Supreme Court Decision-making Not Based in Politics: Justice Breyer

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer spoke in Nashville today, where he told Vanderbilt law students that despite what some see as a divided and politically-charged court, that’s not really the case.

Breyer had time for only one question from his audience. It was directed at the seeming 5-to-4 political divide between liberal justices and their conservative counterparts.

Breyer argued the court makes more decisions unanimously than in narrow 5-4 splits, and that media often oversimplify conflicts as left versus right.

“I don’t think it’s political. I don’t think there are politically-based decisions. I don’t think that people are sitting there thinking what’s good for anybody.”

Breyer was speaking on the subject of the Court’s decision-making process. And he underscored the importance of insulating the Court from politics, so its decisions aren’t swayed by popularity.