Why a do-nothing Supreme Court is more frightening than it might sound

The Supreme Court is currently sitting on an alarming number of decisions, something that Steve Vladeck points out is "more than a little unusual." [View in browser]( [Image]( June 4, 2022 THE LATEST [Alternate text] Why a do-nothing Supreme Court is more frightening than it might sound]( by Steve Vladeck The Supreme Court is currently sitting on an alarming number of decisions, something that [Steve Vladeck points out]( is "more than a little unusual." If you're troubled by the power of the current conservative-majority Supreme Court, you might think that fewer decisions being handed down this term is a good thing. But that's not the case. For one, [writes Vladeck](, "from a structural perspective, the court's shrinking docket means that it is increasingly not having the last word on important questions of federal law; lower state and federal courts are." At the end of the day, that's bad for all of us. We should keep that in mind come Monday, when the Supreme Court is again set to hand down some decisions. Hopefully this time it actually does. Read Steve Vladeck's [full analysis](//link.msnbc.com/click/27948650.85368/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL29waW5pb24vbXNuYmMtb3Bpbmlvbi93aHktdGV4YXMtc2Nob29sLXNob290aW5nLXdvbi10LXN0b3AtbnJhLWNvbnZlbnRpb24tbjEyOTU3MDI_Y2lkPWVtbF9tZGFfMjAyMjA2MDQmdXNlcl9lbWFpbD1kN2RjNzQ1MTcyOTdiMzk3MWFhMTRkNmYzMzExMzVhMDg3OGY4ZjY0MGZhMWExMDE5ZjE1N2I2NWMxYjVkZDFk/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914B3fce50f7//link.msnbc.com/click/27948650.85368/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL29waW5pb24vbXNuYmMtb3Bpbmlvbi9jZW5zdXMtb3ZlcmNvdW50cy11bmRlcmNvdW50cy1za2V3cy1jb25ncmVzc2lvbmFsLXJlcHJlc2VudGF0aW9uLW4xMjk1NTgzP2NpZD1lbWxfbWRhXzIwMjIwNjA0JnVzZXJfZW1haWw9ZDdkYzc0NTE3Mjk3YjM5NzFhYTE0ZDZmMzMxMTM1YTA4NzhmOGY2NDBmYTFhMTAxOWYxNTdiNjVjMWI1ZGQxZA/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914B7fdb974f in your Saturday [MSNBC Daily](. TOP STORIES [Alternate text] [Ja'han Jones]( [David McCormick concedes to Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania GOP primary race for U.S. Senate]( The celebrity TV doctor is now a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.Read More.]( [Jarvis DeBerry]( [No plan to save America's children should focus on AR-15s]( Biden's speech showcased Democrats' failing strategy on gun control. [Read More.]( [Dean Obeidallah]( [Elon Musk thinks he's a king. These leaked emails show he's a despot.]( It's time to face facts: Elon Musk is a terrible boss. [Read More.]( [Steve Benen]( [Democrats begin an investigation into Jared Kushner’s Saudi deals]( The Oversight Committee is asking some fair questions. [Read More.]( TOP VIDEOS [Alternate text] [All In]( [Ari Melber discusses indictment of ex-Trump aide Navarro who appeared on his show the day before]( [Morning Joe]( ['We will not surrender': Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. on Russian invasion]( [Ayman Mohyeldin]( //link.msnbc.com/click/27948650.85368/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL2F5bWFuLW1vaHllbGRpbi93YXRjaC9yZXB1YmxpY2Fucy1hcmUtcGxvdHRpbmctdG8tY29udGVzdC1lbGVjdGlvbnMtaW4tbWljaGlnYW4tMTQxNDI4MjkzNzA2P2NpZD1lbWxfbWRhXzIwMjIwNjA0JnVzZXJfZW1haWw9ZDdkYzc0NTE3Mjk3YjM5NzFhYTE0ZDZmMzMxMTM1YTA4NzhmOGY2NDBmYTFhMTAxOWYxNTdiNjVjMWI1ZGQxZA/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914De369f72b[Republicans are plotting to contest elections in Michigan]( [Katie Phang]( [Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro gets to the root of the housing crisis]( MORE FROM MSNBC [Alternate text]   Sunday, MSNBC presents "Devil's Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni Di Stefano," a three-part Sky Original series following the famed attorney's journey to disgraced conman. The series explores Di Stefano's rise as a lawyer representing the who's-who of the criminal world, from Charles Manson to Saddam Hussein, and the epic investigation that unraveled his true identity hidden behind schemes, deception and lies. Watch episodes one and two of "Devil's Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni Di Stefano" Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on MSNBC and streaming on Peacock.   Freedom House's annual Freedom in the World survey notes that liberalism has rapidly declined each year for the last 16 years. Its precipitous downturn is more evident now than ever amid waning respect for individual rights, increased growth of autocracies and, most recently, in the seismic Russian invasion of Ukraine. Decades ago, political scientist and professor Francis Fukuyama was one of the preeminent scholars to predict the marked impending fall of liberal societies. He serves as a senior fellow at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and is a bestselling author of numerous books, including one published in March 2022 aptly titled, "Liberalism and Its Discontents." He joins WITHpod to discuss why liberalism doesn’t always live up to its own principles, challenges from the right and the left and why our democracy will be under continued threat without a revitalized approach at its core. [Listen now](.     [Image] [Image]   [Privacy]( [Unsubscribe](listvar=sub_daily)