The Supreme Court term that began last fall has spanned several epochal upheavals at once: the second peak and wind-down of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Presidential election, and its dramatic aftermath, including the violent mob attempt to block the certification of the outcome. During the term, oral arguments were conducted entirely by telephone, a low-tech option that had the effect of keeping the Justices less visually accessible to the public.

In one of the final decisions of its current term, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the National Collegiate Athletic Association in a closely watched case, concluding that the NCAA could not prevent certain payments to college athletes, thus putting the longstanding amateur model of college sports in jeopardy.

After the ruling was announced, Trey Wingo, a former ESPN host and commentator, sent a tweet that sought to encapsulate how stunning the Supreme Court’s 9-0 decision was.

The Supreme Court this week continued to disappoint congressional Democrats and activists with a long line of embarrassingly unanimous, nonideological rulings. After all, the court is supposedly (to use President Biden’s words) “out of whack” due to its irreconcilable ideological divisions. Indeed, the court is allegedly so dysfunctionally divided that many, including Democratic leaders, have called for sweeping changes — from packing the court with new justices to changing its voting rules or even creating an alternative court.