Many people were outraged when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade this year. Three justices appointed by a Republican president made the difference, but, ironically, three justices appointed by a different Republican president voted for the creation of Roe.

Roe actually was an outlier on the Burger court. President Richard Nixon’s intention was to cut back on many of the constitutional rights, especially in criminal law, that had been created by the Warren court. He largely succeeded. While cases such as Miranda v. Arizona and Mapp v. Ohio were not overruled, their scope was narrowed in the 1970s.