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SCOTUS Faces Trump Loyalty Test in New Term

October 15, 2025

The Supreme Court's 2025-26 term commenced with a docket filled with consequential cases involving race, gender, campaign finance, and presidential authority. At the D.C. Bar's annual Supreme Court Review and Preview, experts discussed the Court's increasing polarization, with Chief Justice Roberts joining the majority 95 percent of the time in the previous term, while Justices Thomas and Alito aligned 97 percent of the time. Key cases include challenges to transgender student athlete participation, a Louisiana voting rights case concerning majority-Black congressional districts, Colorado's conversion therapy ban, and campaign finance restrictions.

Who is affected

  • Transgender students seeking to compete on teams matching their gender identity
  • Black voters in Louisiana regarding congressional district representation
  • LGBTQ+ minors subject to conversion therapy in Colorado
  • Political parties and candidates regarding campaign spending coordination
  • Businesses affected by presidential tariffs under emergency powers
  • Property owners regarding handgun regulations and property rights
  • Citizens whose constitutional rights and protections may be interpreted differently under originalism

What action is being taken

  • The Supreme Court is hearing cases on transgender rights, voting rights, conversion therapy bans, and campaign finance
  • Legal experts and scholars are analyzing and predicting outcomes at forums like the D.C. Bar's Supreme Court Review and Preview
  • The Court is increasingly using its emergency docket to decide politically charged cases without full hearings
  • The United States government is filing briefs opposing challenges to transgender sports participation laws

Why it matters

  • The Court's rulings will shape national policy on equality, freedom, and democracy
  • Public confidence in the judiciary has reached record lows
  • The Court's current originalist majority has already changed national law on abortion, guns, affirmative action, and federal regulation
  • The decisions will impact elections, education, civil rights, and the limits of government power
  • The polarization of the Court reflects broader cultural and partisan divisions in American politics

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint