The Supreme Court’s Increasing Partisan Divide: A Historical and Contemporary Analysis through the Lens of Abortion

Despite its constitutional and historical purpose of being an institution that operates free of outside political influence, the Supreme Court of the United States has become an increasingly available means of executing partisan conflict over public policy in recent years. This is no better evidenced than by a developmental analysis of its rulings in regards to abortion legislation since the landmark case of Roe v. Wade. Upon inspection, a pattern of back-and-forth conflict over abortion policy that serves partisan interests above those of the American public becomes evident. This dynamic of retaliation and internal animosity threatens the constitutional integrity of the judiciary, putting the democratic rights of Americans in serious jeopardy. Major policy change to the way the Court functions, therefore, is required to maintain the ethicality of the Supreme Court in the future.