for 10 am. The "First Monday in October" has marked the start of the Supreme Court’s year since 1916. The first case of the new Term, Williams v. Washington, concerns state court claims under section 1983; a live-stream of oral argument audio will be provided on the Court’s website.
To learn more about individual cases on the Court's docket this year, SCOTUSblog offers quick access to case information and filings on its October Term 2024 page, organized by argument date. Oyez provides a similar overview of OT2024 cases, and will link to oral argument audio and opinions when they become available for each case. The ABA also publishes a regular Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases (available in HeinOnline; Duke NetID required) that provides an overview as well as legal analysis of each featured case. (Williams is featured in the latest Preview issue, along with other cases scheduled for the October sitting.)
Petitions already granted for the Term address a number of hot-button topics, such as state prohibitions on gender-affirming medical care for minors, federal regulation of "ghost guns" and e-cigarettes, and a First Amendment challenge related to adult websites that could have far-reaching effects on other content publishers.
The last Term ended with Supreme Court approval ratings at historic lows, with both Pew and Gallup showing public opinion of the Court dipping below 50%. This summer, President Biden introduced a reform proposal, including mandatory 18-year term limits for Justices that would ensure each future President has the opportunity to appoint two new members of the Court during a four-year term in office. A recent Annenberg poll indicated that more than two-thirds of respondents approved of both term limits as well as a mandatory retirement age for Justices (not included in the Biden proposal).
The Biden proposal also suggests the enactment of a binding code of ethics on the Court, to replace the "codification of principles" released by the Court in November 2023 following several high-profile news stories about lavish undisclosed gifts. More than 80% of the Annenberg poll respondents approved of a binding code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court. Last week, the Judicial Conference announced a revision to the disclosure rules followed by the federal judiciary – exempting disclosures for judges who dine or stay overnight at a personal residence, even if the residence is corporate-owned.
For more information on the upcoming Term and practices of the U.S. Supreme Court, check out the resources linked in the library's research guide or Ask a Librarian.
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