Supreme Court Has a New 'Most Conservative' Justice

Samuel Alito overtakes Clarence Thomas in analysis
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 4, 2023 2:52 PM CDT
Supreme Court's 'Median' Justice: Brett Kavanaugh
Bottom row, from left, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Now that the latest Supreme Court term is in the books, Axios is out with some interesting nuggets about the ideological breakdown. Based on the Martin-Quinn Scores from political scientists Andrew Martin and Kevin Quinn, the site reports that Samuel Alito has overtaken Clarence Thomas as the court's most conservative justice. And in a sign of how conservative the court leans, Brett Kavanaugh is the "median" judge. The rankings (the lower the score, the more liberal the justice):

  1. Sonia Sotomayor (-4.09)
  2. Elena Kagan (-2.067)
  3. Ketanji Brown Jackson (-1.704)
  4. Chief Justice John Roberts (0.42)
  5. Brett Kavanaugh (0.446)
  6. Amy Coney Barrett (0.821)
  7. Neil Gorsuch (1.077)
  8. Clarence Thomas (2.358)
  9. Samuel Alito (2.568)

In a big-picture analysis of the term, Adam Liptak in the New York Times writes that big decisions on affirmative action, gay rights, and student loans make clear that the court remains "deeply conservative." However, it "is more in tune with the fitfully incremental approach of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who is attentive to his court's legitimacy, than with the take-no-prisoners approach of Justice Clarence Thomas," writes Liptak. "The chief justice's strategy—and votes—produced a fair number of liberal victories." (More US Supreme Court stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X