Let's be real, the Supreme Court these days feels like it's constantly in the news, and not always for the best reasons. Lately, there's been a lot of talk about whether the justices are really being fair and if their decisions are based on solid law or just their personal politics.

Think about it: we've got a majority of conservative justices on the Court now, and that shift really happened after Donald Trump got to appoint three of them. That's Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. For a lot of people, those appointments felt like a big political move, and now folks are watching closely to see if that conservative leaning is affecting their rulings.

One of the big questions popping up is whether these justices are truly being impartial. When you see the conservative side consistently voting together on hot-button issues, it makes you wonder if it's really about the law or more about their personal beliefs lining up. Some folks argue it looks like straight-up partisanship, and that can feel pretty hypocritical if the Court is supposed to be above all that.

Then there's the whole issue of ethics and money. We've seen some eyebrow-raising stuff come out, like with Justice Clarence Thomas. He didn't initially disclose a ton of really expensive gifts and trips he got from a billionaire friend. That kind of thing makes people ask if the wealthy and powerful might be trying to influence the justices. Justice Samuel Alito has also been in the spotlight for not disclosing a fancy fishing trip paid for by donors who had cases in front of the Court. Plus, there was that whole thing with the upside-down American flag at his house, which looked like a pretty clear political statement.

What's kind of wild is that there isn't a clear set of rules to keep the Supreme Court justices in check when it comes to ethics, unlike in other parts of the government. That lack of oversight definitely fuels the worry that maybe some justices aren't being as objective as they should be.

And it's not just Thomas and Alito who've raised eyebrows. Remember the tough time Brett Kavanaugh had during his confirmation? Those accusations of past misconduct left a lot of people wondering about his fairness. There was also a case where some thought Amy Coney Barrett seemed to favor the guy accused of sexual assault in her legal opinion. Even Justice Kagan, who's on the more liberal side, has strongly disagreed with her conservative colleagues, sometimes saying they're going too far.

Then you have Justice Alito's strong opinions against same-sex marriage. He didn't agree with the ruling that made it legal nationwide, and he's even talked about how people with traditional religious beliefs might be seen as bigots because of it. He even called a kids' book about a same-sex wedding "devious propaganda." Those kinds of statements make you wonder if personal beliefs are playing too big a role in his views.

So, if you look at all of this – the conservative majority, the questions about fairness, the money and gifts, and some of the strong opinions on social issues – it's not hard to see why a lot of people are feeling pretty negative about the Supreme Court right now. The big question is whether this court can still be seen as a neutral and unbiased interpreter of the law.