The Supreme Court is Back. These Are The Cases That Will Impact Our Democracy and Freedoms

Today is the first day of the new Supreme Court term. The justices are back after a summer overshadowed by scandal. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are grappling with serious allegations of corruption and conflicts of interest––the most recentent being Thomas’ secret participation in donor events for the Koch Network, which has upcoming business before the Court.

This unprecedented ethics crisis unfolds against the backdrop of a Court hijacked by a right-wing supermajority that has upended longstanding precedents and chipped away at our democracy and our fundamental freedoms. Will the intensified scrutiny deter the conservative supermajority from pursuing a right-wing agenda this term? We have our doubts. Read further for more details on a few cases we are watching.

“The Roberts Court is unchecked and unbalanced. Justices Thomas and Alito are shamelessly thumbing their noses at judicial ethics, living the high life on GOP billionaires’ dime. While they bask in luxury, the Court’s conservative supermajority is ruthlessly stacking the deck in favor of the wealthy and powerful, while chipping away at the freedoms of everyday Americans. As this term begins, it’s clear that it's time for a shake-up,” said Brett Edkins, Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs, Stand Up America

As the term unfolds, Stand Up America will continue to advocate for Supreme Court reform, including term limits, Court expansion, and a binding code of ethics. So far this year, Stand Up America’s nearly two million members have driven over 11,000 calls and over 570,000 emails to lawmakers in support of SCOTUS reform. Members also submitted over 30,000 letters to the editor in support of SCOTUS reform.

Here are the cases we’re watching:

• Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of NAACP: Continuing its assault on democracy, the Supreme Court will decide whether South Carolina can engage in racial gerrymandering by concentrating Black voters into a single district, diluting their electoral power. This case could open the floodgates to allow partisan state legislators to enact racially gerrymandered maps across the country.

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) v. Community Financial Services Association (CFSA):A group of predatory payday lenders is challenging the constitutionality of the CFPB's funding mechanism in an attempt to dismantle the agency itself. The Roberts Court’s long track record of stacking the deck in favor of corporations over average Americans doesn’t bode well for the CFPB or American consumers. Plus, Alito’s billionaire patron Paul Singer has big financial interestsinterests in the case.

• Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo:The Court will consider overturning a 40-year-old precedent that requires unelected judges to defer to federal agencies’ experts when interpreting ambiguous laws. This case could eliminate or severely hamstring agencies' ability to protect the health and safety of everyday Americans, including from the harms of toxic water and air pollution. The outcome of this case is already stacked against the American people: Clarence Thomas refuses to recuse himself even though Koch network attorneys represent Loper Bright Enterprises.

• United States v. Rahimi: The Court will decide whether domestic abusers have a constitutional right to bear arms. The ruling could endanger the safety of domestic violence victims and survivors, and make it harder for states to pass common sense gun violence prevention.