Supreme Court Conservative Supermajority Divides on Key Legal Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative supermajority appointed mainly by Republican presidents, including under President Trump, has shown internal divisions, often splitting in cases where some conservatives join liberals to uphold Biden administration regulations and reject conservative challenges. Notably, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett have sided with liberals in cases limiting federal agency power and upholding protections like Obamacare. Recent Supreme Court decisions under the Trump administration have reinforced parental rights, such as allowing parents to opt children out of LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula, and mandated reasonable age verification on porn sites, reflecting a shift toward a pro-family legal culture. The Court also limited nationwide injunctions from district courts, reinforcing constitutional separation of powers by confining rulings to parties involved in specific cases. Meanwhile, legal debates continue internationally, such as in Nigeria where an appeal court ruling on a mortgage fraud case raised concerns about appellate consistency and justice being both done and seen to be done. In the UK, the Court of Appeal's recent judgment on the Building Safety Act 2022 clarified landlord recovery of costs, with a split decision on retrospective application, emphasizing the complexity of legal interpretations in property law.