It's not just politics … or is it?

Abstract

If you follow Supreme Court decision-making – and, after all, if you listen to this podcast – you’ve probably noticed the tendency of Supreme Court watchers, whether they are highly respected reporters or less thoughtful armchair pundits, to portray decisions as simple battles between “conservatives” and “liberals.” Yet, attributing Supreme Court decision-making to just politics is like watching black-and-white TV, rather than hi-def.