Oct 1, 2026 · 20 min
Supreme Court cases could reshape presidential power
What's on the Supreme Court docket this term?
The term’s rulings could affect immigration enforcement, gun regulation, climate litigation, religious protections, voting rules, and the balance of power in Washington.
- 1The Court will weigh major disputes over immigration detention, deportation practices, and the reach of presidential authority.
- 2Cases involving assault-weapons bans, climate liability, religious freedom, and voting requirements could redraw state and federal power.
- 3Emergency-docket decisions may let contested policies take effect before the justices fully resolve their legal merits.
Don't miss
The hosts highlight the unusual case of an Alaskan pilot who transported a passenger carrying beer to a dry community.
The brief
Mara Liasson, Carrie Johnson, and Ashley Lopez preview a Supreme Court term where immigration, guns, climate liability, religious freedom, voting, and executive power converge.
The justices will consider expanded mandatory detention and deportations to countries with no prior connection to migrants, raising questions about due process and enforcement power.
The emergency, or shadow, docket is central to the stakes: interim rulings can allow contested policies to take effect before the Court completes full review.
Other cases test whether states can ban AR-15-style rifles, pursue climate claims against energy companies, require citizenship proof for voter registration, or condition public preschool participation on nondiscrimination rules.
The docket’s oddest dispute involves an Alaskan pilot transporting a passenger with beer to a dry community, a practical puzzle amid the term’s constitutional battles.
Taken together, the cases ask how far the Court will extend presidential authority and religious protections while states contest federal control over policy.
Mara Liasson
Supreme Court
Donald John Trump
Ketanji Brown JacksonListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.