9 upcoming Supreme Court cases where Amy Coney Barrett could be the deciding vote

President Donald Trump and Amy Coney Barrett stand on the Blue Room Balcony after her confirmation vote passed in the Senate.AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

• Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court this week, giving conservatives a 6-3 majority.
• That means that conservatives will have wider latitude in making major decisions, and can sideline Chief Justice John Roberts, who has occasionally sided with more liberal justices to deliver rulings.
• It also means that fraught issues like abortion, healthcare, and LGBTQ civil rights, are now open to major rulings from the more conservative justices.
• Barrett's previous writings suggest she could make important decisions in forthcoming cases about the environment, and whether the federal government can help scam victims.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett's elevation to the Supreme Court on Monday brings its perceived conservative majority up to 6-3.

It's a rightward lurch for the judicial branch. When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was on the bench, Republican appointees had a 5-4 majority, meaning the four justices thought of as liberal had to persuade just one of the conservatives over to their side for rulings.

Since Justice Brett Kavanaugh replaced perennial swing Justice Anthony Kennedy on the bench in 2018, Chief Justice John Roberts has occasionally played the role of swing voter, going against the other conservative justices on some issues while joining them on most others.

But now, if Barrett largely sides with the conservative bloc as expected, Roberts' swing vote is effectively nullified. The other conservative justices — Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas — could have a 5-4 majority without him.

Here are the most consequential forthcoming Supreme Court cases and issues where Amy Coney Barrett could be the deciding vote.