From gerrymandering to voter purging – the critical issues facing the supreme court

Trump’s travel ban and a much-discussed gay wedding cake also on the docket for the highest court in a new season that promises high judicial drama

When Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the upcoming US supreme court season would be“momentous”, the celebrated liberal justice probably didn’t mean it as a good thing.

With the addition to the bench of Trump’s nominee Neil Gorsuch, and a broad swath of ideological cases on the docket, conservatives hope the supreme court is on the brink of a banner year.

Gorsuch will be another conservative voice on the court, continuing the trend of recent years, and once again, moderate justice Anthony Kennedy – Gorsuch’s former mentor – will be the key swing vote.

The court opens on Monday with consideration of worker class-actions lawsuits, and on Tuesday justices will consider political gerrymandering of election districts, the biggest case of its kind in more than a decade. Meanwhile a case out of Ohio seeks to legalize voter purging, and a cake maker’s objection to gay marriage in Colorado will come under the microscope.

And another closely watched one out of Illinois could financially undermine public-sector unions in 22 states, with knock-on effects for the Democratic party.

Kennedy is rumored to be retiring soon. And given a president at war with the judiciary, some fear his departure could lead to a boost in the powers of the executive branch.

For now, with a few key exceptions, this term could be decided by a single justice.

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