{
  "id": 10720735,
  "title": "The next generation of Republican justices will be even more partisan",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/the-next-generation-of-republican-justices-will-be-even-more-partisan",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-29T15:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Vox",
    "slug": "vox",
    "url": "https://www.vox.com/politics/504529/supreme-court-missouri-gerrymander-lower-courts-are-crazy"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Republican party seems to be grooming a more partisan generation of Supreme Court justices, based on recent actions by lower federal courts. In a matter concerning Missouri's newly drawn Republican gerrymander for the 2026 congressional election, the Supreme Court ruled three times in less than three weeks that Missouri could not use the map. This came after a Trump-appointed judge in Missouri attempted to overturn Justice Brett Kavanaugh's decision, and then a panel of three Republican appellate judges tried to reinstate the gerrymander after the full Court had already rejected it twice.\n\nThese actions suggest a pattern of defiance by Republican judges in lower courts, potentially indicating a more partisan Supreme Court in the future, especially if Republicans continue to win elections that allow them to fill federal judiciary seats. The lower federal courts are filled with ambitious Republican judges who often reach extreme or partisan conclusions, and there are likely to be plausible candidates for future Supreme Court nominations who have shown unwavering loyalty to Trump, the MAGA movement, or the Republican Party.\n\nThe Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals currently serves as a kind of think tank for MAGA legal theories and has been known to make decisions that are at odds with other federal courts. Republicans holding the Senate after the upcoming 2026 midterm elections would allow President Trump to easily identify and confirm Supreme Court nominees that align with their partisan interests, potentially making Justice Samuel Alito appear more impartial by comparison. Many of these ultra-partisan judges are young enough to remain viable Supreme Court candidates in future Republican administrations.",
  "summary": "The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Missouri may not use a newly drawn Republican gerrymander during the 2026 congressional election. This decision should surprise no one because, about two weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that Missouri may not use a newly drawn Republican gerrymander during the 2026 congressional election. That second decision, moreover, […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}