Last term the court heard 74 cases, one of its lightest workloads since 1990, says Washington lawyer Tom Goldstein, who tracks the court. About a quarter of the opinions were closely divided 5-4 decisions. The court’s conservative majority held together in half of them. But Goldstein also found signs of difference. Justices Antonin Scalia and Thomas–often seen as voting in lockstep–disagreed more often than at any time in the past eight years, reaching complete agreement only 73 percent of the time. Of course, Scalia and Stevens–the most liberal justice–agreed in full only 38 percent of the time.
