SCOTUS preview: LGBTQ rights to affirmative action

Even as the fallout continues over its controversial abortion ruling in June, the Supreme Court is gearing up for a new term in which its conservative majority will wade into questions about race, LGBTQ rights and federal elections. The nation's highest court has agreed to hear 27 arguments so far – roughly half its expected caseload for the term that will likely end in June 2023.

Perhaps the most closely watched cases at the Supreme Court this term involve race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina. Those schools consider race as one of many factors in deciding whether to accept prospective students, a policy that is consistent with current Supreme Court precedent. But an anti-affirmative action group has argued the policies discriminate against Asian American and white candidates in violation of federal law and the Constitution.