Supreme Court's new term brings fresh opportunity for conservative majority to flex its muscle

[mahatmakanejeeves]

POLITICS

Supreme Court's new term brings fresh opportunity for conservative majority to flex its muscle

BY MELISSA QUINN

OCTOBER 3, 2022 / 7:00 AM / CBS NEWS

Washington — The Supreme Court is set to gather Monday to kick off its new nine-month term, one that is expected to bring another round of divisive decisions on hot-button issues like affirmative action, voting rights, elections and LGBTQ discrimination, cases that could showcase the power of the court's six-justice conservative majority.

But as the justices prepare to take the bench — before members of the public for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — the court is also confronting historically low levels of public confidence, which plummeted before and after the June decision unwinding the constitutional right to an abortion.

{snip}

A clash of free speech and LGBTQ rights

The justices will also consider whether anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBTQ people can require a business owner to express a message they don't wish to convey under the First Amendment. ... The case, which involves a website designer in Colorado, comes four years after the justices heard a similar dispute involving a Colorado baker who declined to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. But in its 2018 decision, the justices left unaddressed the central free speech issues.

{snip}

The case, 303 Creative v. Elenis, "bears both on the scope of speech protections and economic life, particularly for business owners, but also the degree to which businesses can refuse to serve customers," she said.

{snip}

[jimfields33]

1. Sounds like they're saying no to quite a few Republican wants

They said no to redoing election map in Pennsylvania, no to bump stocks on guns, no to Trump supporter. Looking good so far.

[Torchlight]

4. What's the yes versus no number? nt

[jimfields33]

5. Don't know yet. They're still looking them over.

Keep in mind they only do about 40 a year at most. Most will be No’s.

[mahina]

2. "The unborn"

Nice.

This is a right leaning take. Leading state legislators replace peoples votes doesn’t even appear in the description and the segment on voting at the very end of the article

[belpejic]

3. Maybe they are rethinking their roles

Are the Republic six political operatives or actual judges?

I think it will always come down to the former, but they might be looking for a little favorable publicity since they're currently so underwater in terms of public opinion. If they don't improve in the eyes of the public and in terms of the overall ability of the government to function the other branches might actually do something to clip their wings. Depending on the outcome of the forthcoming election, of course.