In a highly partisan climate, the Supreme Court appears to have fallen victim to a growing group of critics accusing Supreme Court justices almost daily of some sort of legal or ethical misstep. From the discussion about the court’s use of the “shadow docket” to questions about political leanings of the justices—the court finds itself in constant crossfire. The Supreme Court as one of the three pillars of U.S. democracy appears to be in peril and reporter Marcia Coyle’s cover story takes an in-depth look at the court’s legitimacy crisis.

And speaking of heated, partisan controversies, no other U.S. election has been as intensely fought over as the previous one with legal costs skyrocketing. Reporters Dylan Jackson and Dan Roe investigated how the last presidential election cycle pushed legal spending to dizzying new heights. The upward trend that started with Bush v. Gore has grown to new records following endless disputes over the 2020 election results.