What is an "October Term"?
Updated
Federal law sets the start of the Supreme Court's term: 28 U.S.C. § 2 provides that the Court holds a term beginning on the first Monday in October of each year. Each term is named for the year it begins. "October Term 2025" (often written OT2025) began on the first Monday of October 2025 and covers the decisions issued until the next term opens in October 2026.
Why the name matters
Because a term straddles two calendar years, a decision issued in June 2026 belongs to October Term 2025, not "the 2026 term." Lawyers and reporters almost always refer to cases by term, so we organize our archive the same way.
Finding a term's decisions
- Each term has an archive page listing every writing we track, such as October Term 2025.
- Completed terms also have a recap with the term's merits decisions month by month, for example the October Term 2025 recap.
- If you only know the calendar year, browse by year instead, for example 2026.