9 justices: Chief Justice (Roberts) + 8 Associate Justices. Conservative bloc: Thomas, Alito, Roberts, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett. Liberal bloc: Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson. 6-3 conservative majority since Barrett's 2020 confirmation.
Presidential nomination - Senate Judiciary Committee hearings - full Senate vote (simple majority since 2017 nuclear option for SCOTUS). Recent: Barrett (Oct 2020 fast-tracked); Jackson (April 2022, first black woman justice).
Dobbs v Jackson (2022) - overturned Roe v Wade. Students for Fair Admissions (2023) - struck down race-conscious admissions. 303 Creative (2023) - free speech outweighs anti-discrimination. Trump v Anderson (2024) - states cannot disqualify Trump from primary ballots. Loper Bright (2024) - overturned Chevron deference. Louisiana v Callais (2026) - struck down congressional map and weakened Voting Rights Act Section 2.
1st Amendment (speech, religion, assembly). 4th Amendment (search and seizure). 5th Amendment (due process, self-incrimination). 14th Amendment (equal protection, incorporated rights against states). Voting Rights Act 1965 - Sections 4 and 5 weakened by Shelby County (2013); Section 2 weakened by Callais (2026).
Activist court: Roberts Court has overturned major precedents (Roe, Chevron, VRA Section 2). Restraint argument: Court should defer to elected branches; lifetime appointments without democratic accountability problematic. Reform proposals: court-packing (expansion); 18-year staggered terms; ethics reforms post-Thomas / Alito disclosures.
P3U-2025-Q3C Evaluate the view that civil and constitutional rights have been successfully upheld. P3U-2024-Q3A Evaluate the view that the US Supreme Court is a political body rather than a judicial one. P3U-2023-Q3B Evaluate the view that the Supreme Court is now the most significant political actor. P3U-2019-Q3A Evaluate the view that the US Supreme Court protects individual rights more effectively than other branches.