Congress doesn't get drawn in, providing political cover.

But these opinions, viewed favorably by a majority of Americans, according to polls, do more than protect the court from excessive partisan backlash. They also provide cover to members of Congress, who might otherwise have been faced with defending their ideological positions on these matters in a general election year.

The public’s support for LGBTQ rights and DACA is at an all-time high, so it’s not surprising that numerous Republican senators were quick to comment on these decisions, stating that they accepted the court’s decisions as final. Even President Trump, when remarking on equal employment rights for LGBTQ individuals, said that the justices had ruled and he will “live with their decision,” referring to Justice Gorsuch’s opinion as “very powerful.” A week later, the Trump administration was handed a victory regarding its preferred asylum procedure when Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer concurred with the court’s traditionally conservative bloc.

This conciliatory behavior may seem out of place in today’s highly politicized environment, but the fact is Congress members have been passing the buck to the other branches of government for quite some time, afraid of making affirmative votes on matters that could potentially s at the ballot box.

It has been much more expedient for Congress to allow these delicate issues to be handled by the executive branch and its associated agencies. LGBTQ employment rights, DACA negotiations, and refugee protections have been stalled in Congress for years without much progress, and the Supreme Court’s decisions this week allow Congress to do more than just pass the buck — it avoids the buck altogether.