Today the Supreme Court began its official 2019-2020 term, with numerous significant cases on the docket that include the issues of immigration, abortion, and gun rights, according to Fox News.
Several of the key cases to be decided this term include a challenge to Louisiana’s anti-abortion law, which—along with similar laws passed in several other southern states— is considered among the strictest in the country. Some on the Left have argued that the Supreme Court upholding this law would essentially amount to an overturning of Roe v. Wade, the decision that legalized nationwide abortion in 1973.
Also on the agenda is the issue of whether or not President Trump will be able to fully and finally rescind the Obama-era amnesty executive order known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
President Trump has seen a historic number of judges confirmed during his first term, saying last month that “in a few short weeks, we’ll be up to 180 federal judges.” He has confirmed two Supreme Court nominees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, thus giving the Court a 5-4 conservative majority.
But the conservative agenda has nevertheless faced push back due to far-left groups such as the ACLU repeatedly suing the Trump Administration, often being granted nationwide injunctions by solitary left-wing judges.
There has also been tension with regards to Chief Justice John Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee, who has a history of suddenly betraying the conservative majority on crucial cases, such as the 2012 ruling that upheld Obamacare, as well as the ruling earlier this year that struck down the Trump Administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
Nevertheless, the numerous significant cases to be decided in an election year will put the issue of the courts front-and-center in 2020, as President Trump frequently lists his high number of judicial confirmations as among his greatest achievements as president.