Not always. Since around the time of Reagan, the word legal has meant to be whatever the conservative elites want. They have gone to great lengths to corrupt the highest courts in the country.

The "original sin" there was Roe v. Wade. A right to privacy gives you a right to an abortion? That was highly motivated reasoning, and everybody knew it. (7-2 decision, on a court with 7 liberals and 2 conservatives... what a surprise.)

So conservatives said, all right, if that's the way the game is played, then we need to own the Supreme Court. And here we are.

Don't act like the game started with Reagan. It didn't. It's just that the other side was thoroughly winning before then.

I think you should look up what kinds of cases were rejected in the 60's/70's before claiming "liberals started it". They weren't super radicalized back then as to only vote on their own lines.

I argue conservatives started it with Citizens United. Thereby making the democracit process a game of who kisses the ring of the most billionaires.