Trump and guns loom large as scandal-hit supreme court gets back to work

Battered by ethics scandals, the court shows no signs of reining itself in - and it could play a key role in the election

The US supreme court embarks on its next nine-month term on Monday with public confidence in the court still reeling following recent extreme rulings compounded by the ethically dubious conduct of some justices.

As the new term begins, the dust cloud kicked up by controversial opinions delivered at the end of the last term has barely settled. In particular, the July decision of the six-to-three rightwing majority to grant Donald Trump substantial immunity from criminal prosecution for actions he carried out as president astonished even seasoned observers of the country's top court.