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From battles over racial diversity in college admissions and religious liberty when serving same-sex couples to President Joe Biden’s plan to wipe out student loan debt, the U.S. Supreme Court ended one of its most significant terms this week.
In each case, a majority of the justices delivered rulings that elated conservatives and infuriated liberals who once again called for action to combat the high court’s right-ward tilt.
Chief Justice John Roberts ended the term with a plea to respect the judicial branch, which has been under scrutiny for its decisions inside, but also ethics questions orbiting certain justices outside the courtroom.
“It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary,” he wrote.
“We do not mistake this plainly heartfelt disagreement for disparagement. It is important that the public not be misled either. Any such misperception would be harmful to this institution and our country.”
Anxiety about the Supreme Court mirrors how many Americans are feeling about many U.S. institutions ahead of the July 4 holiday.
Voters have little excitement about the 2024 presidential front-runners and in terms of the health of U.S. democracy, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University survey shows a vast majority think it is irreparably harmed.
Those feelings extend to frustration over rising costs for groceries, gas and other bills with 52% of Americans saying the country is too expensive to live in, according to the poll.
On the other side of the globe, an armed rebellion in Russia drew an international spotlight on Vladimir Putin who saw his power threatened on the world stage amid his country’s war against Ukraine.
Mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s bold incursion has raised serious questions from the international community, including Biden who said the events in Russia have cemented Putin’s reputation as a global “pariah.”
Supreme decisions on race, gay rights and student debt relief
The Supreme Court ended its term with a trio of blockbuster cases that touched a national nerve on two culture war issues and one of Biden’s biggest promises.
It began by striking down affirmative action policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, scrambling a decades-old policy that sough to diversify campuses.
Similarly the court backed a Colorado-based web designer who refused to create websites for same-sex weddings because of her religious beliefs, which liberals cast as the latest backlash against LGBTQ Americans.
But arguably the biggest decision was the very end.
The justices gutted the president’s massive student loan debt forgiveness plan that would have forgiven up to $20,000 for some borrowers, saying Biden needs to take that idea to Congress.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who is seeking the GOP nomination for president, praised the ruling for blocking what he called an, “illegal student loan scheme.” He described it as victory for common sense.
“You take out a loan, you pay it back,” Scott said. “This decision frees taxpayers from shouldering debt they never signed up for.”
But the president promised to forge ahead, announcing Friday that his administration will work to forgive student loan debt through the Higher Education Act of 1965.
“This new path is legally sound,” Biden said. “It’s going to take longer.”
Americans in a bad mood ahead of July 4
The United States will blow out 247 birthday candles this year, but many Americans are unhappy on a number of fronts, including major concerns about our the health of democracy.
A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll shows 7 out of 10 Americans agree with the statement that U.S. democracy is “imperiled.” But the good news is that more states this year enacted legislation to expand voting rights and protect poll workers in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks.
Things aren’t much better when we asked Americans about the economy as the pain to people’s pockets is felt across the board as the prices of food, shelter, health care and transportation climb higher than their paychecks.
The anxiety over gun violence is also troubling an overwhelming number of Americans, who say crime is “out of control” in the United States.
Putin’s war at home
The armed rebellion in Russia, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the mercenary Wagner Group, was a stunning international event.
In a five-minute-long televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the group’s leaders “traitors” and “enemies of Russia,” while extolling how Russian patriotism was the reason for the quick end to the burgeoning coup attempt.
Prigozhin, who said his march was a demonstration rather than a coup, ended the onslaught after a deal was brokered by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. Under the agreement, Prigozhin would go to Belarus and neither he nor his troops would face treason or other charges.
But many see this is a blow to Putin’s power and legitimacy, as he continues to wage war with Ukraine.
“He’s losing the war at home,” Biden, speaking about Putin, told reporters outside the White House this week. “And he has become a bit of a pariah around the world. And it’s not just NATO. It’s not just the European Union.”
Trump warns supporters, more indictments are coming
Former President Donald Trump kept it real with supporters at a New Hampshire event about his legal troubles after already being indicted twice during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“There could be others coming,” he said.
If you’re keeping track, the GOP front-runner already faces trials over hush money allegations in New York state court and federal charges that allege he mishandled national security documents in Florida.
New audio recordings surfaced this week around that case in which Trump discusses classified information he wasn’t entitled to have.
But remember Trump is also still under investigation in Atlanta over allegations he pressured state officials to overturn his in the 2020 election. Don’t forget about the ongoing investigation in Washington, D.C., over efforts to block Congress from certifying Biden’s election in the Electoral College.
In the face of these serious legal problems, Trump joked with the New Hampshire crowd that his “numbers will keep going up” among the GOP base.
Ohio Republicans sentenced in huge political corruption case
As political corruption cases go, one of the largest came to a close in Ohio this week as former House Speaker Larry Householder was slapped with a 20 year prison sentence for orchestrating a nearly $60 million illegal bribery scheme.
But it wasn’t just Householder, once one of the most powerful political figures in the Buckeye State, who was sent to the slammer. Former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in helping Householder win control of the Ohio House of Representatives in 2018.
“Bottom line: You were a bully with a lust for power who thought he was above everyone else,” U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Black said during the sentencing.
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