When the U.S. Supreme Court gavels in its 2025–2026 term this October, it won’t just be opening another year of hearings — it will be stepping onto a battlefield where questions of presidential power, personal identity, and constitutional boundaries collide.
The justices have loaded their calendar with disputes ranging from Donald Trump’s tariffs and campaign finance limits to the rights of transgender athletes, the legality of “conversion therapy,” and the future of capital punishment. The term promises to test the outer edges of both executive authority and individual freedom.
Trump’s Tariff Gambit
At the heart of the economic fight is Trump’s sweeping use of emergency powers to impose global tariffs — a move already struck down by a lower court as an overreach of presidential authority. Billions of dollars in customs duties hang in the balance, with arguments set for November 5.
Presidential Grip on Agencies
The court will also weigh whether Trump can remove a sitting commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission before her term ends. The case could dismantle long-standing job protections meant to shield independent agencies from partisan control. Arguments arrive in December.
Transgender Athletes in School Sports
Idaho and West Virginia are asking the justices to back their bans on transgender girls competing in female sports. Plaintiffs say the restrictions flout constitutional guarantees of equality and Title IX. No date has yet been set, but the case is likely to stir fierce national debate.
Money and Politics
In another high-stakes showdown, the court will revisit campaign finance rules. At issue: whether limits on coordinated spending between parties and candidates muzzle free speech. The challenge traces back to a Senate bid by JD Vance.
Speech, Faith, and Therapy
A Colorado therapist is pressing her First Amendment claim against the state’s ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors. The state insists it’s regulating conduct, not speech. Arguments are on the docket for October 7.
Crisis Pregnancy Centers Under Scrutiny
In New Jersey, a faith-based pregnancy center is trying to block a state investigation into whether it misled women seeking abortions. The justices will decide whether the case belongs in federal court or must wind through state channels first.
A Rastafarian’s Fight Behind Bars
Damon Landor, a Louisiana inmate, says his religious rights were trampled when guards forcibly shaved his dreadlocks. His lawsuit could redefine the scope of protections for religious practice in prisons. The justices will hear him out on November 10.
Life, Death, and Disability
Alabama officials are pushing to execute Joseph Clifton Smith despite a lower court’s finding that he is intellectually disabled — a condition that, under Supreme Court precedent, bars capital punishment. The case comes up on November 4.
Voting Rights in Louisiana
The justices will revisit Louisiana’s congressional map, which expanded Black-majority districts from one to two. Civil rights groups defend it; state officials claim it violates equal protection. The hearing is locked for October 15.
Copyright, Music, and a Billion-Dollar Verdict
Cox Communications faces music labels after a $1 billion piracy verdict was tossed but liability still lingers. The case pits internet freedom against corporate copyright power.
Oil, Coastlines, and Climate Battles
Chevron, Exxon, and other oil giants want lawsuits over decades of coastal damage moved from state courts to friendlier federal courts. Meanwhile, Enbridge is fighting Michigan over the fate of a pipeline running beneath the Great Lakes.
The new term has the potential to redraw fault lines in law, politics, and culture — leaving the Supreme Court once again as the ultimate arbiter of America’s most divisive questions.
