Supreme Court Begins New Term With Strained Trump Relationship and Record-Low Approval Rating

The US Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday, and media outlets have shifted its current relationship with President Donald Trump into focus.

The Term: New Supreme Court terms begin in October every year and remain actively in session until late June or early July. Slated for this term are high-profile cases on issues like religion, immigration, guns, climate change, election laws, tariffs, birthright citizenship, and more. Reuters (Center bias) highlighted that the term will begin with a term where Boulder, CO, has sued ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy for monetary damages related to climate change.

Cases: Some outlets across the spectrum, like Washington Times (Lean Right) and CBS News (Lean Left), have published news coverage unpacking some of the top cases in detail. In one case, Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, the court will decide whether Arizona can enforce a 2022 law requiring proof of citizenship for state voter registration and whether its voter-roll cleanup procedures conflict with federal restrictions under the National Voter Registration Act. In another, Department of Homeland Security v. D.V.D., the court will rule whether the Trump administration's third-country deportation policy violates federal immigration law, the Due Process Clause, and protections against torture. Other cases will involve whether governments can ban AR-15 rifles or rely on juries of fewer than 12 people for criminal cases.

How The Media Covered It: Several outlets from the center and left have framed the new term coming as the court has had a strained relationship with President Trump. An analysis from CNN (Lean Left) said as the term begins, "one key player will be noticeably absent: President Donald Trump," but that "the respite is unlikely to last." It also said the court's term comes "after months of near-constant confrontation with the White House." The Hill (Center) described the court's relationship with Trump as "shaky" and added a bit of analysis: "Left-leaning groups have remained optimistic in their chances before the conservative-majority court after last term produced a mixed outcome for the president." Fox News (Right) framed its news article much differently and said the term begins "with fresh questions over [the court's] legitimacy and its future." It prominently noted that according to a recent poll from Gallup (Center), the court's approval rating had dropped to a record low of 33%. Newsmax (Right) highlighted that one of its correspondents said the term "could deliver significant victories" for Trump.

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