WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court shrugged off partisan criticism this term and again delivered conservative decisions in major cases about race and religious rights, but the justices declined a chance to do the same in some key election cases that could end up benefiting Democrats.
The conservative majority, over sharp criticism from the court’s liberal justices, upended decades of precedent to restrict how colleges can use race in admissions decisions and sided with the owner of a company who refused to build websites for same-sex weddings because of her religious beliefs.
The decisions drew praise from Republicans for backing individual constitutional rights and limited government and condemnations from President Joe Biden and Democrats over concerns that the rulings could harm minority educational opportunities and weaken anti-discrimination laws nationwide.
