The Supreme Court is increasingly determined not to announce its final ruling for this term until July.
By tradition, Chief Justice John Roberts announces on the penultimate day of briefing that the next and final day of briefing will be the first.
But Justice Roberts made no such announcement on Thursday, suggesting that Friday’s planned announcement of the decision would not be the final day and that the court would not finish its work until next week.
The Supreme Court typically strives to meet its self-imposed deadline of issuing all rulings by the end of June, but has recently missed the deadline as the COVID-19 pandemic has altered how it normally operates.
But aside from the justices’ desire to maintain their summer schedules, the Supreme Court is not required to adhere to its usual deadlines — Justice Neil Gorsuch, for example, is scheduled to travel to Portugal in late July to teach for two weeks at George Mason University.
The justices appear set to finish their work quickly, possibly as early as early next week, before the court closes for the Independence Day holiday on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on eight pending cases, including a high-profile fight over former President Trump’s immunity, a case that could reclaim the power of federal agencies and two cases related to social media.
