U.S. Supreme Court

Justice Thomas defended the Supreme Court's independence, arguing that despite disagreements about the court's role, "it works. It may work sort of like a car with three wheels, but it still works."

The newest justice — picked by former President Donald Trump to fill the seat left open by Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death — said, "I think we need to evaluate what the court is doing on its own terms."

"If the Democrats can do it, the Republicans can do it," Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer told NPR's Nina Totenberg.

For more than a year, the Supreme Court has been conducting hearings via teleconference. But starting in October, the justices will be back on the bench.

The court's most conservative members upheld the Texas law, but almost as important as the result was how the court reached its decision — without full briefing and arguments before any court.