Aug. 26, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette: Many news articles lately have lambasted the Supreme Court and told us that Americans are frustrated with it, supposedly due to a combination of outcomes and perceived political bias. Even recent op-eds in our local papers have joined the chorus.
In her podcast “Advisory Opinions,” Sarah Isgur gives us facts that paint a different story. Between 42% and 50% of (depending on term) Supreme Court cases are decided unanimously. Another 41% are decided not unanimously, but also not strictly along ideological lines. Only 9% of cases were decided along ideological lines.
She also once used a phrase that is helpful in understanding the court better: “The Supreme Court’s job is to decide who gets to decide.” It’s not about choosing an outcome, but deciding which vessel of American authority has priority in a given situation. Before deciding to love or hate a decision based on the impact of its outcome, we the people should ask ourselves “would I think the same way if this outcome had been tied to the ‘other party’”?
That question can help us appreciate the precedents being applied to the law. The precedents, by the way, that the Court is currently respecting and upholding at an admirable level. Once again from Isgur, the current court under John Roberts has overturned precedent at a rate of about 1.7 times per term compared to about 3 per term in the Warren court, and less than any time in the last 75 years.
The Court is respecting precedent, upholding the law, and honorably working to hold its position as “Last Branch Standing.” Let’s not try to mess with that. To do so would be to admit forsaking the law in an attempt to reach the ends without any respect for the means. That’s not a good place to be. DAVID RYAN Rockbridge County
