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  The Week Ahead October 4, 2026 Joyce Vance Oct 4 Oh, the first Monday in October. I used to joyously await the start of a new term of the Supreme Court and the interesting (in a lawyerly way) issues that were about to consume us for the next nine months. New developments to discuss. Cases and analysis to parse. For a federal prosecutor, there was always something interesting happening. No more. Now, even though its active shadow docket has made the Court an ever-present feature of American life, without summers off, I approach the first Monday with an unsettled feeling. What will the Court do to us this year? It’s already taken away Roe v. Wade , allowed dark money to pervade our politics, given Trump a pass from prosecution for January 6, and permitted partisan gerrymanders. How much worse can it get? This term, there are some distinctly unpleasant possibilities. Everyone else is picking their favorites, or at least their top cases, for the term right now. Instead, I have my li...

    03 October 22 Live on the homepage now! Reader Supported News   FOCUS | NYT: The Supreme Court Isn't Listening, and It's No Secret Why The New York Times Editorial Board Excerpt: "All they have is their black robes and the public trust. A court that does not keep that trust cannot perform its critical role in American government." T he Supreme Court’s authority within the American political system is both immense and fragile. Somebody has to provide the last word in interpreting the Constitution, and — this is the key — to do so in a way that is seen as fair and legitimate by the people at large. What happens when a majority of Americans don’t see it that way? A common response to this question is to say the justices shouldn’t care. They aren’t there to satisfy the majority or to be swayed by the shifting winds of public opinion. That is partly true: The court’s most important obligations include safeguarding the constitutional rights of vulnerable minorities who ...