The Future of US Democracy Friend or Foe? The US Supreme Court and American Democracy

The US Supreme Court has been subject to increasing claims that it is endangering American democracy. Whether focused on the overturning of long-standing rulings, the handling of Court business, or the behaviour of some of its members, arguments that the Court is undermining the system of government and the Constitution have become more frequent. And public opinion polls show declining trust in the institution, possibly as a result of an increased sense of the Court as a partisan political actor. But how much of this is really new? Is this a moment of existential crisis for the Supreme Court or just history repeating itself. Comparing the current moment to historical periods when the Court was also under fire, this talk will consider the ways in which Americans have thought about and debated the role of the Supreme Court in protecting and threatening the conduct of American democratic government.