The recent behavior and many of its opinions have brought the Supreme Court – long considered the “least dangerous branch” – under serious scrutiny. Though the Court continues to maintain that it is an impartial arbiter, many worry that there’s now a heavy thumb on the scales of justice.

The Court chooses its caseload from some 7000 petitions annually. In the 1980s its docket averaged more than 150 courses a term; today it barely approaches 70. Increasingly its “important” cases are not real-life conflicts, but artificial situations developed by private advocacy groups to test a position while compensating litigants for their time and trouble. Compounding a seeming retreat from the business of the people at large, public access is limited, cameras prohibited, and the imposing front entrance and public plaza are off limits.

We’ll examine trends evident in the court’s past rulings and discuss upcoming major cases. Those already scheduled for this term, beginning in October, include transgender rights, voter suppression, and campaign financing, to name but a few.

Join us for free-ranging discussions of the current and future role of the Supreme Court as a fulcrum of American democracy.