SCOTUS voting pattern

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Well, the flaw in the second analysis is they only look at 5-4 or 5-3 votes where the court is already strongly divided. You could have liberal justices who had voted with conservatives 90% of the time and not even show up on that chart as a result.

As vicGT noted, in the 2016 term, unanimous votes were 57%. 5-4 splits were 14%. Yet, because the second link only measures the split votes - you get an impression of overwhelming partisanship.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

But just for a little perspective, from The Wall Street Journal, "The Culture That Sustains America’s Constitution", 2 July 2018:

Unfortunately, I can't read that story without being a subscriber. While I do appreciate the longevity of our "republic", it might be valid to dispute whether we have remained closely enough aligned with the original vision to really be considered still under the same charter.

Sure, the document is still there. The pretense is still there. But there's an awful lot of what it was that's been dead for a long time.

 

[vicGT]

Well, the flaw in the second analysis is they only look at 5-4 or 5-3 votes where the court is already strongly divided. You could have liberal justices who had voted with conservatives 90% of the time and not even show up on that chart as a result.

As vicGT noted, in the 2016 term, unanimous votes were 57%. 5-4 splits were 14%. Yet, because the second link only measures the split votes - you get an impression of overwhelming partisanship.

The blatant bias on the part of the NYT is even more evident when you realize that they published essentially the same article as the Post back in 2013 when a President that they favored was in office:

There have been no dissents in more than 60 percent of the 46 cases decided by the Supreme Court so far this term. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times

 

[Ben Dover]

There have been some changes, but the basic constitution has survived.
we still have an executive, legislative and judicial branch. we still have our electoral college. We still elect our officials. Treaties are still made the same as 200 years ago.

We still have freedom of speech, RTKABA, right to a lawyer etc. etc.

We may not like some of the rulings of the court, or some of the statutes of the congress, but the constitution is still pretty much intact.

 

[Don P]

Sure, the document is still there. The pretense is still there. But there's an awful lot of what it was that's been dead for a long time.
I concur