The Supreme Court is just as polarized as the rest of US politics – and this may have profound implications.

Scholars have long warned of a growing political schism in the American body politic. Popularized by “Red vs. Blue” maps in national elections, political polarization is defined as a widening divide between partisan identifiers and ideologues in the public and political elite. Political polarization is one of the most important recent developments in American politics. Concerns about political polarization in American politics focus on its potential to frustrate political accommodation, stymie political actors, clog political processes, disrupt political institutional environments and, in the extreme, spur violent social unrest.