A US SCOTUS moving to expansive views on religious exemption and free speech will make a lot of things harder. It will not find new meaning in older legislation. These views will make it much easier to codify legal discrimination affecting disliked minorities.
It will also greatly remove the 'one person, one voice' idea in favor of 'one dollar, one voice', and corporate personhood.
It will enable further weakening of the ADA w/o defensive legislation.
'defensive legislation', remember that.
Even with such a court the other two branches of government can do a lot:
An expanded/renewed Voting Rights Act.
Explicit updates to Title IX.
Improved defenses in ADA.
Removal of federal funding to 'pregnancy' clinics that don't mention abortion as an option.
While the liberal wing has lost the court for a generation, the other branches are responsive to public opinion.
