I have not had as much to write about the U.S. Supreme Court this term as in previous terms, because this term is moving at a snail’s pace. There were 63 cases argued by the end of April (the end of the hearing calendar). To date, there have been only 23 decisions announced, and 6 summary reversals.
This means there are 34 cases argued that will be decided between Monday and the end of June, including all of the major cases pending before the court this term. (h/t SCOTUSblog).
Adam Feldman analyzes at SCOTUSblog, Empirical SCOTUS: Out of steam or out of time:
For those following the Supreme Court, the notion that the court is moving slowly this term has already been reiterated multiple times. The first clear notion of the court’s historically slow pace came with the timing of this term’s second signed decision, which was the modern court’s latest second opinion released in a term. Other analyses followed in legal periodicals, as well as those directed at a more generalized audience. Now that we are closer to the end of the term, some aspects of the justices’ decision-making this term are more apparent, as are explanations for the court’s pace. The bottom line is that this pace should not be unexpected, because the court has been moving in this direction for years, and a confluence of events have now come together to help precipitate this term’s “snail’s pace.”