During Joe Biden’s presidency, the U.S. Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, consistently challenged his policy agenda, resulting in significant setbacks. Key rulings included the overturning of Roe v. Wade (2022), rejecting race-conscious college admissions (2023), expanding gun rights (2022), invalidating the “bump stock” ban (2024), and blocking his $430 billion student loan relief plan (2023). The Court also limited the EPA’s authority and curtailed the power of federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, due to the conservative-majority court’s embrace of “originalism” and the “major questions doctrine.”
Biden proposed reforms like term limits and binding ethics rules for the Court, but faced strong opposition, especially from Republicans. Legal experts, including Erwin Chemerinsky, noted that Biden’s losses were a result of deep ideological differences between the administration and the conservative Court, with John Yoo suggesting that Biden’s failure to adapt to the Court’s conservative interpretations of the Constitution contributed to his defeat.
However, Biden did secure some victories, including upholding a law requiring TikTok to be sold for national security reasons and preserving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding. Nevertheless, some victories were based on technicalities rather than political validation, with future cases potentially revisiting unresolved issues like abortion and immigration.
Despite setbacks, Biden’s administration remains hopeful that these losses may influence future cases. Meanwhile, former President Trump gained legal victories, including a ruling on presidential immunity, which could impact the enforcement of federal law in his second term.
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