Unpopular rulings on #elections, #abortion, presidential #immunity, #guns & other issues — as well as the #criminal cases against #Trump, which will likely move forward if he loses — have driven down public #trust in #SCOTUS & the #justice system.

That decline may be hard to reverse no matter which candidate prevails — especially if the courts play a role in deciding the winner.

#law #judiciary #courts #PartisanCourt #ActivistCourt #Vote #VoteBlue #HarrisWalz2024

Even as the #election will shape the #judiciary, the judiciary may also shape the election. As in 2020, #Republicans & #Democrats have already asked federal #judges, including those on #SCOTUS, to resolve disputes about ballots before Election Day. Their rulings could determine the outcome of a close race.

Perhaps related, Americans’ faith in the #courts has eroded in the #Trump era.

#law #courts #PartisanCourt #ActivistCourt #Vote #VoteBlue #HarrisWalz2024

The appeals courts lean slightly #Republican, while the district courts lean #Democratic (if you count senior judges who work less but still hear cases)…. The next president will likely be able to tip that balance, letting one party’s appointees make up a clear majority of judges.

#law #judiciary #courts #PartisanCourt #ActivistCourt #Vote #VoteBlue #HarrisWalz2024

In the lower #courts, #judges can serve for life. So the more a president appoints, the more he or she can shape the country. #SCOTUS hears only about 80 cases per year, meaning that lower courts are often the final arbiter on many issues. They set #precedent on #criminal #justice, #bankruptcy proceedings, #corporate disputes & #antitrust enforcement, & on whether federal #laws & rules are #constitutional.

#law #PartisanCourt #ActivistCourt #Vote #VoteBlue #HarrisWalz2024