Vox Sentences - The Supreme Court's new term

The Supreme Court begins a big term amid public scrutiny; the Pandora Papers reveal how the wealthy hide cash and property.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

The Supreme Court's new term

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• The Supreme Court Justices began hearing oral arguments in person on Monday for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, kicking off a nine-month term with cases on a number of hot-button issues including gun rights, religious rights, and abortion rights. [Reuters / Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung]
• On Friday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh tested positive for Covid-19 despite being vaccinated in January, so he joined the proceedings over the phone. [NPR / Krishnadev Calamur]
• A central question of this term is what will become of abortion rights: Justices will hear a case on abortion in December, months after they ruled in favor of a restrictive Texas abortion policy. [The Hill / John Kruzel]
• Critics of that Texas ruling argued it ignored precedent, and some court experts are concerned longstanding rulings could be overturned this term. [Vox / Ian Millhiser]
• There are also concerns that the Court, typically seen as apolitical, is becoming a partisan body now that it has a conservative majority, one that seems far more willing to engage on controversial issues than past Courts and far likelier to deliver rulings in step with the goals of the Republican Party. [Washington Post / Ruth Marcus]
• That concern is reflected in a falling public opinion of the Court. In September, the court’s approval was down to 40 percent, a 21-year low. Whether public trust can be regained remains to be seen. [NYT / Donald Ayer]

The Pandora Papers reveal secret billions

• An analysis of 11.9 million documents known as the Pandora Papers obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reveals how the world’s wealthiest hide billions of dollars in cash and assets from the public by using secretive offshore havens. [Washington Post / Greg Miller, Debbie Cenziper, and Peter Whoriskey]
• The leak involves twice the number of public officials and documents contained in its predecessor, 2016’s Panama Papers. The Pandora Papers disclose hidden property and financial transactions from 35 world leaders, including allegations of large offshore accounts belonging to members of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's inner circle and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. [CNN / Ramishah Maruf]
• While there will be more detailed coverage of the Pandora Papers in the weeks to come, one of today’s biggest revelations was King Abdullah II of Jordan’s secretive purchase of more than a dozen luxury properties totaling more than $100 million in  London, Malibu, and Washington, DC. The prime minister of Jordan, a country heavily dependent on international aid, ordered a crackdown on tax havens last year. [NYT / Patrick Kingsley]
• Another major story involved 46-year-old Svetlana Krivonogikh, who reportedly had a yearslong affair with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Krivonogikh’s possessions appear to include a $4 million luxury condo in Monaco purchased shortly after she gave birth to Putin’s alleged child, and stakes in a bank and a ski resort. [Daily Beast / Kana Ruhalter]
• The Papers also reveal how certain US states have become tax havens rivaling Panama or the Cayman Islands. Lax tax laws aimed at spurring economic investment have allowed companies or individuals — some of whom have been accused of crimes or other wrongdoing — to stash hundreds of billions of dollars in South Dakota, for example. [Guardian / David Pegg and Dominic Rushe]
• So far, most world leaders are denying any wrongdoing. Abdullah says his owning properties is “not unusual or improper.” The Kremlin says there is “no evidence of hidden wealth,” and a spokesman says he’s never even heard of Putin’s alleged mistress Krivonogikh. India and Pakistan have vowed to further investigate the matter. [Reuters]

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Donald Trump is following advice to hold off on announcing a 2024 presidential run — for now. [Washington Post / Michael Sherer and Josh Dawsey]

• Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-17 win against his former team, the New England Patriots, on Sunday. [AP / Kyle Hightower]
• Tropical cyclone Shaheen is lashing Oman with heavy winds and rain. [Reuters]
• Cleanup of a pipeline spill that leaked more than 120,000 gallons of oil into Southern California waters is underway. Investigators are looking into the cause. [CNN / Joe Sutton and Susannah Cullinane]

“I think we may have come to a turning point. Within a span of two to three terms, we see sweeping right-sided decisions over left-sided dissents on every one of the most politically divisive issues of our time: voting, guns, abortion, religion, affirmative action.”  

[Irv Gornstein, executive director of the Supreme Court Institute at Georgetown University Law Center, tells NPR how the Court may have been permanently altered]

Sean Illing talks with writer Will Storr about his new book The Status Game and its central idea: All human beings are constantly competing for status. [Spotify]

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