The chief justice is neither a swing vote among his four liberal and four conservative justices, nor a moderate. In 15 such cases with partisan implications , the chief justice voted for conservative outcomes 14 times, or 93 percent of the time. And if at least four conservative justices voted similarly, then the outcome was considered consistent with Republican Party values and goals. Our analysis shows that the chief justice’s voting record is as conservative as those of his most extreme current and former colleagues — Justices Thomas, Samuel Alito Brett Kavanaugh and Antonin Scalia. In all 42 split-decision cases that the chief justice has presided over involving racial minorities, immigrants, workers and abortion, he voted for conservative outcomes 100 percent of the time.

Source: New York Times October 07, 2019 09:56 UTC