The United States Supreme Court concluded its latest term in late June. With six Republican-appointed justices, it’s the most conservative court in 90 years. They yielded expected — but controversial— majority opinions in a number of cases.
In 6-3 rulings, the Supreme Court limitedthe Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate fuel sources, overturned the nearly 50-year-old precedent of Roe v. Wade that guaranteed federal protections to abortion care, and struck down New York’s gun law to declare that people have the constitutional right to carry a handgun in public.
In his concurring majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that SCOTUS should reconsider past court rulings such as rights to contraceptives in marriage and same-sex marriage.
Some have called for reform of the high court in light of recent rulings. What would reform look like and is it possible?
Is the high court at odds with the majority of Americans? What do the recent rulings reveal about the future of the Supreme Court?
What other landmark decisions could be up for reconsideration? Has the Supreme Court become an extremist court? Have the justices imbued their personal political opinions into their decisions?
Guest: Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and author of "Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution"
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*This interview was recorded on Monday, July 11.