Supreme Court Set to Release Eight Remaining Opinions This Week

The Supreme Court will release opinions Monday morning beginning at 9:30 a.m. EDT, with eight more decisions expected by week's end.

The pending cases address several contested policy areas. Trump v. Barbara involves birthright citizenship. Trump v. Slaughter concerns removal protections for heads of independent agencies. Trump v. Cook addresses the president's attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox both involve transgender athletes competing in sports. Watson v. Republican National Committee concerns mail-in voting procedures.

The justices also will release orders from their June 25 conference Monday morning. The court will issue its 2025 financial disclosure reports at noon EDT, though some justices may receive extensions and file later.

At least one additional opinion day will follow Monday's announcements, the court indicated.

## Other Court Activity

The Trump administration filed a petition Friday asking the Supreme Court to permit immigration detention without bond hearings for people arrested during enforcement operations, even if they have lived in the United States for years. The request challenges a May decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, which ruled the administration misinterpreted a provision of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and violated detainees' constitutional due process rights. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer noted that two other appeals courts have endorsed the administration's policy and urged the justices to resolve what he termed a "critically important question of immigration law."

Chief Justice John Roberts paused an order Friday that would have forced former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge to disclose a confidential source or pay $800 daily in contempt sanctions. Roberts gave Herridge time to pursue emergency relief and directed the opposing party, Chinese American scientist Yanping Chen, to respond by Wednesday. Chen filed suit claiming Herridge identified details about her in stories published beginning in 2017 in violation of federal privacy law. Herridge refused to reveal how she learned of a federal investigation into Chen. U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper held her in contempt, and the D.C. Circuit affirmed that decision.

The Supreme Court's police force has nearly doubled in recent years from fewer than 200 officers as officials work to expand protective operations around the justices and the building. A Supreme Court Police officer cited the 2022 assassination attempt against Justice Brett Kavanaugh when discussing the expansion during a virtual recruiting event in April.

## Recent Decisions

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in Mullin v. Doe that the Trump administration may end Temporary Protected Status protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disasters in Haiti and Syria. The decision affects approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians who held these protections. Beneficiaries reported uncertainty about employment authorization, school enrollment for children, and custody arrangements in case of deportation.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bayer in a case concerning Roundup weedkiller liability. The decision shields Bayer from claims that it failed to warn consumers about potential cancer risks. The ruling eliminates what plaintiffs' lawyers identified as the most effective legal strategy against the company and is expected to derail tens of thousands of pending cases. Bayer may also challenge courtroom verdicts it lost that have not been finalized and paid, potentially saving the company hundreds of millions of dollars.

## Legislative Developments

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation that would require the Supreme Court to allow television coverage of all open sessions unless a majority of justices determined that doing so would violate due process rights of parties involved. Supporters cite increased government transparency. Opponents argue that cameras in federal courtrooms would create distracting proceedings and diminish judicial dignity.

## Historical Context

For nearly two centuries, the Supreme Court lacked a systematic process for releasing opinions. Justices read decisions aloud while reporters transcribed them by hand. Alexander Dallas published the first unofficial compilation in 1790, though his work contained omissions and errors. Publication delays extended years in some cases.

Congress created a statutory Reporter of Decisions position in 1817, with Henry Wheaton serving at $1,000 annually. Wheaton also controlled printing and profited from opinion sales until the Supreme Court's 1834 decision in Wheaton v. Peters established that reporters held no copyright to their work product. This determination made opinions public property.

In 1874, Congress appropriated $25,000 to establish the United States Reports as the official archive. The government printing office began publishing bound volumes in 1876, though commercial publishers like West Publishing Company issued unofficial volumes much faster.

In 1935, the Supreme Court began providing journalists with printed opinion proofs immediately upon announcement after an Associated Press reporter mischaracterized a series of cases. This practice continued until Chief Justice Warren Burger removed the reporter seats in front of the bench in 1971.

Starting in the 1990s, opinions became electronically available through the court's Project Hermes. On April 17, 2000, the Supreme Court launched its website and posted opinions within hours of announcement. Today opinions appear online within seconds.