The Times analyze the recent puzzling disappearance of 5-4 rulings by the Supreme Court, led currently by Chief Justice John Roberts, in this term as opposed to the previous term where the judges split 5-4 on 13 cases out of the 41 cases they decided. In addition to the election year effect (a correlation that suggests that during election years the Court tries to achieve more consensus on cases in order to avoid controversy), the Times contends that criticism from the public as well as some from certain respected conservative voices on decisions from the last term might be influencing factors this year, particularly on the chief justice. The combined result is the appearance that the conservative judges shepherded by Roberts are hewing narrowly and "closely to the facts of each case" and avoiding broader activist decisions to appease their liberal colleagues and thus avoid the divisive 5-4 results.
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