WASHINGTON — An empowered conservative majority of the Supreme Court begins a new term next week replete with cases that could reshape how the country considers social issues such as race in elections and higher education, after decisions from the last term brought the justices to the forefront of the nation’s politics.
The justices will hear arguments Monday in a courthouse open to the public for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Gone is the protective fencing that went up in May when it became public that the conservative wing would vote to wipe out the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.
Leading up to the term, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was among justices who expressed concern in public comments about damage to the court’s reputation from controversial decisions, as polls show Americans increasingly view the court as a political entity pulling the country to the right.
