How the Supreme Court came to dominate the US political debate

The fractiousness of US politics has reached the highest court in the land, and prompted demands for reform.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUK General ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersHow the Supreme Court became a political battlefield 17 hours agoBy Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News, Washington ShareGetty ImagesThe Supreme Court's nine justices are split along ideological lines, with the current court's six conservatives forming a sizeable majority. With decisions on everything from civil rights and the environment to guns and religious freedoms, the US Supreme Court has always played a powerful role in American life.

But that role has been changing in some ways, with the court's nine justices - unelected and able to serve for life - now looming larger in the country's politics.

As the grand finale of its 2023-2024 term, the court issued a decision to settle what Chief Justice John Roberts wrote was a "question of lasting significance", by ruling that Donald Trump and other ex-presidents have a wide (but not absolute) immunity from criminal prosecution for their actions in office.

While Trump hailed the decision as a "big win" for democracy, President Joe Biden said it undermined the "rule of law" and was a "terrible disservice" to Americans.

Let's take a look at the Supreme Court and how the staid and historically respected body has become a political battlefield.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crg4rz6zedyo

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