The Supreme Court: The last bastion of American leadership?

No branch of government is popular these days. But the courts are faring better than the rest.

Supreme Court
(Image credit: (LARRY DOWNING/Reuters/Corbis))

Washington is broken. Congress can't seem to reach any decisions, much less achieve consensus on the big challenges facing our country. And over in the executive branch, President Obama has accomplished next to nothing in his second term. America has noticed, with approval ratings for both Obama and Congress in the cellar.

But there's one branch of government that's still doing stuff, whether you like it or not. Yes, the Supreme Court actually issues decisions — and, what's more, about two thirds of decisions in this recently concluded term were unanimous (including striking down President Obama's recess appointments and ruling that police need a warrant to search smartphones).

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Matt K. Lewis

Matt K. Lewis is a contributing editor at TheWeek.com and a senior contributor for The Daily Caller. He has written for outlets including GQ Politics, The Guardian, and Politico, and has been cited or quoted by outlets including New York Magazine, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. Matt co-hosts The DMZ on Bloggingheads.TV, and also hosts his own podcast. In 2011, Business Insider listed him as one of the 50 "Pundits You Need To Pay Attention To Between Now And The Election." And in 2012, the American Conservative Union honored Matt as their CPAC "Blogger of the Year." He currently lives in Alexandria, Va.