Tuesday showed how acutely the late Justice Antonin Scalia will be missed at the Supreme Court and by the defenders of liberty. The remaining eight Justices split 4-4 over one of this term’s most closely watched First Amendment cases. The result will let unions continue to force public employees to pay agency “fees” even if they choose not to join the union.

The Justices issued a one-sentence opinion: “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court.” This means the lower court decision stands, leaving in place the Court’s 1977 precedent, Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, which allowed fees to be deducted even if the employees object to how the money is used. Tuesday’s ruling creates no precedent, keeping the core First Amendment issues alive for rehearing in a future case.

But that opportunity may now be lost. A 5-4 Court majority in Harris v. Quinn in 2014 had teed up Abood for a reversal, and some of us wished the Justices had gone all the way then and reversed Abood. Justice Samuel Alito was eager to do so, but Chief Justice John Roberts prefers to move incrementally—even in overturning bad Supreme Court mistakes.

After fending off demands for his resignation that dragged on for months, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has waged a frenzied campaign to change the subject and win back the support he has hemorrhaged.

He has unveiled an ambitious plan for Chicago parks, cut runway and gate deals with major airlines, started the planning for high-speed rail from downtown to O’Hare Airport and moved to seize control over the Old Main Post Office that straddles the Eisenhower Expy.

In a direct appeal to African-American voters outraged by his handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting video, the politician branded “Mayor 1 percent” has unveiled a Robin Hood plan to let downtown developers build bigger projects if they share the wealth with impoverished neighborhoods.

This week, when state standardized testing begins at many CPS schools, at least one sixth-grader at Sumner Elementary School will be sitting out PARCC.

“I’m going to refuse PARCC next week because we haven’t had typing classes,” Diontae Chatman told the Board of Education last week, missing school for the first time all year so he could testify.

“We didn’t have a qualified math teacher from September to January,” he added. Plus last year, students taking the test online were logged on and off repeatedly, among other problems.

Quaid Stephens can remove mold, asbestos and lead paint from buildings. He can even drive a forklift.  He has nine training certificates, including one for CPR, but he still can’t find a job.

At a recent job fair at the Austin Branch Library on Chicago’s West Side, Stephens, who was released from prison more than a year ago, earnestly filled out job applications.

“It’s like you want me to go back on the corners to sell drugs, pick the pistol back up and rob and do what I need to do to make the ends meet,” said the 44-year-old who was in federal prison for 12 ½ years for bank robbery. “I don’t want to do that. I want to earn an honest living.”

The U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked in one of its highest profile cases, issuing a 4-4 ruling that lets more than 20 states continue to require public-sector workers to help fund the unions that represent them.

Union opponents had looked to be on the brink of a watershed victory that would have given workers a First Amendment right to withhold fees. Justice Antonin Scalia’s Feb. 13 death changed the dynamic, depriving that side of what probably would have been a fifth vote.

The case, which involved California teachers, could have affected as many as 5 million public-sector workers. The 4-4 split Tuesday leaves intact a 1977 ruling that said public-sector employees can be compelled to pay for representation as long as they don’t have to cover the cost of political or ideological activities.

For those of us who love Chicago, things are looking pretty grim right now.

Yes, we have the Bean, Lollapalooza and some of the best blues in the world. We’ve even got a brand-new Ferris wheel at Navy Pier. And in a few years, a library and museum honoring the first African-American president will open on the South Side.

But when it comes to the quality of life for many of our residents, we stink.

Chicago faces a world of trouble.

Its school system is on the verge of bankruptcy. Middle-class jobs have disappeared en masse. And vast swaths of the city are trapped in a vicious cycle of violence, incarceration and lack of opportunity.

One problem the city doesn’t have? Lack of good music. So, it’s shocking that in March the city spent tens of thousands of dollars on a music showcase and lounge in Texas – specifically, at Austin’s South by Southwest festival.