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Bloomberg
Even before the prospect of impeaching Donald Trump arose, the US Supreme Court term that opens on Monday was going to thrust the justices into the nation’s political wars in the run-up to next year’s election.
In its first full term with two Trump appointees, the court is planning to hear fights over deportation protections and gun regulations. The justices added an abortion case, the first since Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation created a stronger conservative majority. “It will be a momentous term for the rights of individuals,†said David Cole, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
It will also be a challenging one for Chief Justice John Roberts and his efforts to keep the court as removed as possible from the partisan fray. With Roberts at the helm, the court in its last term managed to sidestep several highly divisive issues — or at least defer them until now. The new session will finish around the end of June, less than five months before the presidential election.
The challenge could grow exponentially depending on the direction the House impeachment investigation takes. The Supreme Court could be called upon to resolve clashes over subpoenas or presidential claims of executive privilege.
If the House impeaches Trump, the Constitution requires that Roberts preside over the Senate trial, a duty that would make him the arbiter of any disputes over the governing rules.