Supreme Court cases, Meta’s Threads and other stories you may have missed 

Anjali Dalal-Whelan / News Editor 

As summer 2023 comes to an end, Toreros look back on the events that have occurred since last semester ended. This summer was busy with political and social changes. 

U.S. Supreme Court major decisions 

In June, The U.S. Supreme Court voted on many decisions before ending the 2022-23 term on June 30. On June 8, the Supreme Court rejected a gerrymandered voting map in Alabama that diluted Black voters’ power, in accordance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Court also upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act, which keeps Native American children within their tribes rather than being placed in foster homes outside of their culture. The Supreme Court unanimously voted to strengthen protection for religious workers, emphasizing that employers cannot reject religious accommodations. 

On the last two days of the term, the Supreme Court made three decisions split 6-3 along what many consider increasingly partisan lines, with conservative Justices in the majority. Affirmative Action, the practice of providing opportunities for underrepresented minorities was banned in higher education, with the Court deciding that colleges and Universities cannot consider race in their admissions. Further, the Court rejected Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan which, according to The New York Times,  would have forgiven Americans from more than $400 billion worth of debt. The Supreme Court also decided that businesses have the right under the First Amendment to refuse service to LGBTQ+ people. 

USD sophomore Betsy Ploudre expressed dismay with some of the Supreme Court’s decisions.

 “I was disappointed,” Ploudre reacted to the overturning of Biden’s student loan plan. “I kind of saw it coming, but obviously I wanted that to pass.”  

She had a similar feeling about the decision on LGBTQ+ rights. 

“From the way people were talking, I could kind of tell it was going in that direction, but I did want it to go the other direction, so I am kind of disappointed,” Ploudre explained. 

President Trump’s legal trouble 

Former President Donald Trump faced three new indictments this summer. On June 9, he was charged in Florida with charges relating to retaining classified documents after leaving office. A trial date was set for May 2024. On Aug. 1, Trump faced his third indictment, charged in Washington D.C. with conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021. And in his fourth and final indictment, Trump faces charges in Georgia for election interference in 2020. 

First-year Brent McMurray does not believe Trump should face legal consequences for any of his indictments. 

“I think a lot of it’s a witch hunt, I don’t think he did anything wrong, and I think it’s all political, [2024] election interference,” McMurray explained. 

The former president is seeking re-election in 2024 and is the current frontrunner campaigning for the Republican party’s nomination. 

California’s “hot labor summer” 

Many news sources, including the LA Times, have called this summer a “hot labor summer,” due to the high union activity, especially for California. In July, SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, joined the Writers Guild of America on strike, fighting for new contracts in response to how the industry has changed due to streaming services. The strike has paused and delayed the production of many movies and shows, pushing back release dates. 

In a speech declaring the strike, Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, explained why 160,000 performers are refusing to work. “The entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, A.I. This is a moment of history that is a moment of truth. If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble,” Drescher stated. Negotiations are at a standstill, while the unions and entertainment studios continue to be at odds in how residual payment and workplace rights should operate in a changing industry.  

Meta launches Threads

Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, released the app “Threads” in July. According to CNN, in the first 48 hours, it surpassed 70 million sign-ups, making it the most rapidly downloaded app ever. Despite the strong start, NBC reported that Thread’s engagement has dropped since July. Last October, billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk acquired Thread’s rival and competitor, Twitter, and made many changes that drew criticism from users. In July, Twitter was rebranded to “X” and also phased out the classic blue bird that was associated with the app. 

Although some users don’t like the changes made by Musk, first-year McMurray continues to enjoy using X, formerly Twitter. 

“I have Twitter,” McMurray said.  “I think it’s great, [Musk] knows what he’s doing; he’s smart. I don’t know much about Threads. It seems to be the same as Twitter. I’m just used to Twitter’s interface and all that.”  

Threads does not have some of the popular features of X, such as hashtags and the “trending” page, and the engagement on X remains much higher than Threads. 

These summer stories will continue to develop into the fall. The Supreme Court will begin a new term in October, with new cases to decide. Trump’s civil trial in Manhattan — the first of his four indictments — will also begin in October, as he simultaneously continues his campaign for president against many competitors. The battle for WGA and SAG-AFTRA remains contentious and unresolved in Hollywood, and the landscape of social media continues to change and develop, as users decide what they value in a platform.

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