Goodbye, October argument session. We hardly knew you.

The justices heard a measly six cases in their opening two weeks of oral arguments of the October 2023 term, about half as many as it usually does during a monthly sitting. The justices next take the bench on Oct. 30 for the start of the November session.

This Friday, however, they will convene for their usual closed-door conference to vote on this week's cases and decide whether to take up pending appeals. The court is expected to grant several more petitions for certiorari, or review, in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, there are several shadow docket matters demanding attention, including an appeal from the Biden administration to lift an order restricting White House and other executive officials from contacting social media companies about "misinformation."