4 ms·
Seems like almost everything to come before the court comes back with a 5-4 ruling, at least everything important. Ideology is wired into the justices as much
by dpeck 14y ago
Seems like almost everything to come before the court comes back with a 5-4 ruling, at least everything important. Ideology is wired into the justices as much as it is everyone else.
- adolph 14y agoI read somewhere that the prevalence of narrow victories is by design (or evolution maybe): 1. the court chooses what cases to hear and is unlikely to spend time on anything they all agree on; 2. the body of precedent is large enough so that lower courts aren't making decisions the court would overturn with a wide margin; 3. the parameters of a majority opinion are written to get 5 of 4, anything else is overkill or watered down.
- bugmenot 14y agoThis does not include June 2012 Blueford v. Arkansas (6-3, Opinion by Chief Justice Roberts, on May 24, 2012) Coleman v. Johnson (9-0, Per Curiam, on May 29, 2012) Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of the (5-4, Opinion by Justice Kennedy, on April 2, 2012) Gonzalez v. Thaler (8-1, opinion by Justice Sotomayor, on January 10, 2012) Greene v. Fisher (9-0, opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia on Nov. 8, 2011) Howes v. Fields (6-3, Opinion by Justice Alito, on February 21, 2012) Kawashima v. Holder (6-3, Opinion by Justice Thomas, on February 21, 2012) Lafler v. Cooper (5-4, Opinion by Justice Kennedy, on March 21, 2012) Maples v. Thomas, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections (7-2, opinion by Justice Ginsburg, on January 18, 2012) Martel v. Clair (9-0, Opinion by Justice Kagan, on March 5, 2012) Martinez v. Ryan (7-2, Opinion by Justice Kennedy, on March 20, 2012) Messerschmidt v. Millender (6-3, on February 22, 2012) Minneci v. Pollard (8-1, opinion by Justice Breyer, on January 10, 2012) Missouri v. Frye (5-4, Opinion by Justice Kennedy, on March 21, 2012) Mohamad v. Palestinian Authority (9-0, Opinion by Justice Sotomayor, on April 18, 2012) Perry v. New Hampshire (8-1, opinion by Justice Ginsburg, on January 11, 2012) Rehberg v. Paulk (9-0, Opinion by Justice Alito, on April 2, 2012) Setser V. United States (6-3, Opinion by Justice Scalia, on March 28, 2012) Smith v. Cain (8-1, opinion by Chief Justice Roberts, on January 10, 2012) Vartelas v. Holder (6-3, Opinion by Justice Ginsberg, on March 28, 2012) Wetzel v. Lambert (6-3, per curiam opinion, on February 21, 2012) Wood v. Milyard (9-0, Opinion by Justice Ginsburg, on April 24, 2012)
- _delirium 14y agoThis one wasn't a traditional liberal/conservative split, though, so if it's ideological, it's on a different axis. The majority opinion was Scalia/Thomas/Ginsburg/Breyer/Souter, i.e. 2 conservatives and 3 liberals. The dissent was Stevens/Rehnquist/O'Connor/Kennedy, i.e a liberal, a conservative, and two moderate conservatives.