T HE SUPREME COURT decided just 55 fully argued or “merits” cases in the term that ended on June 27th—the lowest total since the civil war, except for the covid-curtailed term of 2020. Yet the justices have been busier than ever.

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to remove three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who were fired by President Donald Trump and then reinstated by a federal judge.

A new emergency appeal is yet another step by the White House to assert sweeping presidential control over executive branch agencies.