Supreme Court · Decisions

How Does the Supreme Court Decide?

Every case the Supreme Court has argued since 1946, sorted by how many justices dissented. How often the Court speaks with one voice, and how often a ruling turns on a single vote, shows how much the law can shift with one seat.

How to read this

A case counts once, in the term it was decided. “Unanimous” means no justice dissented; the other bands count dissents, so “5–4” is four dissents (a 4–4 tie counts there too). Select a term to pin it across both charts and the case list. The band under each axis marks the president in office for most of the term.

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See who held power, 1933–now →

How many cases does the Court decide?

The Court decided at least 129 argued cases every term from 1970 through 1989, with a high of 156 in the 1972 and 1983 terms. From 1993 through 2025 no term topped 94; four had 57, the fewest.

Data notes

Orally argued cases, counted in the term decided (October to June): 142 in 1946 and 57 in 2025 for the selection shown. Summary reversals and the 82 cases with an unclear vote are left out. The six biggest issue areas get a colour; “Other areas” holds the rest and the 67 cases with none.

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Term	Cases	Criminal procedure	Economic activity	Civil rights	Judicial power	First Amendment	Federalism	Other areas (8)
2025	57	14	15	8	12	3	2	3
2024	61	10	16	8	16	4	0	7
2023	59	13	12	10	4	6	1	13
2022	57	9	18	12	4	2	1	11
2021	63	13	12	12	4	7	4	11
2020	57	11	13	9	9	3	1	11
2019	57	8	19	13	2	4	3	8
2018	68	12	19	8	11	4	4	10
2017	64	15	13	10	13	2	1	10
2016	62	14	13	12	12	4	2	5
2015	68	20	16	12	8	3	2	7
2014	66	14	20	10	7	5	1	9
2013	69	16	18	6	6	6	2	15
2012	74	22	15	10	8	1	7	11
2011	67	14	14	18	7	2	5	7
2010	78	19	15	13	7	6	6	12
2009	78	26	20	6	8	5	2	11
2008	77	23	11	21	11	2	5	4
2007	70	22	14	15	5	3	6	5
2006	71	20	21	6	13	3	1	7
2005	74	18	12	9	15	7	3	10
2004	76	20	13	12	13	6	4	8
2003	74	24	17	8	6	4	7	8
2002	76	15	18	14	12	6	5	6
2001	78	15	11	13	13	8	6	12
2000	81	21	11	13	9	6	4	17
1999	76	27	10	10	7	7	7	8
1998	79	16	14	18	12	2	6	11
1997	94	25	15	17	20	2	1	14
1996	83	16	16	17	9	5	7	13
1995	77	18	17	7	11	5	4	15
1994	85	18	17	10	16	8	7	9
1993	90	24	22	12	11	4	5	12
1992	112	28	18	15	21	8	7	15
1991	110	21	27	18	16	8	5	15
1990	116	30	25	16	16	5	4	20
1989	132	35	22	9	18	14	9	25
1988	144	30	17	27	19	15	9	27
1987	148	31	27	21	21	12	9	27
1986	148	39	23	24	15	10	10	27
1985	153	42	15	27	22	14	10	23
1984	147	35	30	24	8	14	9	27
1983	156	40	27	29	13	12	8	27
1982	155	30	33	27	16	11	10	28
1981	145	18	26	34	23	12	4	28
1980	131	25	25	27	16	9	5	24
1979	142	33	30	22	13	10	2	32
1978	136	30	26	33	13	8	4	22
1977	137	28	30	28	14	7	6	24
1976	145	30	19	37	15	13	7	24
1975	151	33	28	27	24	13	3	23
1974	140	24	28	29	21	8	8	22
1973	148	30	21	36	19	14	4	24
1972	156	34	31	33	15	18	3	22
1971	149	33	33	29	12	16	1	25
1970	129	26	17	27	15	25	1	18
1969	106	26	11	25	15	10	3	16
1968	106	24	17	23	19	9	4	10
1967	125	34	27	17	12	13	6	16
1966	109	25	22	19	18	11	3	11
1965	99	16	25	12	15	13	4	14
1964	103	16	17	13	17	11	3	26
1963	130	20	32	26	16	10	9	17
1962	123	21	34	17	10	8	10	23
1961	98	16	25	8	12	8	5	24
1960	125	29	27	14	11	22	2	20
1959	116	16	27	9	18	7	7	32
1958	120	28	43	7	12	11	5	14
1957	128	32	29	14	17	9	6	21
1956	115	21	30	10	17	8	5	24
1955	92	12	27	9	14	5	4	21
1954	96	18	23	11	13	5	4	22
1953	82	13	32	8	8	4	6	11
1952	111	15	23	10	18	6	7	32
1951	96	17	29	8	16	6	0	20
1950	99	10	30	12	20	7	2	18
1949	96	9	22	10	16	7	9	23
1948	123	22	41	7	12	4	7	30
1947	115	24	28	18	15	5	2	23
1946	142	19	48	7	21	8	6	33

