What Will the Supreme Court Think of Next?

Recorded on October 19, 2015 - Hoover Institution fellow Michael McConnell discusses the US Supreme Court, noting that the New York Times refers to the past term as the most liberal term since the Warren Court in the 1960s. During the past term, the justice most often voting with the majority decision was Stephen Breyer; number two was Sonia Sotomayor. It was also a divisive term. Will that be a blip or the new normal for the Court? It is hard to tell because the Supreme Court does not hear that many cases, but its ideological complexion is determined by the issues the justices are addressing. McConnell concludes with two cases he believes are the most important constitutional cases of our time. One concerns Obama giving legal status to more than four million undocumented workers, meaning they are eligible to work, get Social Security, and so on. Can Obama do this even though it goes against laws Congress has passed? The second case concerns whether Obama can use money from the Treasury, which Congress has refused to appropriate, for payments to insurance companies to reimburse them for losses under Obamacare.