The Supreme Court’s new term starts on the first Monday in October, which this year is Oct. 5, 2026. The justices open with a climate case and a veterans’ benefits case that morning, according to the Court’s own list of granted cases.

The Supreme Court new term is packed with cases that reach into ballots, courtrooms, paychecks and classrooms. And it follows an April ruling that changed how the Voting Rights Act applies to congressional maps.

Here is what is on the docket, when it will be argued and why it matters for Black communities.

Supreme Court new term: save the dates

These argument dates come from that same official list. The Court can still move things around, so check back before a big date.

Voting rights: proof of citizenship is the big one

The voting case with the widest reach is Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, set for Dec. 8. The justices agreed on June 29 to decide whether federal law blocks Arizona from requiring documentary proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate or passport, on its state registration form. They will also decide whether Arizona can cancel suspected noncitizen registrations within 90 days of a federal election.

This reaches far beyond Arizona. Ballotpedia counts 12 states with laws requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register in at least some cases, including Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. Alabama and Louisiana have such laws but have not enforced them. A Brennan Center survey found about 21.3 million voting-age citizens, or 9.1 percent, cannot readily access those documents. The share was 11 percent for citizens of color, compared with 8 percent for white citizens.

The backdrop matters too. On April 29, 2026, the Court ruled 6 to 3 in Louisiana v. Callais that Louisiana’s map with two majority-Black congressional districts was unconstitutional. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund says the decision “eviscerated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”

Expect more voting fights on the Court’s emergency docket, where the justices rule quickly and often without full explanations. Two examples from the last few weeks:

• In August, the Court let President Trump’s executive order on mail ballots move forward while challenges continue, finding the challenging states lacked standing, as the National Constitution Center explains.
• On Sept. 25, the Court declined for a third time to let Missouri use its 2025 congressional map this November. Missouri’s 2022 map stays in place for this election.

If you vote in November, the rules may shift fast. Our midterms 2026 voter checklist walks through deadlines and what to bring.

Policing and criminal justice: juries, forfeiture and prison time

Kian v. Florida asks whether the Constitution requires a 12-person jury in state felony trials. Florida convicted Hamed Kian with a six-person jury. In 1970, the Court said six-person juries were fine. FindLaw notes that six states still allow smaller juries in at least some criminal cases: Florida, Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and Utah. The Cato Institute, which filed a brief in the case, argues that research shows 12-person juries better incorporate minority voices. Jury size can affect how many Black jurors end up in the room, which is why this case is worth following. As of late September, no argument date had been set.

Jouppi v. Alaska (Dec. 1) is about civil forfeiture, the power to take property tied to a crime. Alaska took bush pilot Ken Jouppi’s $95,000 plane after a passenger’s six-pack of beer was found on a flight to Beaver, a village that bans alcohol, SCOTUSblog reports. The Court will decide how judges should weigh whether a penalty is an unconstitutionally excessive fine. Anyone who has watched police take cash or a car during a stop should follow this one.

Maxwell v. Dinis (Nov. 2) asks whether federal prisoners can go to court to enforce the earned time credits created by the 2018 First Step Act, which can move people into prerelease custody, such as a halfway house or home confinement, sooner. Sens. Dick Durbin and Cory Booker, who championed the law, filed a brief warning that the lower court’s ruling threatens the law’s incentive system.

Beaird v. United States (Oct. 13) asks whether a 1993 precedent on how courts treat the official commentary to the federal Sentencing Guidelines is still good law, per SCOTUSblog. It sounds technical, but that commentary can affect how long a sentence is.

Work, money and education

• Anderson v. Intel (Oct. 6): How much a worker must show to sue over bad investment choices in a company retirement plan, as SCOTUSblog’s October rundown describes it. If you have a 401(k), this is about your nest egg.
• DOL v. Sun Valley Orchards (Nov. 10): Whether the Labor Department can fine farms in-house for H-2A guestworker violations. The case grew out of findings of substandard housing and unpaid promised wages, according to the Constitutional Accountability Center. The answer could affect how the government enforces worker protections more broadly.
• Crowther v. Board of Regents (Nov. 30): Whether employees of federally funded schools can sue under Title IX for job-related sex discrimination. One plaintiff is a former Georgia Tech women’s basketball coach who complained about unequal resources, Saul Ewing explains.
• St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy (Nov. 3): Whether Colorado must exempt Catholic preschools from nondiscrimination rules in its universal pre-K program, per SCOTUSblog’s case page. Families using public pre-K anywhere could feel the ripple effects.

What about housing?

As of late September, no major fair housing or eviction case is on the argument calendar. That can change. The Court typically keeps adding cases through the winter for decisions by early summer, so a housing, policing or voting case could still join this term. We will update you if one does.

How to follow the Supreme Court this term

• Listen live. The Court offers live audio of oral arguments on argument days.
• Watch for orders. Emergency rulings can drop any day, especially close to Election Day on Nov. 3.
• Read the rulings, not just the headlines. Decisions often come with dissents that explain what is at stake in plain terms.

The Supreme Court new term will not settle everything by November. But the cases argued this fall will shape who gets to register, how juries look and what a worker can do when the rules are broken. Save the dates, share the list and keep an eye on the emergency docket.