Supreme Court opens new term with election disputes looming

washington — Transgender rights, the regulation of “ghost guns” and the death penalty highlight the Supreme Court's election-season term that begins Monday, with the prospect of the court's intervention in voting disputes lurking in the background. The justices are returning to the bench at a time of waning public confidence in the court and calls to limit their terms to 18 years that have wide support, including the backing of Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the party's White House nominee.