Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court

Thurgood Marshall fights to tear down the segregationist system and build a more just society. It’s an era that expands the rights of many as the Supreme Court’s role becomes increasingly prominent and bitterly contested. Series premiere.

A new conservative legal and political movement emerges as a backlash to the Warren Court. This quickly becomes an increasingly influential coalition that sets the direction of the Court and the country over the ensuing decades.

Most consequential cases of the 1990s rest with the swing votes of justices nominated by Republican presidents. Bush v. Gore divides the nation and challenges perceptions of the Court. The Supreme Court enters a new era of ideological polarization.

With the confirmations of Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett, the Court moves decisively to the right. The Court faces charges of partisanship as its conservative majority appears set to shape American life in the coming decades. Series finale.