Howdy all, welcome to yet another episode on US public policy! Today's episode is going to walk directly into that fiery pathway known as social values policy. These are all the topics that engage and enrage: abortion, rights for different groups (specifically LGBTQ+ and transgender individuals and groups), the line we draw between religion and government (e.g. church and state separation), and the legalization movements we've seen in relation to marijuana and to a lesser extent psilocybin (aka, mushrooms). A large portion of this episode will be devoted to updating on the status of laws on these topics around the US as well as giving a more direct description of what the Supreme Court has said in each of these areas. That court has played a particularly prominent role in social values policy of late... what do you think about using the non-majoritarian approach to resolve questions on these topics?