The Supreme Court has unveiled its schedule for the opening of the 2026-27 term, with the first oral arguments set for Monday, Oct. 5. That day’s docket features a dispute stemming from a Colorado county’s lawsuit against major oil and gas producers over climate change, as revealed in the calendar released Tuesday. Across the initial five days of arguments, the justICEs are slated to tackle seven distinct cases, one of which centers on a contentious issue involving immigration detention.
A key case, Genalo v. Black, asks the justices to determine whether there comes a point when a noncitizen’s confinement becomes so “unreasonably prolonged” that it triggers a constitutional entitlement to a bond hearing. Additionally, the court must clarify the evidentiary threshold the government needs to satisfy to maintain a detainee’s custody during such proceedings, and it must also decide if the entire matter is now moot given that the individual in question was freed back in 2022.
Arguments in that matter are slated for Tuesday, Oct. 13. The outcome could establish clearer constitutional boundaries regarding how long immigration authorities can hold someone and what procedural safeguards must be in place for those facing extended confinement.
The October session also includes Salazar v. Paramount Global, a case rooted in digital privacy and the Video Privacy Protection Act. That 1988 law came about after a Washington reporter obtained a list of video rentals belonging to Judge Robert Bork from a store. At issue is the interpretation of the phrase “goods or services from a video tape service provider” within the act’s definition of “consumer”—specifically, whether that language covers everything a company offers or is limited strictly to its audiovisual products.
Kicking off the term on Oct. 5 is Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) v. Commissioners of Boulder County. The justices will examine whether federal law preempts state-based claims that seek damages for harms tied to greenhouse-gas emissions that cross state and national borders and affect the global climate. The court will also weigh whether it even has jurisdiction to entertain the appeal.
Rounding out the October calendar are several other matters. On Oct. 5, the court will hear Johnson v. United States Congress, which questions whether federal district courts can entertain constitutional challenges to laws impacting veterans’ benefits. The following day, Anderson v. Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee takes up the pleading standards for alleging a breach of fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. On Oct. 7, Department of the Air Force v. Prutehi Guahan asks whether an environmental group may sue over the Air Force’s permit renewal application before Guam’s EPA has acted, and whether an environmental impact statement was necessary. Finally, Beaird v. United States, set for Oct. 13, concerns whether a 1993 precedent regarding commentary to the Sentencing Guidelines still holds sway.
The court’s October argument period spans Oct. 5 through Oct. 14, with no hearings scheduled for Oct. 8 or Oct. 9. The complete calendar was made public by the court on Tuesday afternoon.