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Abortion, environmental protections and gun ownership rights are among the controversial topics the US Supreme Court has ruled on over recent weeks. The highest court in the land has the final say on interpreting laws and deciding what\\u2019s constitutional and what isn\\u2019t. Now - with a clear conservative majority at the helm - the court\\u2019s move to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling guaranteeing abortion rights across the country (Roe v. Wade) signals it\\u2019s willing to re-visit previous judgments many had considered \\u2018settled law\\u2019. Campaigners fear past decisions on other subjects, such as gay marriage, the right to contraception and even the way elections are run, may now also be overturned. So, what is the role of the Supreme Court within the United States\\u2019 system of government and is it changing? How will its rulings impact politics federally and in individual states? And is the system set up by America\\u2019s founding fathers working as designed, or is political polarisation undermining the very principles it was built around?

Paul Henley is joined by a panel of expert guests.\\nProducers: Paul Schuster and Zak Brophy.