The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on 25 cases so far this term—more than at this point in the last three terms

By

Briana Ryan

Welcome to the Thursday, April 10, Brew. 

By: Briana Ryan 

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on 24 cases so far this term—more than at this point in the last three terms
  2. Lawmakers have enacted 67 bills on the administrative state so far in 2025
  3. Second time’s a charm for Cara Spencer in St. Louis mayoral election

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on 25 cases so far this term—more than at this point in the last three terms

So far this term, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued opinions in 25 cases. Today, we’ll examine how this pace compares to previous terms.

The court’s yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The 25 cases the court has issued opinions on so far this year are more than it has issued at this point in the last three terms.

Now, let’s take a closer look at how the justices have voted so far this term.

So far, the court has issued unanimous decisions for 10 of the 25 cases. At this point in the 2023 term, the court issued unanimous decisions for eight of the 11 cases. The court has issued four unanimous decisions for the nine cases decided at this point in the 2022 term. At this point in the 2021 term, the court issued unanimous decisions for five of the 21 cases. One of those five cases was an 8-0 decision because Justice Amy Coney-Barrett did not take part in consideration of the decision.

Turning our attention to decisions with tighter vote margins this term. So far, the court has issued 5-4 decisions for three of the 25 cases. Those cases are:

At this point in the 2023 and 2021 terms, the court issued 5-4 decisions for no cases. However, the court issued two 5-4 decisions at this point in the 2022 term. Those cases are Bittner v. United States and Cruz v. Arizona.

So far in April, the court has issued opinions for four cases:

Now, let’s look ahead at what’s coming up.

As of Jan. 30, the court has agreed to hear 64 cases during this term and has scheduled 50 cases for argument. The court generally releases most of its decisions in mid-June, so make sure to bookmark our hub on the court’s decisions here to keep up with the latest decisions.

A version of this story appeared in our Robe & Gavel newsletter on April 7. Robe & Gavel provides in-depth coverage of federal courts. Click here to sign up.

Lawmakers have enacted 67 bills on the administrative state so far in 2025

As of April 8, our Administrative State Legislation Tracker has identified 1,298 bills related to the administrative state introduced in Congress and state legislatures in the 2025 legislative session. Of those bills, 67 were enacted, seven were vetoed, and 23 passed both chambers. Focusing on the 67 enacted bills, 32 decreased agency control or influence, and 25 increased agency control or influence.

The administrative state is a term used to describe the phenomenon of executive branch administrative agencies, staffed by unelected officials, exercising the power to create, adjudicate, and enforce their own rules at both the state and federal levels. These agencies create regulations that have the force of law by interpreting and implementing legislative statutes. They adjudicate disputes through administrative courts or hearings, where agency officials act as judges. They enforce compliance by conducting investigations, issuing fines, and taking other regulatory actions.

The map below shows the concentration of enacted bills nationwide for the entire year. A darker shade indicates a higher number of enacted bills, and lighter shading indicates a lower number.

Enacted bills include the following:

  • Kentucky HB6 prohibits state agencies from promulgating any new rules or regulations, with some exceptions for regulations with an economic impact below $500,000 over any two-year period. Agencies can only promulgate regulations with economic impacts exceeding that threshold if they are explicitly authorized by state statute.
  • Utah HB0474 prohibits state agencies from making any rule that would have a financial impact exceeding $2 million over a five-year timeframe unless necessary to enact a state statute or federal mandate. It requires agencies to publish feedback from individuals affected by occupational regulations and to report regulations to the legislature if they are estimated to have an economic impact above $1 million over five years.
  • Wyoming SF127 requires the Legislative Service Office to conduct regulatory analysis for major rules— defined as rules that could have an annual economic impact of at least $100,000, significant adverse effects on competition or employment, or substantial social and cultural impacts and requires it to issue a copy to every legislator. Legislators can introduce legislation to prohibit the rule from taking effect. 
  • Kentucky SR240 encourages and supports the establishment of the Kentucky Discipline of Government Efficiency (KY DOGE) Task Force to evaluate executive branch agency expenditures, increase government savings, and promote what the bill calls efficiency in the government.

To keep up-to-date on legislation related to the administrative state, visit our Administrative State Legislation Tracker. You can also sign up for Check & Balances, our monthly email newsletter featuring highlights from our administrative state coverage.

Second time’s a charm for Cara Spencer in St. Louis mayoral election

As part of our ongoing coverage of local elections across the U.S., we’re spotlighting the results of this year’s nonpartisan mayoral election in St. Louis, Missouri.

On April 8, Cara Spencer defeated incumbent Mayor Tishaura Jones 64% to 36%. This election was a rematch from the 2021 election, in which Jones defeated Spencer 52% to 48%.

Spencer, who has served on the city’s Board of Aldermen since 2015, campaigned on reducing government corruption. Jones, who has served as mayor since 2021, campaigned on her record leading the city. Spencer and Jones are affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Spencer will assume office on April 15.

Of the 100 largest U.S. cities by population, 27 are holding mayoral elections this year. St. Louis was the first to hold their general election. The next election will be a special election in Oakland, California, on April 15.

In total, the partisan breakdown of the mayors of the 100 largest U.S. cities is 65 Democrats, 25 Republicans, one Libertarian, two independents, and four nonpartisans. Three mayors’ partisan affiliations are unknown.
For more information on this general election, click here.