THE SUPREME COURT

The Supreme Court of the United States is the final interpreter of federal constitutional and statutory law. Its decisions bind every court, every legislature, and every government official in the country. There is no appeal from a Supreme Court ruling on a constitutional question - only a future Court can overturn one, or Congress can act by statute or constitutional amendment where the ruling permits it.

The Court consists of nine justices appointed for life by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The current Court (May 2026) has a 6-3 conservative majority: Roberts (George W. Bush), Thomas (George H.W. Bush), Alito (George W. Bush), Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett (all Trump Term 1) form the majority; Sotomayor and Kagan (Obama) and Jackson (Biden) are the dissenting three.

The decisions in this record span October Terms 2008 through 2025 - the full Obama, Trump Term 1, and Biden administrations plus the first year of Trump's second term. This period encompasses the most significant reshaping of constitutional doctrine in generations, including the overruling of Roe v. Wade, the elimination of Chevron deference, the creation of presidential criminal immunity, and major restructuring of Second Amendment law, voting rights enforcement, affirmative action, and the power of independent federal agencies.

Each entry identifies what the Court actually held, what prior law it changed or overruled, the real-world effect, and the full justice lineup. The administration tag identifies which president's nominees formed the majority - not who was in office when the case was decided. Pending cases describe what is at stake, not what the Court has decided.