Supreme Court will hear Apple's Epic contempt appeal on January 11
Argument in Apple v. Epic is set for January 11, 2027, limited to whether contempt can rest on an order's spirit.
Apple · Macfolio · 3 November 2026
The US Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument in Apple Inc. v. Epic Games, Inc., docket No. 25-1311, for Monday, January 11, 2027. The Court's docket entry setting the date was posted on November 2, 2026, and the case appears second on the Court's January 2027 argument calendar, after Montoya Palacios v. Liggins.
What the Court is actually deciding
The Court granted Apple's petition on June 30, 2026, but only on the first question Apple raised. That question asks whether a court may hold a party in civil contempt for violating the "spirit" of an injunction when the injunction says nothing about the conduct in question, or whether contempt must rest on an order that clearly and unambiguously prohibits that exact conduct.
The background, briefly: the 2021 injunction from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers barred Apple from blocking developers from steering customers to other ways to pay. In April 2025 she held Apple in civil contempt over how it implemented that, including a commission on outside purchases. The Ninth Circuit upheld the contempt finding in a December 11, 2025 decision, while overturning the blanket ban on any commission, and denied rehearing on March 30, 2026.
Key dates from the docket:
- June 30, 2026: petition granted, limited to Question 1
- September 14, 2026: Apple's opening brief filed
- November 13, 2026: Epic's brief due, after an extension
- January 11, 2027: oral argument
What it means for developers
Nothing changes today. The current US rules for linking to outside payment options stay as they are while the case proceeds, and no ruling can come before argument. This also does not mean the Court will decide what commission, if any, Apple may charge on linked purchases; that question is not before the justices and remains with the lower courts.
Our take: a narrow legal question with broad stakes. If Apple wins, the contempt finding could fall, but that would not automatically restore its old link rules or fees. Developers who built web checkout flows since 2025 should keep them running and watch the district court as closely as the Supreme Court.
Caveats: the United States filed a brief supporting neither party, and timing of a decision after argument is up to the Court.