4 Themes We’re Watching For At the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court’s October 2024 term is getting into full swing, with the justices holding their long conference on September 30th, followed by oral arguments on October 7th. The justices hand-pick their docket, and if history has taught us anything, we can expect the faction dominating the court to once again select cases that offer them opportunities to push an extreme right-wing agenda, stymie efforts to make progress on gun safety, LGBTQ+ rights, and other issues that matter to the American people, and — of course — help out their billionaire friends and benefactors.

Court Accountability/True North Research, Revolving Door Project, and Take Back the Court conducted a comprehensive audit of the 2023 Supreme Court term to highlight the web of connections between the court’s right-wing justices, the right-wing organizations that have weighed in on cases before the court, and the major donors funding them. Our organizations are keeping a close eye on not only which cases the court takes up but also which right-wing groups file amicus briefs to try to sway the decisions of conflicted justices. We’re also watching for which of the justices’ wealthy friends and benefactors such groups are connected.

For example, this term, the court will consider two major challenges to executive authority: Consumers’ Research v. Federal Communications Commission and Consumers’ Research v. Consumer Product Safety Commission. These cases challenge the constitutionality of executive agencies and independent agencies respectively. And both were brought by Consumers' Research, a group funded (and recently praised) by extreme right-wing benefactor Leonard Leo, who has funneled payments and perks to Supreme Court justices and at least one of their family members. Leo’s vast web of affiliated right-wing organizations also weighed in on at least 22 cases last term.

At their long conference, the justices will consider whether to review cases that threaten to challenge pregnant people’s access to emergency care in states with abortion bans, allow people indicted for felony crimes to purchase firearms, and limit race-neutral efforts to diversify student bodies, among others. Based on what we saw from the Roberts Court last term and in years prior, here are a few of the other dangerous issues we expect the right-wing supermajority to push going forward.