Seven months after Amy Coney Barrett became the third Donald Trump appointee on the court, it's moving to address some of the top items on longstanding conservative wish lists. In the coming weeks, the justices could also add an affirmative action showdown to the mix, giving them a trio of hot-button clashes for the nine-month term that starts in October.

With Barrett on board, the court has already used emergency appeals from churches fighting pandemic restrictions to significantly strengthen religious rights. Now liberals have reason to worry that the newest cases, which include an attack on the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling and a call for a constitutional right to carry a gun in public, signal that the court's conservatives are ready to begin a legal transformation.