Even during the Supreme Court’s summer recess, the justices have been busy. A flurry of activity this week kept the court’s docket active, with a focus on immigration enforcement and Missouri’s redistricting. The source describes a “flurry of activity” in these areas, including multiple trips to the court for the Missouri case and appeals filed by the Trump administration.
Missouri’s Map and Voting Delays
Opponents of Missouri’s new congressional map, which was drawn to favor Republicans, asked the Supreme Court to block the state from using the map in November’s elections. The request is fully briefed, and a decision could come at any time. Missouri election officials are advising voters to consider delaying casting their ballots until the court issues its decision. Jackson County Clerk Diane Thompson told Politico that if voters are not in a hurry, they should wait to cast their votes.
Absentee voting in Missouri began on Tuesday, when counties started accepting in-person voters and mail ballots from those unable to vote on Election Day. The dispute over the map has now been fully briefed, setting the stage for a potential quick ruling from the justices.
Immigration and Emergency Requests
The Trump administration has filed multiple requests with the court this week. On Thursday, the administration asked the justices for the third time to intervene in a battle over “third-country removals,” which refers to deporting noncitizens to countries not identified in their removal orders. The administration argued that it had been deprived of “an essential tool to remove certain aliens, including some of the worst criminal aliens.”
On Monday, the administration filed two petitions for review on immigration issues. One addresses whether noncitizens have a due process right to bond hearings amid an extended detention. The other asks whether a federal district court had the authority to consider the challenge to the detention of Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri.
On September 8, the administration asked the court to clear the way for it to use the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database to identify noncitizens on state voter rolls. The dispute has been fully briefed since September 16, but the court has not yet issued its decision.
Related Post: Supreme Court blocks voter database lawsuit pause
Other Pending Matters
Justice Elena Kagan denied a request to intervene in a high-profile custody dispute. The case involves a California couple and their surrogate, McKenna West. West sought the court’s help to pause an order declaring the couple the parents of the baby. The Supreme Court denied this request.
Grassley called for Chief Justice Roberts to address the issue of judges publicly criticizing government officials. The Senate Judiciary Committee leader stated that such criticism undermines public confidence in the courts. He said it destroys the perception of impartiality.
Grassley’s comments followed a New York Times article on immigration enforcement in Minnesota. The article quoted judges who were critical of the Trump administration’s actions. Grassley argued that federal judges should be issuing opinions and orders in accordance with the law, not giving quotes based on their personal views to the New York Times.
Three federal appeals courts have rejected President Trump’s go-to move, which involves placing his preferred candidate in the No. 2 spot and then allowing them to serve as acting U.S. attorney indefinitely. The process involves placing a preferred candidate in the No. 2 spot. The administration then allows them to serve as acting U.S. attorney indefinitely.
The Trump administration has now appealed two of those decisions to the Supreme Court. The appeals courts’ rulings against the administration have complicated Trump’s efforts to investigate and prosecute his political foes.
An interim docket application addresses a conflict between New York State courts and an Orthodox Jew’s use of a rabbinical court, known as a beis din. This filing draws the Supreme Court into a broader conflict between religious tribunals and civil courts that has been going on for centuries. The federal government nearly went to war with the Latter-day Saints in 1857-58. A major cause was that Utah territorial governor Brigham Young routed nearly all civil disputes to religious courts. This undermined the authority of federal courts over matters such as title to land.
Marlean Ames Case
The Supreme Court will hear a case involving Marlean Ames, an Ohio woman. In June 2025, the Court ruled for Ames in a discrimination case against the Ohio Department of Youth Services. Ames continued to work for DYS as the dispute unfolded and remains there today. However, she now claims she faces unlawful retaliation from her supervisors. Her new complaint alleges she was isolated at work, moved out of her usual office, and had her access restricted.
Related Post: Missouri seeks Supreme Court approval for new congressional map
Historical Context and Future Sessions
A Closer Look will feature a biography of Justice Robert Trimble. Trimble served on the court from 1826 to 1828. Chief Justice John Marshall found his loss considerable. Marshall wrote privately that Trimble was distinguished for sound sense, uprightness of intention, and legal knowledge. Marshall wished to find his equal.
Trimble was born in 1776 in Virginia. His family left for Boonesborough, Kentucky, in 1779. During the journey, his uncle was shot. He was left to die alone at his own request. Trimble’s first teacher was his grandfather, James McMillan. He later taught school to pay for his education and read law under George Nicholas.
Trimble was admitted to the bar in 1803. He built a profitable land litigation practice in Paris, Kentucky. He served a single term in the Kentucky House. He passed on two chances to become a U.S. senator. He was more willing to accept judicial posts, though the salaries were a concern. He joined the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1807 but resigned in December 1808.
In 1817, President James Madison appointed Trimble to the federal district court in Kentucky. His nationalist rulings were largely unpopular. After he held in 1821 that a Kentucky debtor-relief law did not bind federal courts, one newspaper editorial reminded him of what happened to Justice Samuel Chase.
Trimble County, Kentucky, was established in 1837 and named for him. A World War II ship, the SS Robert Trimble, was also named after him. Historians concluded that his two years on the court produced much and promised even more.
Looking ahead, the justices will unofficially begin the 2026-27 term on Monday. They will gather for the “long conference” to consider the petitions for review that accumulated during the summer recess.
