America’s anything-goes Supreme Court

Edward Luce, Financial Times -  Nothing better captures the fragility of America’s democracy than the impunity of its Supreme Court. The people may revile their lawmakers, throw proverbial eggs at their president and hold the media in contempt. As long as the law is respected, however, the system will hold. John Roberts, the chief justice, famously said that judges were like umpires. “Umpires don’t make the rules, they apply them.” No baseball crowd would tolerate a biased umpire.

A majority of the US public now views America’s highest court as a rigged game. The switch in sentiment has been dramatic. Almost three years ago, 58 per cent of Americans approved of the way the Supreme Court does its job, according to a Gallup poll. In 2022, that number fell to 40 per cent, the court’s equal lowest approval rating in US history.