Who polices the Supreme Court?

E550 cutdown | GZERO Media

Who watches the watchmen? And who oversees the US Supreme Court? As SCOTUS, the highest court in the US, gears up to issue some blockbuster rulings this summer, ethical concerns swirl around its members, and its public support is at an all-time low.

It’s been one year since SCOTUS struck down Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after 50 years of precedent. In the months following the decision, the conservative supermajority quickly moved US law away from the political center. Multiple controversies erupted surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas, and public opinion balked at a blanket refusal to address questions about the justices’ ethical standard.

Has the Supreme Court become overly politicized? Can public faith be restored in a deeply partisan America? And what major rulings are still to come this session? Ian Bremmer talks with Yale Law School legal expert, New York Times Magazine columnist and co-host of the Slate’s Political Gabfest podcast, Emily Bazelon.

Tune into GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on public television stations nationwide. Check local listings.

More from GZERO Media

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz walks to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on April 3, 2025.

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz will be fired, CBS News first reported, bringing a premature end to the Floridian’s tumultuous time in the White House. His stint has been marred ever since he accidentally added a journalist from The Atlantic to a Signal chat regarding US attack plans in Yemen.

Map of electoral shifts in Canada
Ari Winkleman

Canada’s election on Monday was marked by unexpected twists from start to finish. While the Liberals staged a comeback to claim a fourth successive mandate to govern, voters at the local level triggered major changes: 60 ridings threw out their incumbent parties, leading to some unexpected upsets.

An image of Prime Minister Mark Carney positioned near the Canadian parliament.
Jess Frampton

Mark Carney, who has never sat in Parliament and has only been a politician for four months, faces a lot of political puzzles after leading his Liberal Party to victory in Canada on Monday, and one huge challenge south of the border.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces proposed changes to several pieces of democratic process legislation, in Edmonton on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via ZUMA Press via Reuters

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tabled a bill on Tuesday that will make it easier for voters in her province to force a referendum to secede from Canada. The bill could theoretically clear the way for the province to become the 51st state.

Elise Stefanik speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 22, 2025.
Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Reuters

The New York governor’s election might be over a year away, but the Republican primary race is already heating up as one ambitious, ex-moderate, pro-Trump New Yorker faces another.

A 3D-printed miniature model depicting US President Donald Trump, the Chinese flag, and the word "tariffs" in this illustration taken on April 17, 2025.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The US economy contracted 0.3% at an annualized rate in the first quarter of 2025, while China’s manufacturing plants saw their sharpest monthly slowdown in over a year. Behind the scenes, the world’s two largest economies are backing away from their extraordinary trade war.

A photovoltaic power station with a capacity of 0.8 MW covers an area of more than 3,000 square metres at the industrial site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Kyiv region, Ukraine, on April 12, 2025.
Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform/ABACAPRESS.COM

Two months after their infamous White House fight, the US and Ukraine announced on Wednesday that they had finally struck a long-awaited minerals deal.

Indian paramilitary soldiers patrol along a road in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 29, 2025.
Firdous Nazir via Reuters Connect

Nerves are fraught throughout Pakistan after authorities said Wednesday they have “credible intelligence” that India plans to launch military strikes on its soil by Friday.