Justice Kagan says recent Supreme Court rulings have damaged US democracy

Summary

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, one of the court's three liberal justices, criticized recent rulings by the court's conservative majority, saying its decisions on redistricting and campaign finance have undermined American democracy and polarized the country further. Speaking at a discussion at Catholic University's law school in Washington DC on Tuesday, she said the court 'has kind of blinded itself' to the deleterious effects of its rulings on how the political system works. She also said partisan gerrymandering is pushing political candidates 'towards the extremes'. TIME framed the remarks ahead of the midterms, covering how the decisions affect the elections and what Congress could do in response.

Timeline

1. The Straits Times

   21 Oct 2026, 02:30 UTCSource ↗

   The Straits Times reports that Kagan said US high court rulings have been 'destructive to democracy' and that partisan gerrymandering is driving political candidates 'towards the extremes'.

2. The Guardian

   21 Oct 2026, 13:57 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Kagan said the Supreme Court's recent decisions on redistricting and campaign finance have undermined democracy, and that the court 'has kind of blinded itself' to their effects, speaking at Catholic University's law school in Washington DC on Tuesday.

3. TIME

   21 Oct 2026, 20:59 UTCSource ↗

   TIME reports that Kagan says the conservative majority's rulings have weakened democracy, and it frames the remarks ahead of the midterms, covering how the decisions affect the elections and what Congress could do in response.