Disorder in the Court

The Guantanamo decision revealed a vein of deep passion on the Supreme Court. Which is just what Chief Justice John Roberts hoped for

Ordinarily the Supreme Court is not very much like The View. You won't hear much of the Justices' inner thoughts, let alone their outer ones. And with the exception of perhaps the Dalai Lama or, in his day, Alan Greenspan, they are the only people in power who can deliver their opinions and then steadfastly refuse to elaborate on them. Everything about the court's rituals is meant to keep the Justices behind the red velvet curtains and their emotions in check.

The first year of the Supreme Court under John Roberts, though, has not been ordinary. As evidenced last week when the...

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