Forty-four percent. That is the current Supreme Court's approval rating according to recent polling by Marquette Law School. But that number doesn't tell the full story. Currently 68% of Republicans approve of the Court, compared to only 26% of Democrats polled. Why the vast disparity between political parties? Well, "to consider the Supreme Court of the United States strictly as a legal institution," the late Robert Dahl warned, "is to underestimate its significance in the American political system." Those words, written 65 years ago, appear more relevant now than ever.

Americans are losing trust in the judicial institution that is tasked with safeguarding our nation's Constitution. And with the recent leak of the Dobbs draft opinion, the chance of rebuilding that trust is on precarious footing. Roe v. Wade, decided nearly half a century ago, enshrined the constitutional right to abortion in the United States—a right that countless women have depended upon since the decision was released. But all of that is, more likely than not, about to change.