How divided is the Court?

From the 1946 through 2025 terms, 38% of argued cases were unanimous and 18% split 5–4. The 5–4 share ranged from 2% in the 1969 term to 34% in 2006; the unanimous share peaked at 61% in 2013.

Data notes

All issue areas, 1946–2025: 38% of 8,251 cases were unanimous and 18% split 5–4. Each band counts dissenting justices, not the full tally, so a 5–3 decision (eight justices sitting) lands in the 6–3 band. A selection with a median under 15 cases a term is grouped by decade automatically; the first and last decades are partial (1946–49 and 2020–25).

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Term	Cases	Unanimous	8–1	7–2	6–3	5–4
2025	57	25	6	2	17	7
2024	61	27	4	11	10	9
2023	59	26	3	4	21	5
2022	57	28	5	7	10	7
2021	63	17	11	3	20	12
2020	57	28	5	4	13	7
2019	57	21	6	13	6	11
2018	68	26	6	7	11	18
2017	64	25	4	10	7	18
2016	62	35	6	12	6	3
2015	68	29	9	14	12	4
2014	66	24	6	7	11	18
2013	69	42	2	7	8	10
2012	74	33	4	7	8	22
2011	67	27	8	5	14	13
2010	78	35	8	12	6	17
2009	78	34	8	10	12	14
2008	77	26	4	12	11	24
2007	70	21	6	17	13	13
2006	71	26	8	9	4	24
2005	74	39	4	8	13	10
2004	76	29	5	13	12	17
2003	74	33	6	9	9	17
2002	76	32	6	10	13	15
2001	78	30	5	9	14	20
2000	81	36	6	6	8	25
1999	76	30	3	12	11	20
1998	79	32	9	12	11	15
1997	94	49	7	9	14	15
1996	83	41	6	8	11	17
1995	77	34	9	16	5	13
1994	85	37	10	11	11	16
1993	90	36	7	21	12	14
1992	112	54	12	12	15	19
1991	110	44	8	20	24	14
1990	116	44	7	18	23	24
1989	132	45	10	19	22	36
1988	144	56	11	13	28	36
1987	148	64	12	22	34	16
1986	148	44	7	20	36	41
1985	153	52	16	16	34	35
1984	147	61	12	21	28	25
1983	156	69	16	16	28	27
1982	155	61	18	17	28	31
1981	145	52	16	15	31	31
1980	131	45	15	18	32	21
1979	142	37	18	22	39	26
1978	136	51	14	16	28	27
1977	137	46	13	24	35	19
1976	145	49	19	27	25	25
1975	151	60	10	39	28	14
1974	140	52	26	16	29	17
1973	148	47	21	15	36	29
1972	156	43	19	23	39	32
1971	149	56	20	23	30	20
1970	129	44	18	14	20	33
1969	106	37	12	31	24	2
1968	106	38	20	21	22	5
1967	125	47	29	19	23	7
1966	109	36	18	13	22	20
1965	99	42	17	16	12	12
1964	103	42	22	20	12	7
1963	130	57	18	21	21	13
1962	123	46	23	20	19	15
1961	98	35	18	25	14	6
1960	125	40	15	18	25	27
1959	116	29	15	16	28	28
1958	120	49	11	12	23	25
1957	128	37	15	21	24	31
1956	115	32	21	19	27	16
1955	92	41	5	13	18	15
1954	96	42	9	19	22	4
1953	82	29	8	18	17	10
1952	111	21	20	27	30	13
1951	96	24	13	22	22	15
1950	99	32	12	14	22	19
1949	96	32	24	23	14	3
1948	123	33	10	16	27	37
1947	115	36	10	23	20	26
1946	142	56	16	22	23	25

Which kinds of cases split the Court?

Over the 1946 through 2025 terms, First Amendment cases split 5–4 most often, 25% of the time, followed by criminal procedure at 23%. Judicial power cases were the most often unanimous, at 51%.

By decade, every year of data

’40’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

0busiest decadeCases decided, per decade; “All issue areas” is shaded on its own scale.

Years shown: 1946–2025

No dissent (9–0)1 dissent (8–1)2 dissents (7–2)3 dissents (6–3)4 dissents (5–4)

Data notes

Left: how many cases, how many split 5–4 or how many were unanimous in each decade, for each of the Supreme Court Database’s 14 issue areas (a rough guide). Right: how many justices dissented, in the years shown. The toggle picks the measure for both and orders the rows; click it again to reverse. Click an issue area in either to filter the charts and the case list. The 67 cases with none count only in “All issue areas”. Shares for small areas swing on a few cases. Each heatmap shares one colour scale, except “All issue areas”, which has its own.

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Issue area	Cases	Unanimous	8–1	7–2	6–3	5–4
All issue areas	8251	3102	921	1232	1547	1449
Criminal procedure	1760	508	159	296	387	410
Economic activity	1754	735	216	265	302	236
Civil rights	1292	474	123	181	280	234
Judicial power	1068	546	133	132	138	119
First Amendment	628	167	66	94	143	158
Federalism	379	161	44	71	56	47
Unions	358	140	53	53	55	57
Due process	335	124	35	52	62	62
Federal taxation	304	121	57	50	54	22
Privacy	110	36	11	13	30	20
Attorneys	93	41	6	12	16	18
Interstate relations	66	31	13	4	12	6
Miscellaneous	32	6	4	8	11	3
Private action	5	2	1	0	1	1

Every case

Argued cases decided in 1946–2025, newest first. The list follows the filters above and the charts: pick an issue area, a vote or a term to narrow it. A Liberal or Conservative tag is the Supreme Court Database’s coding of who prevailed in the case, not a rating of the justices or the reasoning; select a tag to see what it means in that case’s issue area.

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All issue areas, any vote.

Data notes

The colour is how many justices dissented, so a 5–3 decision takes the 6–3 colour. Landmark badges follow Wikipedia’s list of landmark decisions (375 cases, 2026-09-19 revision). The sentence under a case is Wikipedia’s ruling sentence (CC BY-SA 4.0, read 2026-10-12); for 891, tagged “AI-written”, Claude wrote it from the article opening. Neither is checked against the opinion. Liberal and Conservative tags (8,089 cases) are the database’s “decision direction”: who prevailed under a fixed rule for each issue area, not the justices’ views.

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Source: Harold J. Spaeth, Lee Epstein, Andrew D. Martin, Jeffrey A. Segal, Theodore J. Ruger, Sara C. Benesh, and Michael J. Nelson. 2026 Supreme Court Database, Version 2026 Release 01. URL: http://supremecourtdatabase.org, case-centered by citation, argued cases only, terms 1946–2025. A term runs October to June. 82 cases whose vote is marked unclear are left out. Licensed CC BY-NC 3.0 US. Landmark cases: Wikipedia, “List of landmark court decisions in the United States”, revision of 2026-09-19 (CC BY-SA 4.0), joined to the database by U.S. Reports citation, docket or case name and year; 375 of its cases are argued cases in these terms.