A Loaded Supreme Court Term: The Cases That Could Reshape Federal Power
From agency authority to digital privacy, the docket taking shape for the fall could redraw the boundaries between Washington and the states.
The Supreme Court's next term is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in years, with cases that touch the reach of federal agencies, the limits of digital surveillance, and the balance of power between Washington and the states.
Court watchers are paying closest attention to a pair of cases testing how much deference agencies receive when they interpret ambiguous statutes. The outcome could ripple across environmental rules, workplace safety standards, and financial regulation.
Privacy in a data-heavy age
A separate case asks whether long-term location data held by third-party apps deserves the same constitutional protection as a phone's own records. Privacy advocates from California to New York have filed briefs arguing that the distinction has collapsed in an age when everyday apps track movement continuously.
Another closely watched dispute involves the scope of state authority to regulate products sold across state lines, a question with implications for everything from agriculture to consumer electronics.
Oral arguments begin in October, with decisions likely to arrive in a rush next summer. Legal scholars caution that predicting outcomes from argument is a fraught exercise, but the sheer breadth of the docket guarantees the term will leave a mark.
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