Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for July 11, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
July 11, 2017: In ideologically aligned 5-4 decisions, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is widely seen as a swing vote in a court with four conservative members and four liberal members.
Over the past three court sessions, Kennedy sided with the liberals on such rulings 65 percent of the time. But, in the five years before that, he cast the decisive vote with the conservatives 65 percent of the time.[1]
In raw numbers, the past three years saw 23 ideologically driven 5-4 decisions. Data from SCOTUSblog shows that Kennedy sided with the liberal wing 15 times and with the conservative wing eight times. In the five years before that, he voted with the conservatives 37 times and the liberals 20 times.
| Court session | 5-4 ideologically aligned rulings | Kennedy voted with conservatives | Kennedy voted with liberals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-2017 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| 2015-2016 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 2014-2015 | 13 | 5 | 8 |
| 2013-2014 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 2012-2013 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| 2011-2012 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 2010-2011 | 14 | 10 | 4 |
| 2009-2010 | 11 | 8 | 3 |
| Source: SCOTUSblog Stat Pack | |||
While there has been a clear change in Kennedy’s alliances over the past few years, that does not necessarily indicate a change in his judicial philosophy. It may simply be the result of the particular issues that have come before the court.
Justice Kennedy is currently the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court. He was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and took office in 1988. There have been many rumors about his potential retirement in the next year or so.[2]
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- July 7, 2017 – 19 states have outlawed the death penalty
- July 6, 2017 – 55 percent of 28- to 34-year-old parents had first child before marriage
- July 5, 2017 – 38 percent of Americans believe media does good job separating fact from fiction
- July 4, 2017 – 443 days after the fighting began, Congress followed the nation and declared independence
- July 3, 2017 – 97 percent of congressmen running for re-election in 2016 were re-elected
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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