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# SCOTUStoday for Friday, January 9 **Source:** [SCOTUSblog](https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/01/scotustoday-for-friday-january-9/) **Author:** Kelsey Dallas; Nora Collins **Published:** 2026-01-09 **Jurisdiction:** Federal - Supreme Court ## Summary - The SCOTUStoday post signals the start of the 2025‑26 term’s first opinion day, with potential opinion releases and a live‑blogged schedule, while outlining upcoming petition reviews, an order list, and a January argument roster that includes high‑profile constitutional issues such as transgender‑athlete rights, gun‑rights jurisprudence, and a Trump effort to remove a Federal Reserve governor; it also notes Justice Alito’s recusal from Chevron USA Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish due to a financial conflict. - The Court may announce one or more opinions today at 10 a.m. EST, with SCOTUSblog live‑blogging from 9:30 a.m. - The justices will meet later to consider petition requests, potentially adding new cases to the oral‑argument docket before the January session. - An order list detailing denied petitions and case updates is slated for release Monday at 9:30 a.m. EST. - The January argument session (seven cases over two weeks) will address contentious constitutional matters, including transgender‑athlete participation, the next phase of gun‑rights litigation, and President Trump’s bid to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook. - Justice Samuel Alito has formally recused himself from Chevron USA Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish because of a financial interest in ConocoPhillips, highlighting ethics and conflict‑of‑interest considerations for the Court. ## Content SCOTUStoday for Friday, January 9 Good morning, and welcome to what is expected to be the first opinion day of the 2025-26 term. We don’t know what decisions are coming, but we do know we’ll be live blogging our way through it. SCOTUS Quick Hits - The Supreme Court may announce opinions today at 10 a.m. EST. SCOTUSblog will be live blogging beginning at 9:30. - Later today, the justices will meet to consider petitions for review. We may know as soon as this afternoon if the court has added any new cases to the oral argument docket. - The court is expected to release an order list with denied petitions and other case updates on Monday at 9:30 a.m. EST. - The court’s January argument session will begin on Monday. The court will hear seven arguments over two weeks, including on transgender athletes; the latest chapter in the court’s gun rights jurisprudence; and President Donald Trump’s bid to remove Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. - In a letter released by the Supreme Court on Thursday, Justice Samuel Alito indicated that he will not continue to participate in Chevron USA Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, which will be argued on Monday, because he has a financial interest in ConocoPhillips, which is the parent company of one of the defendants in the case. Although the company, Burlington Resources Oil and Gas Co., is not involved in the Supreme Court proceedings, the letter explained, it remains a defendant in the lower court. Morning Reads - More Than 1,000 Companies Are Suing Trump Over His Tariffs (Zoe Tillman, Jeannette Neumann, and Laura Curtis, Bloomberg)(Paywall) — A Supreme Court ruling on tariffs may not bring an end to legal battles over President Donald Trump’s trade policy. In recent weeks, according to Bloomberg, “a flood of businesses spanning the global economy” have sued over the tariffs in anticipation of having to fight for refunds if the president loses the Supreme Court case. “Publicly traded companies, including Costco Wholesale Corp., EssilorLuxottica SA, and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., are among the stampede of companies suing for refunds. In the first days of 2026 alone, dozens of entities, including Dole Fresh Fruit Co., e.l.f. Cosmetics Inc. and J. Crew Group LLC, have sued.” - The Supreme Court may leave alone the Voting Rights Act just long enough to keep the GOP from House control in 2026 (Samuel Benson and Andrew Howard, Politico) — The court’s eventual ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a case on race, redistricting, and the Voting Rights Act, is expected to spark a wave of redistricting efforts aimed at benefiting Republicans. But the farther we get into the new year, the less likely it is that the decision will affect the 2026 elections, since states are running out of time to not only draw new maps, but also “shift election calendars, vet signatures and print and distribute ballots,” according to Politico. Seven southern states “have primaries scheduled before or on May 19 — making the timing even tougher for the GOP.” - Supreme Court Ruling That Could Determine ICE Agent’s Fault in Shooting (Jenna Sundel, Newsweek) — The Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling in Martin v. United States “could play a role in determining whether an ICE agent can be held responsible for the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday, if the death results in legal action,” according to Newsweek. In that case, the court unanimously decided to allow a family’s suit against the government over an FBI raid that incorrectly targeted their house to move forward. - Western Apaches return to Ninth Circuit to defend holy land (Joe Duhownik, Courthouse News Service) — Western Apaches continue to fight a plan to construct a copper mine in an area of eastern Arizona that they consider sacred, but after the Supreme Court declined to get involved in their case in May (and again in October), they appear to be facing an uphill battle in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, where they’re seeking a preliminary injunction that would put the project on hold. “This issue went to the Supreme Court, which spent months deliberating whether to take the case and didn’t do so,” U.S. Circuit Judge Daniel Bress said during the latest hearing, according to Courthouse News Service. “You’ve preserved this for further review, but it’s tough to accept the position that we could just reach a different result on what’s essentially the same claim.” - Why the A’s Hit a Legal Snag Trademarking Their Las Vegas Name (Ben Horney, Front Office Sports) — The Oakland Athletics, or Oakland A’s, are moving to Las Vegas in 2028. As part of the move, the team is seeking to trademark “Las Vegas Athletics,” but it’s been unsuccessful thus far, according to Front Office Sports. “On Dec. 29, the [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office] issued a second refusal of trademark applications to register ‘Las Vegas Athletics‘ and ‘Vegas Athletics.’ Experts say the refusal doesn’t threaten the team’s relo... --- *Legal Topics: constitutional, civil-procedure, ethics* *Difficulty: beginner* *Via SCOTUSblog*