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How did the Judiciary Act of 1925 expand the Supreme Court’s control over its caseload?

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A person ascends the steps of the west facade of the United States Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C., with its tall columns and a round fountain in the foreground. — Supreme Court of the United States The west facade of the U.S. Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.

The Judiciary Act of 1925, often called the Judges’ Bill, significantly expanded the Supreme Court’s control over its own docket by shifting the nature of its jurisdiction.

Prior to this act, the Court was often required to hear certain cases under "obligatory jurisdiction." The 1925 legislation, which was sponsored by the Court itself, fundamentally changed this by:

Limiting Obligatory Jurisdiction: It greatly reduced the number of cases that the Supreme Court was legally required to review.1
Expanding Discretionary Review: It broadened the categories of cases that the Court could choose to accept or reject at its own discretion through the issuance of a writ of certiorari.1

By moving away from mandatory review, the act allowed the justices to focus their limited time and resources on cases of greater legal or public importance, effectively granting the Court the near-exclusive discretion it enjoys today in determining its caseload.21