During the 2021 term, the Supreme Court returned to in-person oral arguments after over a year of conducting them remotely. For the third term in a row, the composition of the Court changed, welcoming Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve as a justice in the history of the Court.

The conservative justices joined to write on several hot button issues including gun rights, religion, abortion, and the environment. The Court also decided several cases that undermined the rights and interests of older adults, including residents of Puerto Rico and older adults suffering emotional distress.

This year, the Court will again hear several cases affecting the lives of people over 50. Our preview describes those cases and includes AARP Foundation attorneys’ predictions about legal issues that may reach the Court in the future.

As always, AARP Foundation will continue to advocate for and fiercely defend older adults and work for systemic change in courts across the country, including the Supreme Court.