The Supreme Court is gearing up for another session. When last together, the court ruled in favor of gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act. Equally important decisions are on this session’s docket, but the rulings are not predicted to be in liberals’ favor.

Put simply, five justices are conservative and four are liberal. The conservative bloc is less likely to lose the swing vote of Anthony Kennedy this session, which may lead to a series of socially conservative rulings. This session includes affirmative action, unions, and voting rights.

A white student who was denied admissions into the University of Texas-Austin is bringing the affirmative-action case. Her case, should she win, could see the elimination of affirmative action in college admissions. This would be a tragic blow to the already massive inequality gap between racial minorities and whites in the United States. Education is the No.1 way to ensure a better life, with a better understanding of the world, a higher income and social mobility. When institutions are not forced to consider minority students, the cycle of repression, of keeping racial minorities out of school and on the streets, continues even more so than it already does now.

Nonunion public-school teachers who pay union dues are bringing a case to the Supreme Court that would weaken the power of public unions. Not wanting union representation is understandable, and having to pay the equivalent of union dues seems to be unfair. That said, unions have given the U.S. worker a thing or two. You can thank them for: lunch breaks, weekends, eight-hour workdays, 40-hour work weeks, public education for children, and the list goes on and on. The right to organize may be cut down, and protection for workers in all sectors of the economy may stand to lose.

The voting-rights case is being brought by Texans, making Texas the No. 1 contributor of contentious Supreme Court cases this year. The ruling, if in the plaintiff’s favor, will legitimize the use of gerrymandering in Texas. As is the case in many states, the Texas Legislature draws district lines to minimize the voting power of some while maximizing the power of others. In Texas, the political power of urban Latino voters is cut to pieces, while rural whites are given more political sway. This case could ensure Texas’ long-standing tradition of social-progress stagnation.

The Daily Iowan Editorial Board anxiously awaits the Supreme Court’s decisions. If the conservative bloc wins, this will be a year of massive victories for the socially conservative. This could backfire, mobilizing more Democratic voters for the presidential election. Both liberals and conservatives have railed against the court in recent years, lamenting that unelected justices hold so much power in the United States. Usually, these complaints only come when rulings are in the favor of the opposition. Finding someone that consistently opposes the court regardless of whether its decisions align with her or his political views is quite rare.

But as Chief Justice John Roberts told C-SPAN, “I think the most important thing for the public to understand is that we are not a political branch of government. They don’t elect us. If they don’t like what we’re doing, it’s more or less just too bad.”