Abortion, guns and the state of a divided Supreme Court
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 25 March 2024
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Public trust in the Supreme Court is at historic lows, just as justices weigh in on some of the nation’s most important debates, from abortion pills to guns. Today, Ann Marimow on the state of a divided court and its attempts to regain credibility.
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The Supreme Court is weighing in on many of the country’s most contentious issues, including the political fate of former president Donald Trump. On Tuesday, justices will hear oral arguments about whether to impose restrictions on the abortion medication mifepristone. Since the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, medication abortions outside of the medical system have sharply increased.
The Supreme Court’s blockbuster term comes during a time when the court itself faces controversies that threaten its public credibility.
Ann Marimow reports on the Supreme Court for The Post. She joins “Post Reports” to discuss the state of the court and how an unlikely pair of justices are attempting to find common ground through a recent spate of public appearances.
Follow The Post’s live coverage tomorrow of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on mifepristone here.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins, with help from Monica Campbell.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is hearing a really important case. |
| 0:07.0 | It's about access to abortion medication. |
| 0:10.0 | This is just one of many high profile and controversial cases the court is deciding this term. |
| 0:19.6 | This term is filled with huge cases with major consequences for the country and the court just |
| 0:25.8 | seems to be involved in every big issue of the day. |
| 0:29.8 | Anne Marimo writes about the Supreme Court for the post. |
| 0:33.0 | Abortion, guns, former President Trump's liability, |
| 0:37.2 | they decided on his ballot eligibility |
| 0:39.7 | for the presidential election, |
| 0:41.8 | and they're being pulled in all sorts of directions by the |
| 0:44.7 | emergency docket as we saw with the Texas immigration law. |
| 0:49.8 | Tuesday's case is about the abortion medication called Mithapristone, one of two drugs used |
| 0:55.3 | in medication abortions. The court's decision could restrict access to the drug. |
| 1:00.5 | It's going to be hugely important how the court rules in this case and others. |
| 1:05.0 | This is all happening at a time when there's less trust than ever in the Supreme Court |
| 1:10.0 | and its ability to make reasoned impartial judgments. |
| 1:14.0 | Public opinion polls in recent years have showed opinion of the court is at historic lows |
| 1:19.7 | hovering around 40%. |
| 1:22.1 | Anne finds it notable that at this time two justices on opposite ends of the political spectrum |
| 1:29.0 | have decided to talk with each other in public about where they find common ground and about the power of trust. |
| 1:37.0 | People's confidence that our branches of government can function means that our republic can function and without |
| 1:48.2 | it we lose something very fundamental. Justice Barrett. |
... |
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