Explained: Republicans rammed through Supreme Court nominees. Now Democrats will have the votes to stop them

Trump named three Supreme Court justices in his first term, creating a conservative supermajority

Supermajority

A dominant majority of justices on the court holding similar ideological views, in this case conservative

Lame-duck period

The time after an election but before new officeholders are seated, when outgoing officials still hold power

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

A 2022 Supreme Court case that overturned the constitutional right to abortion

Pack the court

A term for adding justices to the Supreme Court to shift its ideological balance