Abortion, guns and religious liberty: Supreme Court gears up for new term filled with contentious disputes

Washington — The Supreme Court is slated to return to the bench for the start of its new term on Monday, with the justices set to take up politically divisive cases involving the Second Amendment, religious liberty and abortion, all while battling bruised public perception of the high court's legitimacy.

The justices will convene for in-person arguments in the court's stately courtroom for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, though they'll take the bench before a limited audience due to public health concerns.

In the first months of its new term, the court will tackle a trio of high-profile disputes involving politically charged issues. The contentious battles will further clarify whether the Supreme Court's expanded conservative majority intends to issue sweeping decisions or opt for incremental change in areas that significantly impact Americans' lives, as well as whether fissures emerge among the six conservative justices.