Even conservative courts make decisions that expand individual rights dramatically

Evidence

Yet, this same court, in 2003, we will recall, overruled Bowers v. Hardwick, a case from 1986, which upheld sodomy laws, The Court struck down every state sodomy law that still survived. It gave its approval (somewhat gingerly, to be sure) to affirmative action. Even more dramatically, the court held (5 to 4), that gays had a right to marry, in every state—​a decision that would have seemed inconceivable to the crowds in Times Square on New Year’s Eve at the beginning of the new millennium. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 4400

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: First Amendment jurisprudence has been used to advance a conservative-libertarian judicial agenda — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 350; Civil-liberties litigation shifted to state courts when the Supreme Court grew conservative; Political selection fills the courts with judges holding established partisan views — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2571 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• First Amendment jurisprudence has been used to advance a conservative-libertarian judicial agenda #exemplifies (0.82) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 350
• Civil-liberties litigation shifted to state courts when the Supreme Court grew conservative #qualifies (0.75)
• Political selection fills the courts with judges holding established partisan views #qualifies (0.72) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2571