As depressing as the outcomes often were, these tortuous paths of jurisprudence were often absurd. A closer look at the opinions helps illustrate how legal decision-making is often deeply entwined with the justices’ deeply held passions and religious beliefs, their occasionally tense relationships with their colleagues and their personality quirks. Here are a few mostly tin medals for the outstanding lowlights (and a few highlights) of the year. ImageMost compassionate opinion correcting a historical American injustice:Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurring opinion in Haaland v. Brackeen upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act, a federal law intended to prevent the forcible adoption of Native American children by nonnative families. Only the assertion of federal power through the child welfare act ended most of these abuses.

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Persons: ’, Neil Gorsuch’s, Justice Gorsuch Organizations: Indian Child Welfare Locations: Haaland