The latest term of the U.S. Supreme Court will include blockbuster cases on two of the most contentious topics in American life: abortion and gun rights.The cases come at a time when the court has a majority of Republican appointees and as it battles accusations of politicization.Why is the public perception of the court so important? And how deeply could the coming rulings affect the fabric of American society?Guest: Adam Liptak, a reporter covering the United States Supreme Court for The New York Times. Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. Background reading: The Supreme Court’s highly charged docket will test the leadership of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who has said that he prefers to guide the court toward consensus and incrementalism.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.