David French denies that the current Supreme Court is a MAGA court, by which he means one that permits Trump arbitrarily to reward his friends and punish his enemies. He’s right. A majority of the Court has consistently resisted Trump’s most extreme claims, although Alito and Thomas are open to them.
But French is wrong to say that the Court is “conservative.” A truly conservative Court would respect precedent, keep its decisions as narrow as possible, and refuse to hear cases in which the plaintiffs have only speculative injuries. This Court frequently rejects precedent, hears cases it shouldn’t hear, and invents constitutional rules that have no basis in text, history, or sound public policy, all to the benefit of the right. It is reactionary, not conservative.