At the close of the 2025–2026 U.S. Supreme Court term, the impact courts have on American democracy has never been clearer. The anti-voting rights decision in Louisiana v. Callais was one of the most antidemocratic rulings in decades, supercharging mid-decade gerrymandering. Meanwhile, the court took aim at independent agencies and good government principles in Trump v. Slaughter, overturning a nearly 100-year-old precedent with the stroke of a pen, consolidating unprecedented power in the president’s hands. It further opened the door to the corrupting influence of big money in politics in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission. And four justices sought to rewrite the meaning of the Constitution and what it means to be an American in Trump v. Barbara, the birthright citizenship case.
Our expert panelists will discuss how a once revered institution has transitioned into a blatantly political entity that continuously puts its thumb on the scale in favor of the justices’ own policy priorities. The conversation will also address what needs to be done to free the Supreme Court from political capture and reestablish it as a defender—not an enemy—of American democracy.