PHOENIX – For most of her life, Marshelle Barwise viewed the U.S. Supreme Court as soberly dedicated to protecting the rights of all Americans, especially those who are not white men. The court then reversed Roe v. Wade. Although Barwise personally opposes abortion, she disagreed with the rollback of abortion rights nationwide and saw it as yet another example of how American democracy is collapsing. “There is so much division even within our own government, how can we trust it? Everything is so divisive,” said Barwise, 37, a new mom who works in financial sales and considers herself politically independent. For years, he has been voting conscientiously, believing in a democratic system that is supposed to represent everyone. But, he said, it seems a powerful few make decisions that don’t match what the majority wants — or fail to take any action at all. “We’ve all been through where we’ve heard people say all the right things, and then they come into a position of power and do the opposite — or a section, a small part, just enough to appease or hopefully get re-elected,” he said. Your questions about the end of Roe, answered With Congress deadlocked and presidents facing challenges in acting alone, the Supreme Court—historically the most apolitical branch of government—has seemingly become the most capable of rapidly reshaping society. In the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin, many people who oppose the abortion decision said they did not expect Roe to fall because it had existed for almost five decades and, although controversial, had become embedded in American society. It was considered established law, so its sudden demise was alarming to many – and made them worry about what might come next. The decision catapults abortion into a top issue in all three states, where races for governor and the U.S. Senate are being held. Although the court is supposed to focus on legal reasoning rather than public opinion, the June 24 ruling does not match the views of most Americans. Fifty-six percent of adults opposed the rollover Roe, according to a recent Marist College poll conducted with NPR and the PBS NewsHour after the court issued its decision. Of those polled, 57 percent said they believed the court’s decision was based mostly on politics, while 36 percent said they believed it was based mostly on law. “They are supposed to be impartial. They’re supposed to see the law as it is, instead of what political interests might have in mind,” said Timothy Oxley Jr., 31, a statistical programming analyst from Columbia, SC, who visited Atlanta last week. “They are there to work for the people, not for their own interests. And I feel like that’s what they’re doing more than anything else these days.” A year ago, 60 percent of adults approved of the job the Supreme Court was doing, according to a Marquette University Law School survey. There was little difference between the views of Republicans and Democrats. By May — right after a draft of it Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Opinion leaked out — the court’s approval fell 16 points to 44 percent, according to a Marquette tracking survey. That poll showed a dramatic partisan split, with 71 percent of Republicans approving but 28 percent of Democrats doing the same. The abortion decision came amid a series of high-profile decisions, including those expanding gun rights and limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to limit carbon emissions. On Thursday, the court agreed to consider whether state legislatures have the sole authority to determine how federal elections are conducted and where congressional district lines go. With sweep and speed, Supreme Court conservatives are sparking a new era Many of the recent decisions handed down — but mostly his overturning Roe — excited conservatives and outraged liberals, sparking protests and condemnation from lawmakers, celebrities, corporations and civic groups who said they worry the court will become another political branch of government. After the court spent decades expanding the rights of many Americans, including allowing same-sex marriage and protecting voting rights, many were surprised to see a right revoked. “It will be very interesting to see what happens in terms of people’s respect for the Supreme Court in the future. I’ve always done it so reverently and not at this point,” said Emily Moore, a school speech pathologist from Middleton, Wis., who was outraged by the abortion decision. Wisconsin clinics have stopped offering abortions because of an 1849 law banning abortions unless the woman’s life is at risk. Gov. Tony Evers (D) asked a court to strike down that law. Moore, 59, said she’s glad Democrats are fighting those restrictions, but pessimistic about the possibility of change in her state. Wisconsin clinics have stopped offering abortions due to an 1849 law “I vote every election and I will continue to vote and try,” he said. “I know it might not make a difference given the way things are rigged, but Democrats are winning statewide elections in Wisconsin, so every vote counts.” While many liberals see the decision as one that tramples on a long-established right, many abortion opponents see it as one that has righted a devastating legal wrong. Gary Schmitz, who has long rallied with other abortion opponents outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Madison, Wis., said he doesn’t see the latest decision as more political than Roe. “That was also political, if what we have now is political,” he said. One of his compatriots, Julia Haag, said she saw the recent abortion decision Brown v. Board of Educationthe 1954 decision that overturned the 1896 decision that allowed racial segregation in schools and other public places. “They’ve gone back when they made mistakes and fixed it,” he said. “They had to fix that.” Lailah Shima of Madison, Wis., said the court has become more political over the decades, but the problem has worsened in recent years. She was disappointed in 2016 when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) refused to hold a hearing for President Barack Obama’s nominee to the court, Merrick Garland. He got even angrier when McConnell put President Donald Trump’s three nominees on fast-tracks. “It was like a blatant attack on democracy,” he said. “It was just ridiculous, right? It’s scary how they can pretend to be democratic.” Jalisa Johnson, an Atlanta businesswoman, said the abortion decision and the ruling released Thursday that some say undermines Miranda rights was about her as a black woman. Although Black Americans have made progress over the last century, he said, many still feel unrepresented by their government. “We’re still not equal,” he said. “And because that was not our nation’s agenda, in any sense, at that beginning. The purpose was to elevate White Americans or the white majority. So the struggle for equality is a… problem we have today.” Johnson said she “morally does not believe in abortion” but “believes in freedom and the right to choose.” In Georgia, Republicans are trying to enforce a ban on abortions after about six weeks. In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey (R) just signed into law a ban on abortion after 15 weeks, and Republicans may try to enact other restrictions. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) said a law from the mid-1800s that makes it a crime to provide abortions could be enforced. “I feel like a lot of it goes back to the race back in the day, like they kind of want to go back to the 1900s where women were in the kitchen,” said Kacie Mearse, 20, a Democrat who was spending time with a cousin in Glendale, Ariz. the same afternoon that Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the first black woman on the Supreme Court. Mearse doesn’t usually follow the court’s work closely, but she paid attention to the abortion ruling, which she sees as a waiver of her rights. He distrusts the court and believes that many judges prioritize their own political and religious beliefs over the general American public. “Everyone should be treated the same and have the same rights,” he said. He added: “They don’t really care about me. They just care about themselves.” Black Women Celebrate Jackson’s Inauguration: ‘We Needed This Happy’ She felt more optimistic about the direction of the country in 2020, when she voted for Joe Biden for president and Mark Kelly for the US Senate. Nearly two years later, she feels as underrepresented as ever in Congress, an institution that feels distant and disconnected from her daily life as a middle school teacher. He wishes lawmakers would spend more time expanding the rights of all Americans. “Everybody is equal, and I feel like some people in Congress and in the administration are trying to make certain races and genders above everybody else,” he said. Alfredo Gutiérrez, a one-time Democratic Senate Majority Leader in Arizona, has fought for civil rights, most recently on behalf of undocumented immigrants, for most of his 77 years. It’s a cause that took him from the fruit trucks of southern Arizona with Cesar Chavez in the late 1960s to the streets to convince voters to recognize Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a holiday in the early 1990s. Along the way, Gutiérrez respected the Supreme Court for its tradition of expanding rights, even as its admiration gave way to cynicism about the confirmation process. Now, after the abortion decision, he sees the court as a political body. “Every step along the way, it was a step of inclusion, it was a step that brought people into the circle to determine the future of this country,” he said. “And it was a…
