An inside look at the Supreme Court and 3 key justices

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The US Supreme Court holds immense power over Americans’ lives but is incredibly tight-lipped about how it reaches decisions.

Polling suggests most Americans view the justices as influenced by ideology rather than providing a fair and impartial check on the other branches of government. Calls for a binding code of ethics have been rejected by the justices. President Joe Biden has joined calls for reforming the court, recently proposing term limits for the justices who currently enjoy lifetime appointments, among other changes.

CNN’s Joan Biskupic has covered the court for decades and written multiple books about the judiciary, including “Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court’s Drive to the Right and its Historic Consequences.”

With the justices on a break between terms, she has published a three-story series about what happened behind the scenes in consequential cases about presidential immunity, abortion rights and freedom of speech:

• The inside story of John Roberts and Trump’s immunity win at the Supreme Court.
• Inside the Supreme Court’s negotiations and compromise on Idaho’s abortion ban.
• How Samuel Alito got canceled from the Supreme Court social media majority.

I talked to Biskupic by email about the series and got her assessment of some other issues, including when the next court vacancy might occur.

Why these 3?

WOLF: You’ve published stories about Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts. Why did you decide to write about those three this year?

BISKUPIC: I’m always interested in the chief and how he uses his power. So I tend to start any