Supreme Court pivots to abortion, guns, and death penalty as public approval slides

Facing a crisis of legitimacy, the U.S. Supreme Court begins a new term set to decide divisive cases on abortion, gun rights, the death penalty and religious freedom.

Facing an onslaught of political pressure tactics and plunging public approval, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sails into a new term next week set to decide some of the most divisive cases in decades on abortion, gun rights, the death penalty and religious freedom.

By the end of June 2022, the court's conservative majority has the potential to roll back 50 years of abortion rights precedent; declare a right to carry a handgun outside the home; bolster the death penalty; and, allow some American parents to use taxpayer funds for religious schools.

"This is not a court that has the opportunity to inch forward and tip toe around issues," said University of Chicago law professor and legal historian Farah Peterson. "We should all be watching these cases very closely because suddenly the court has new members interested in taking up issues of grave public concern."

The justices are also expected to address challenges to the Biden administration's nationwide vaccine mandate; continuation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, for young immigrants; partisan drawing of congressional districts with new census data; and, Harvard's use of racial affirmative action.