Does the Supreme Court function as intended by our Founders?

SCOTUS Power and Prestige — A History

Our current Supreme Court: Seated from left are Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices Samuel A. Alito and Elena Kagan. Standing from the left are Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Public Domain image.

Can Congress take away SCOTUS jurisdiction? Can states defy SCOTUS? Has SCOTUS lost its power and prestige? Is SCOTUS a political institution? Do its holdings bend to popular culture?

Can universities consider race in their admissions process? No, they cannot… because the U.S. Supreme Court said so on Thursday, June 29th.

Can President Biden erase more than $400 billion of America’s student debt? No, he cannot… Because the Supreme Court said so on Friday, June 30th.

Can a web designer refuse to provide services for same-sex marriages based on her First Amendment rights? Yes, she can… because the U.S. Supreme Court said so on Friday, June 30th.

But where does the Supreme Court get its power? And where does it get its prestige? And are the Supreme Court’s power and prestige eroding? Now that everything is so polarized! Now that serious allegations of ethical misconduct have been raised about Justice Clarence Thomas, and to a much lesser extent regarding Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch!

To better understand this history, the history of the US Supreme Court’s prestige and power, and to better understand its politics, as in, is the highest…