1804 – The impeachment of Justice Samuel Chase fails, establishing a historic precedent that judges cannot be removed for their decisions and cementing the principle of judicial independence [2][3].

1986 – Antonin Scalia joins the Supreme Court and begins promoting originalism, then a marginal theory, which later becomes a dominant interpretive approach [1].

1992 – Scalia issues a textualist opinion that Justice Brett Kavanaugh later echoes in the 2022 Dobbs decision, illustrating Scalia’s lasting doctrinal influence [1].

1999 – A Scalia decision in Trump v. Casa is later cited by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, showing the justice’s rulings become touchstones for contemporary conservative jurisprudence [1].

2008 – The Federalist Society notes that originalism has gained “the status of respectability,” reflecting Scalia’s successful mainstreaming of the theory [1].

Feb 13, 2016 – Justice Antonin Scalia dies at a Texas hunting lodge, reshaping the Court’s composition and reverberating through the 2016 presidential race [1].

June 24, 2022 – The Supreme Court issues the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, with Justice Kavanaugh echoing Scalia’s 1992 textualist reasoning [1].

2024 – Federal courts record a nine‑percent drop in term filings to 3,856, hear 73 cases, and issue 56 opinions, indicating shifting caseload patterns ahead of a politically charged 2025 term [4].

Jan 2025 – Chief Justice John Roberts quotes Scalia’s textualism in a mail‑in ballot opinion, reinforcing the originalist framework in contemporary election law [1].

Mar 2025 – Roberts issues a rare public rebuke after President Trump calls for the impeachment of a judge in a deportation case, highlighting heightened tensions over judicial accountability [5].

2025 – The Court’s “shadow docket” delivers roughly two dozen wins for the Trump administration—including a transgender military ban and spending clawbacks—while also blocking the National Guard deployment to Chicago, underscoring mixed outcomes on executive power [5].

2025 – The Court aligns with Trump on several substantive actions: canceling foreign aid, halting public‑health funding, firing independent‑agency leaders, stopping immigration‑status interrogations, and mandating passport sex markers match biological sex [2].

Nov 2025 – In a tariff‑power dispute, lawyers invoke Scalia’s “plain meaning” approach and dictionary definitions, demonstrating originalism’s continued courtroom sway [1].

Dec 2025 – Former clerk D. John Sauer cites Scalia’s “wolf comes as a wolf” metaphor in Supreme Court arguments, highlighting the justice’s enduring rhetorical power [1].

Dec 31, 2025 – Chief Justice Roberts releases a 13‑page year‑end letter declaring the Constitution “firm and unshaken,” quoting Calvin Coolidge and Thomas Paine, and urging judges to heed their oath amid a turbulent political climate [4][5][2].

Jan 3, 2026 – Former prosecutor Joyce Vance publishes a Substack critique asserting that most justices “failed to show up,” decrying the empty‑room image in Roberts’s report and warning that the Court’s silence undermines democratic safeguards [3].

July 4, 2026 – The United States approaches its 250th anniversary, a milestone Roberts cites to remind the nation of the enduring relevance of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution [2].

2026 – The Supreme Court’s docket anticipates landmark cases on ending birthright citizenship by executive order, imposing sweeping tariffs, dismissing a Federal Reserve governor amid mortgage‑fraud allegations, and broader disputes over presidential authority and immigration, positioning the Court at the center of pivotal constitutional battles [2][3][4].