Supreme Court 2022: Abortion, Guns, a Leak, and a New Justice

The 2021-2022 Term of the Supreme Court was among the most consequential in modern history. Critical decisions included overturning constitutional abortion rights, holding the 2nd Amendment incorporates some right to carry guns outside the home, limiting damages for emotional distress, sustaining many death-penalty cases, and restricting some COVID vaccination requirements. The decisions this Term suggested several significant trends in the direction of the Court. The early leak of the majority opinion in the abortion case, the attempt on the life of Justice Kavanaugh, and noisy demonstrations outside the homes of justices will, unfortunately, mean that Justices are less able to move around in public. Justice Breyer left the Court and was replaced by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. The Court has accepted cases for the 2022-2023 Term involving university affirmative action, voting rights, same-sex wedding services, and DNA testing in criminal cases.