Ask AmyQ: Why does the Supreme Court’s term begin on the first Monday in October. Because the start date is prescribed by law, rather than by the Constitution, Congress can change – and has changed – it. As Clare Cushman recounted in a blog post for the Supreme Court Historical Society, Congress initially established two separate terms for the court, in February and August. Finally, in 1916, Congress adopted the first-Monday start date that the court has followed for more than a century. However, the court has not always held oral arguments on the first Monday in October.