Like many Americans around the country, I followed the Supreme Court’s decisions on free speech, redistricting, student loans, affirmative action, and other important topics. With the 2022-2023 term officially over, here are the most important cases to know about.
In this decision, the Supreme Court ruled that President Biden’s plan to forgive federal student loan debt was unconstitutional. In the 6-3 decision written by Chief Justice Roberts, the Court held that the Secretary of Education lacked authority under the HEROES Act to cancel $430 billion of student loan principal.
In this case, an artist declined to design a website for a same-sex wedding, holding it contradicted her religious beliefs. The case put two constitutional principles against each other. The Court considered if a public-accommodation law violated the First Amendment’s free speech clause. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines that the Colorado public-accommodation law violated the First Amendment.
Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina
In these cases, the Court reviews its prior precedent, Grutter v. Bollinger, in regard to the constitutionality of affirmative action in higher education. An ideologically divided Supreme Court found that the admissions policies of both institutions violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and ruled that the race-based affirmative action programs at the universities were unconstitutional.
In this case, the Supreme Court looked at whether or not North Carolina state lawmakers had the final say over their own redistricting map. The United States Supreme Court upheld the North Carolina Supreme Court’s earlier decision in which it ruled that the Republican-dominated state Legislature violated the state constitution with an extreme partisan gerrymander.
Alabama’s congressional redistricting map diluted the power of Black voters. In a 5-4 vote the justices decided Alabama’s 2021 redistricting plan for its seven districts in the U.S. House of Representatives conflicted with the Voting Rights Act’s Section 2, which bans racial discrimination in voting policies.
Texas and several prospective adoptive parents challenged the Indian Child Welfare Act—a federal law that gives preference to Native tribes when adopting Indigenous children. In a 7-2 vote, the justices ruled to uphold the Indian Welfare Act.
A postal worker declined to deliver Amazon packages on Sundays due to his religious beliefs. The case looks at how far employers must go to accommodate the religious views and practices of employees. In a unanimous opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that "Title VII requires an employer that denies a religious accommodation to show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business."
Works Cited & Paraphrased
Significant Supreme Court cases in the 2022-2023 term - The National Constitution Center
Here are the major Supreme Court decisions decided this term - NPR