WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court, in the midst of a run of decisions that have stress-tested the core principles of U.S. democracy, has rarely been so aggressive in using its powers — or been viewed with more skepticism by Americans.
With its 6-3 conservative majority, the court has issued a series of recent decisions enhancing its own role, in many cases by overriding regulatory agencies, the White House, Congress and state and local governments. Rulings have curtailed environmental protections, restricted efforts to regulate firearms and limited public health initiatives. The court is set to decide on university affirmative action, student loan relief and the rules for federal elections before the scheduled end of its term next week.
At the same time, ethics controversies — most notably revelations that Justice Clarence Thomas took luxury vacations funded by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow — have underscored how little control the public has over nine justices who don’t have a code of conduct but do have life tenure under the Constitution.
