In recent years, the Supreme Court has been pressured to answer to the whims of both the Democratic and Republican parties. This politicization of the Supreme Court will leave its newest term in shambles. No matter what the outcome of these rulings are, these justices will crumble under the pressure.  

The Supreme Court is the law of the land; what they say goes. The nine justices must leave a legacy and cause change for the better. Every gaffe is remembered well, not just in history books, but by the millions of Americans it affects. The Supreme Court undertakes an incredibly controversial term this year, deciding on abortion, religious freedom, affirmative action, free speech, gun control, and more.

The burden of power now lays on the Court’s shoulders. President Trump appointed three new judges to the Supreme Court in under 4 years, marking one of the quickest ideological shifts the court has ever seen. The 6-3 conservative majority leaves many Americans scared for the country, and the future of abortion. 

The history of Roe v. Wade and abortion in America is delicate. Ever since Roe v. Wade was announced in 1973 people have fought hard to take it down. Yet abortion has never faced real danger until recently, many Americans are worried that the Supreme court will overturn Roe v. Wade. The Justices recently decided not to block the contentious Texas abortion ban. This raised many eyebrows, given that the Texas abortion law is clearly unconstitutional. The law makes an unprecedented expansion on who can sue anyone. A Texas citizen can sue anyone who aids and abet

an abortion, whether or not they have any personal stake in the abortion involved. 

Democratic leaders, including President Biden, have called for Supreme Court reform. Yet adding more justices or creating term limits will do more harm than good. Term limits would only encourage Justices to be influenced by popular opinion. Changing the Supreme Court because of politics will only make the court more political. Supreme court reform sounds good on paper but only creates more problems. 

Americans’ faith in the Supreme Court has usually stayed consistent, but this year is different. Under increasing political turmoil, the institution is being questioned. The nine justices must pull off an impossible magic trick: convince Americans that every decision they make is based on their interpretations of the Constitution– not politics. Yet this trick has stopped working. Supreme Court Justices are now viewed as political, unable to rule without their own political decisions getting in the way. 

The bitter divide between party lines in America has now swept into the judicial branch. No matter what decisions the Supreme Court Justices make in this new term, American’s will view it as inherently political. Every decision they make will make half the country outraged and cause Americans’ respect for the Supreme Court to lessen. As the Supreme Court works hard to complete its newest term, its legitimacy hangs in the balance.