This week, we were reminded of the Supreme Court’s capacity to impact health care, consumer protections, reproductive rights, and immigration. On Monday, the Court announced it would hear the attack on the Affordable Care Act this fall. Once again, Republican lawmakers are turning to the courts to do their dirty work for them, and this is the third attempt to gut this law to reach the Supreme Court. We hope the Court will respect its own precedent and protect our access to health care. On Tuesday, they heard oral arguments in the case Seila Law v. CFPB, a challenge to the independence, and potentially very existence, of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. To do their best work protecting everyday Americans, agencies like the CFPB must be able to operate independent of political influence, and this case is critical to protect consumers, as well as the integrity of other federal agencies. Wednesday brought oral arguments for June Medical Services v. Russo, a case concerning a law that would decimate access to abortion care in Louisiana. It’s also identical to the Texas law the Court deemed unconstitutional just four years ago – the only thing that’s changed is the makeup of the Court. Upholding this law would not only place a profound burden on patients seeking abortion care, it would degrade the integrity and legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Yesterday, in Kansas v. Garcia, the Court upheld Kansas’ prosecution of noncitizens who use fake IDS to gain employment, giving a green light to state and local prosecutors doing immigration enforcement. Finally, yesterday Chief Justice Roberts made a highly unusual statement criticizing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, highlighting his own partisan biases. Plus, Schumer wasn’t wrong - if the Supreme Court violates its own precedent simply to advance a conservative partisan agenda, there will be a significant public backlash. | 
