With Kavanaugh in Place, Supreme Court Takes Bumpy Right Turn

The arrivals of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court stoked liberal fears that bedrock precedents on divisive issues including abortion and federal regulatory power were in danger.

That may still be true. But the term that ended last week showed that the road to fulfilling long-held conservative goals will feature some speed bumps.

In the first term since Kavanaugh succeeded swing vote Anthony Kennedy, conservatives won a major ruling that shielded partisan gerrymanders from constitutional challenges. They also triumphed on property rights and the death penalty.

Those victories were offset by a decision that, for ...