What the latest Supreme Court emergency docket numbers reveal
The Supreme Court resolved 123 emergency applications in the 2025-26 term, including 44 capital cases, 43 refiled applications, and 36 substantive applications. The Trump administration filed fewer such requests than in the prior term and won a lower share of them, with the court granting relief in five of nine administration applications. Public disagreement among the justices remained high, appearing in 61% of substantive applications.
The second Interim Relief Docket Stat Pack covers Oct. 6, 2025, to Oct. 4, 2026. The court handled 123 emergency applications: 44 capital matters, 43 refiled requests, and 36 substantive ones. Six additional items appeared only in the Term Index: two deferred for argument, three moot, and one withdrawn.
Substantive filings dropped from 49 to 36, entirely because Trump administration requests fell from 21 to nine; other applicants went from 26 to 27. The court granted relief in 18 of 36 substantive matters. Written explanations accompanied 39%, and average decision time fell to 18 days.
The court’s emergency docket may affect people facing execution, litigants seeking urgent stays, and federal agencies. Fewer administration requests and a lower grant rate could change expectations about how often the justices intervene. Frequent public disagreement may influence public confidence and how lawyers prepare emergency appeals. Because these decisions are often fast and sometimes unexplained, affected individuals and officials could face uncertainty until fuller review.