Overview

• Justice Amy Coney Barrett has increasingly sided with Chief Justice John Roberts and liberal justices in critical cases, including a recent 5-4 decision rejecting Donald Trump's attempt to withhold $2 billion in foreign aid.
• While Barrett continues to vote conservatively on issues like abortion, affirmative action, and religious freedom, her decisions suggest a willingness to diverge from partisan expectations on constitutional matters.
• Barrett's voting record shows mixed alignment with conservative justices, often differing from Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch on emergency docket cases and denials of certiorari in high-profile disputes.
• Critics on the right have expressed frustration with Barrett's perceived shift, while some on the left see her as a potential safeguard against executive overreach by President Trump.
• Barrett's evolving judicial approach raises questions about her long-term impact on the Court's ideological balance and her role in shaping decisions on executive power and democratic norms.